October 19, 2026

For Immediate Release – October 19, 2026

Media Contacts:
Ro Rode, Director of Marketing and Communications
(561) 596-1410
ro.rode@lifeandscience.org

DURHAM, NC — The Museum of Life and Science is proud to announce that the organization has been awarded funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office as a partner on the South Atlantic Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA).

The South Atlantic RISA will build on five years of NOAA-supported work through the Carolinas RISA. This award expands existing partnerships across North Carolina and South Carolina to include key partners in Georgia. The South Atlantic RISA will address shared resilience challenges associated with flooding, hurricanes, extreme heat, drought, wildfire, and long-term disaster recovery across the Southeast.

The RISA program began in the 1990s and supports sustained, collaborative relationships to build resilience to extreme weather hazards. Typically funded by five-year cooperative agreements with NOAA, the work is accomplished by teams of research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and state/local governments in multi-state regions. RISA teams engage in a variety of applied and co-developed research and partnerships with local organizations. The Museum was previously a partner on the Carolinas RISA.

This competitively awarded RISA totals $1.2 million in a cooperative agreement over a one-year period. The lead institution is North Carolina State University (Dr. Jen Runkle) with Co-Principal Investigators at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Dr. Antonia Sebastian, Dr. Miyuki Hino) and the Museum of Life and Science (Max Cawley). Other partnering institutions include the North Carolina State Climate Office, Georgia State University, Furman University, and the University of Georgia.

“We’re thrilled to have the Museum of Life and Science as a core partner in the South Atlantic RISA,” Dr. Jen Runkle said. “Their creativity, commitment to community engagement, and ability to bridge science and everyday decision-making make them an essential part of helping communities prepare for and respond to extreme weather.”

Max Cawley, Director of Research and Engagement at the Museum of Life and Science, will serve as a Co-PI on this award. The Research and Engagement team is a branch of the Education department at the Museum of Life and Science focusing on collaborative research at the intersection of climate science, informal education, and community engagement. For the South Atlantic RISA, the Research and Engagement team will lead stakeholder engagement to ensure RISA data is translated into practice.

“The Museum of Life and Science brings an extraordinary ability to connect climate science with the people and communities who can use it,” Dr. Jen Runkle said. “Their expertise in engagement, storytelling, and co-production will help ensure that the South Atlantic RISA not only advances cutting-edge science but also translates that science into practical decisions that strengthen resilience across the region.”

About the Museum of Life and Science
Located less than five miles from downtown Durham, the Museum of Life and Science is one of North Carolina’s top family destinations. Our 84-acre campus includes a two-story science center, one of the largest butterfly conservatories on the East Coast, and beautifully landscaped outdoor exhibits. Our interactive experiences include Dinosaur Trail, Ellerbe Creek Railway, Hideaway Woods, Into the Mist, Earth Moves, and Aerospace, which features one of the largest collections of Apollo-era NASA artifacts in the state. The Museum is also an AZA-accredited zoo, home to rescued black bears, lemurs, endangered red wolves, and more than 60 species of live animals. For 80 years, the Museum has upheld its ongoing commitment to the communities of Durham, the Triangle, and North Carolina through programming, engagement, and research. To learn more, visit lifeandscience.org.

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