The MSD community of practice organizes periodical webinars hosted online. The webinars highlight research efforts that are of wider interest to the MSD community.

Gray color indicates a working group organized event

Future webinars

June 14, 2023, 1:00-2:30pm ET
Title: Introducing the New Working Group on Connecting MSD Research to Operations
Presenter(s):
Connecting MSD Research to Operations Working Group
Abstract: Inaugural meeting of MSD’s newest working group, Connecting MSD Research to Operations This inaugural meeting will include short introductory talks from WG and MSD Community leaders, a panel discussion on R2O2R in MSD research, and breakout groups to crowdsource interests and ideas for the WG’s agenda. A detailed agenda is forthcoming. For further information contact David McCollum [mccollumdl@ornl.gov] Gokul Iyer [gokul.iyer@pnnl.gov], or Richard Moss [rmoss@princeton.edu].
Please register here:
[https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYtcuCvqDwtHd3_1P4enixgYEI1BbrgTJ0Z].

Any future webinars will be announced on this page and in our newsletter. Join us to receive our newsletter here.

Previous webinars

May 18th, 2023, 3:00-4:00pm ET
Title: MSD Informational Webinar on the Inaugural MSD Workshop
Presenter(s):
MSD CoP Facilitation Team
Abstract: This webinar will provide a brief update on recent community activities and provide a more detailed overview of the planned Inaugural MSD Workshop (October 3-5 at UC Davis) goals, structure, and themes. A new MSD dedicated Earth’s Future special collection will provide an excellent forum for published contributions that emerge from the workshop. Please join us for the webinar, share your thoughts and questions.
Watch the webinar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXd69qNHUkI
March 17, 2023, 1:00-2:15 pm ET
Title: Modeling System Evolution in Complex Adaptive Systems: Applications in Waste-to-Energy and Food Production Systems
Presenter(s):
Uncertainty Quantification and Scenario Development Working Group
Abstract: A conceptual framing of systems related to food, energy, water, and waste, as complex
adaptive systems allows for exploring important questions including long-term economic viability of infrastructure under future uncertainties, and historical change and future implications of potential policy interventions. This presentation highlights a case of stochastic modeling of waste-to-energy infrastructure for planning decision support with illustrative examples of mega-cities in developing countries. A second case focuses on graph-theoretic modeling of agriculture and irrigation over long time periods encompassing changing interactions between heterogenous components. This approach is used to investigate evolution of food production in the Indus River basin since mid-20th century and implications of potential future policies.
Thanks to all who attended
March 10, 2023, 3:00 – 4:15pm ET
Title: Identifying high-priority opportunities for research in multi-sector impacts of energy transitions
Presenter(s):
Multisector Impacts of Energy Transitions Working Group
Abstract: Technological advancement, increasing demands, global climatic changes, and policy have driven rapid changes in the energy sector such as renewable energy deployment and electrification. Since the energy sector is closely interlinked with other economic sectors and natural systems, there is an increasing need to understand the resulting multisectoral impacts of energy sector transitions, along with multidirectional interactions across sectors and systems. For example, renewable fuels and electricity generation can create new competition for land and water that affects food production and urban resource use. Growth in solar and battery deployment could necessitate accelerated demand for critical materials and elements that are in limited supply or may have costly production or disposal challenges. Electrification and automation could have wide-ranging impacts on fuel use, mobility, and energy consumption throughout the world, with additional interactions with water and land use.  This webinar will discuss current understanding of multisectoral relationships and identify gaps in our current capability to model and analyze how energy sector transitions interact with the rest of society and nature. The panelists will share their insights about the interactions, sectors, and systems that are missing or inadequately addressed by existing analytical approaches and propose new research pathways and community approaches that could help build a more holistic understanding of energy transitions. 
Thanks to all who attended.
October 25, 2022, 1-2pm ET
Title: Identifying Challenges and Opportunities for Uncertainty Analysis in MSD Research
Presenter(s): Uncertainty Quantification and Scenario Development Working Group
Abstract: Analyzing relevant uncertainties for multisector systems is complicated by several factors, These include differing methods and terminology across sectoral disciplines and the number of ways in which similar uncertainties can be treated. During this workshop, we will discuss one approach to a systematic classification of uncertainties and how they might be represented. We will use this classification to facilitate discussion of current challenges for uncertainty analyses in MSD research and opportunities to advance how MSD-relevant uncertainties are treated and communicated.
Thank you to everyone who attended the webinar.
September 27, 2022, 1-2pm ET
Title: Charting the State & Frontier of Human Systems Modeling for MSD Research
Presenter(s): Human Systems Modeling working group
Abstract:
We broadly invite members of the MSD Community of Practice to participate in an upcoming webinar to discuss the state and frontier of human systems modeling for MSD research. While the role of human adaptive action is increasingly recognized as a paramount determinant of multisector systems behavior and vulnerability, the effort to represent human systems in multisector models has been fragmented across methodological lines, ranging from computable general equilibrium to agent-based to system dynamics approaches. During the workshop, we will introduce a new typology for classifying how human actors are represented in the broad suite of models that are applied in MSD research to enable comparison and cohere insights across diverse modeling approaches. The typology will be used to facilitate discussion around current approaches for human systems modeling in MSD, and to chart promising research frontiers for advancing the representation of adaptive human action in MSD models.
Thank you to all who attended. Find a recording of the webinar here.
August 23, 2022, 1-2pm Eastern
Title: MSD-LIVE: The MultiSector Dynamics – Living, Intuitive, Value-adding, Environment
Presenter(s): MSD-LIVE and the FAIR Data working group
Abstract:
MSD-LIVE, the MultiSector Dynamics – Living, Intuitive, Value-adding, Environment, is a flexible and scalable data and code management system combined with an advanced computing platform that will enable MSD researchers to document and archive their data, run their models and analysis tools, and share their data, software, and multi-model workflows within a robust Community of Practice. v1.0 of the platform will be released to the community on 22-August and will be available to host MSD data. In this webinar we will walk through the capabilities in the v1.0 release and demonstrate how to use it to manage your data. We’ll also highlight new capabilities that are under development for future releases.
You can see a recording of the webinar here.
Wednesday July 20th from 3 to 4:30pm ET
Title: MSD Career Panel
Presenters: Professional Development and Education for Early Career Researchers Working group
Abstract:
he goal of the career panel is to give early career researchers insight into what it means to be an MSD researcher from multiple diverse perspectives. We’ll hear about the various career paths that researchers take and how they see the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field. Though this event is designed for early career researchers, all career stages are welcome to attend!
Thank you to everyone who attended.
Thursday June 30,  10am PST
Title: MultiSector Dynamics Working Group RFP Webinar
Presenter(s): Scientific Steering Group, Facilitation Team
Abstract:
This webinar provided a general overview of the 2022 request for proposals for new MultiSector Dynamics Working Groups process. It also included a panel discussion with several co-chairs of current MSD WGs who shared their experience developing their proposals, coordinating their Working Groups, and their WG activities and deliverables that support the MSD Community of Practice. They also answered some questions you may have about MSD WGs
Watch the video of the webinar here or find more information and links here.
February 22, 2022 1pm-3pm EST
Title: MultiSector Dynamics Vision Report and Community Building Webinar
Presenter(s): Scientific Steering Group, Facilitation Team
Abstract:
We have launched our 2030 Research Vision report! We’re outlining a vision for MultiSector Dynamics as a transdisciplinary field that seeks to advance our understanding of human-Earth systems interactions. You can access the report here: https://multisectordynamics.org/vision/
To learn more about this report and about our community join us in a community building webinar where we will be presenting the main themes of the report and seeking community inputs for future events and engagement.
Read our Take-aways from this webinar and download our slides here
OCTOBER 2021
Title: (Re)-Introducing the Professional Development and Education for Early Career Researchers Working Group
Presenters: Professional Development and Education for Early Career Researchers Working group
Abstract:
The working group on Professional Development and Education for Early Career Researchers seeks to further the scientific mission of MSD by supporting the growth and diversity of early career researchers in MSD and related fields.  We seek to provide professional development opportunities to graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and other early career researchers, and serve as a contact point for interdisciplinary education activities already taking place in the MSD community. In our first year we’ve highlighted the need for attention to DEI through our presentations at community webinars, highlighting that a diverse workforce that is supported by inclusive workplaces will more effectively solve today’s complex, multi-sectoral challenges. For example, because climate change disproportionately impacts some of the same groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields, the social impacts of climate disasters will be better understood by diverse research teams.  Using the evidence-based practices that we’ve collected so far, we are now preparing a survey to distribute to the MSD community at large to understand what resources and events are desired to support early career researchers’ success with an eye on DEI. We’ll use this information to plan the focus of next year’s events. We welcome anyone interested in learning more about our work to attend the info session and/or consider joining the working group. Why would a busy STEM professional want to join this working group? Participation can help shape the MSD community as it grows, and working group members have an opportunity to network across institutions and MSD projects, gain recognition for their work, and bring back best practices for DEI and early career professional development to their place of work.   We not only encourage women and underrepresented minorities in STEM to participate, but also everyone who wants to learn about DEI and career development in their workplace. In our first year, we’ve valued the different contributions of early career researchers as well as senior scientists in our monthly meetings.  Whether or not you join the working group, you can provide input on these important topics by responding to our upcoming survey. 
OCTOBER 2021
Title: Overview of the Geospatial Analytics for Multisectoral Urban Teleconnections (gamut) Package
Presenters: Facilitating FAIR Data Working group
Abstract:
Urban drinking water supplies can be exposed to contamination arising from land use and other anthropogenic activities in local and distal source watersheds. Because water quality sampling surveys are often piecemeal, regionally inconsistent, and negligent of unregulated contaminants, the United States lacks a detailed comparison of potential source water contamination across all its large cities. We sought to solve this problem by combining national scale geospatial datasets with data from CONUS-scale hydrologic simulations. Our presentation will describe the Geospatial Analytics for Multisectoral Urban Teleconnections (`gamut`) R package and its use in analyzing point and nonpoint source water contamination affecting the 100 largest U.S. cities. The `gamut` package was built to be open source and relies solely on open access input data. We will describe our application of FAIR data principles, both in package development and data management.

March 2021
Title: MSD: Shared Themes, Questions, and Methods — Update on Community Activities
Presenter(s):
Scientific Steering Group, Facilitation Team and Working Groups
Abstract:
The next MSD Community webinar will be held on March 2nd, 1-2:30 pm ET. This webinar will be presented by members of the Scientific Steering Group and will focus on several aspects of our joint efforts to evolve a framework for MSD research, detailed in the community’s upcoming white paper. Specific topics will include:
Reflections on AGU 2020 and initial planning for AGU 2021
White paper outline and development process
Updates on activities from our Working Groups
You can watch a recording of this presentation here.
You can access the slides used in this presentation here.
June 2020
Title: The FEWSION food-energy-water dataset
Presenter(s): Benjamin Ruddell (ASU)
Time: Jun 11, 2020 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
This webinar is organized by the Facilitating FAIR Data Working group
Abstract:
FEWSION is a significant NSF-funded research effort focused on mesoscale food-energy-water systems data synthesis in the United States. This effort involves engineering a coupled natural human systems data model for commodity (and other) inputs and outputs, including adoption of database structures and standards, controlled vocabularies and crosswalks, metadata, documentation, scientific workflows, high performance computing optimization, and data fusion/linking strategies to integrate heterogeneous spatiotemporal data sources. Visualization is also a challenge, and patent-pending visual analytics strategies have been developed and prototyped in the FEW-View system available since April 2019 on the website https://fewsion.us. The first version of the dataset is already available to collaborators, although unpublished, and the second version is scheduled for a more complete publication and release in 2020-2021.
April 2020
Title: Evolving a framework for MSD research and modeling that facilitates collaboration
Presenter(s):
Scientific Steering Group, Facilitation Team and Working Groups
Abstract:
The webinar will be presented by members of the Scientific Steering Group (SSG) and will focus on several aspects of our joint efforts to evolve a framework for MSD research and modeling that facilitates collaboration. Specific topics will include:
SSG and Working Groups: purposes and initial activities
AGU 2020 session planning
White paper/journal article outline and development process
Next opportunity to submit proposals for Working Groups
You can access the slides used in this presentation here.
November 2019
Title: Using Common Tools to Build Communities of Practice from the Ground Up
Presenter(s):
Casey Burleyson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Chris Vernon, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Abstract:
The goal of this webinar was to facilitate an open discussion about how communities can accelerate progress by leveraging a common set of resources. For example, reusing datasets and open-source software to reduce duplication of effort and enhance reproducibility and extensibility. The presenters used two example communities at different stages of development to guide the conversation.
The first example presented was the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) is a well-established, NSF-funded, international effort to develop a suite of modular numerical models able to simulate the evolution of landscapes and sedimentary basins.
The early-stage example presented was MSD-LIVE: The MultiSector Dynamics – Living, Intuitive, Value-adding Environment. MSD-LIVE is a flexible data and code management system combined with a computational platform and set of user interfaces that will enable MSD researchers to document and archive their data, run their models and analysis tools, and share their data, software, and multi-model workflows.
You can access the slides used in this presentation here.
June 2019
Title: MultiSector Dynamics (MSD) in Complex Adaptive Systems: Community Collaboration
Presenter(s):
Richard Moss, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Patrick Reed, Cornell University
Erwan Monier, University of California, Davis
Antonia Hadjimichael, Cornell University
Abstract:
The first webinar of the MSD Community of Practice gave an overview of the collaboration project and its efforts to facilitate the emergence of a community of MSD researchers.
The webinar reported on the results from the community survey conducted in March 2019, as well as their synthesis in emerging definitions and science questions for the MSD community. The community charter and terms of reference were also discussed.
You can access the slides used in this presentation here.