The Center for Climate-driven Hazard Adaptation, Resilience, and Mitigation (C-CHARM) involves Michigan Technological University as the lead institution, working in collaboration with staff from the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR), the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources Department (KBIC NRD), and many other community partners. The C-CHARM project personnel from Michigan Tech are committed to engaged, impactful, and co-produced science and translational research, and we have compiled some materials that support the efforts of community members, organizations, and partners as we work together to build more resilient communities across the Great Lakes region. We can help provide support as personnel, through access to previous work, and by engaging to support your proposal development and funded program ideas.
Personnel If you are an organization looking to partner with Michigan Tech researchers on science, outreach, or funding proposals to support your work, here are some C-CHARM personnel who are willing to engage in discussions about how to support your efforts through proposals, projects, and collaborations:
Pengfei Xue is an expert on modeling climatic variability and change in the Great Lakes region. He can help you use and apply climate models to support decision-making.
Ana Dyreson is an expert on the resilience of electrical energy systems and solar photovoltaic (PV) performance. She can help you identify key issues and scope project proposals that use and apply models of the electrical energy grid to understand how weather, new energy sources, and other changes can impact grid performance.
Chelsea Schelly is an expert in community engagement and social science research. She can help you build tools to engage communities, study community preferences and priorities, and explore the impact of policy and governance on opportunities and barriers to building community resilience.
David Watkins is a water resources engineer with expertise in watershed planning and flood risk management. He can advise on data collection, analysis, and modeling to support planning studies, as well as help to scope proposals and identify alternatives to prevent flooding, erosion, and related environmental impacts.
Previous Work If you are working on a grant proposal, report, information sheet, presentation, or other writing or outreach tasks regarding climate resilience in the UP, here are some previous publications, reports, and materials that may provide useful background information, demographics, or findings to inform your ideas or inspire conversations:
Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities in Rural and Low-Income Regions: A Case Study of the Western Upper Peninsula, published in 2025
Energy Services Security and Public Health Facilities in the WUP, published 2023
Public perceptions of energy transitions, published 2021
Funding Proposal Support The state of Michigan has several programs and funding opportunities available to support community resilience. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are just two examples. C-CHARM personnel from Michigan Tech are also experienced with successful proposals to federal agencies like the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, as well as private foundations, in programs that prioritize community engagement and promote community involvement. We are happy to discuss ways to contribute to your funding proposals and support your program ideas through research, engagement, student involvement, and other opportunities that are best aligned with your needs and priorities.