Climate Change and Injury and Violence Prevention Micro Lab

Are you interested in sparking new research that addresses some of the most pressing human challenges of our time? Do you want to be part of an innovative, interdisciplinary team that explores how climate change intersects with injury and violence prevention—especially right here in Iowa and the Midwest?
This Micro Lab is your chance to help define a new frontier of interdisciplinary research—one that’s rooted in Iowa, relevant to communities across the Midwest, and driven by human impact.

Wednesday, July 9, 2025 from 1:30pm-3:00pm; College of Public Health Building (CPHB)

Submit Ideas & Register

You may submit up to three ideas even if you cannot attend.

Submit ideas by Wednesday, June 25 and register by Tuesday, July 8. The Research Development Office (RDO) will send a calendar invitation with details and room location upon registration.

Event Information

Join us for the Climate Change and Injury* and Violence Prevention Micro Lab on Wednesday, July 9 from 1:30pm-3:00pm in CPHB, where UI researchers across disciplines will come together to generate bold ideas and forge new collaborations. Whether your expertise lies in public health, medicine, engineering, science social science, environmental studies, or beyond—your perspective is vital.

* ”Injury” refers to unintentional and intentional acute, traumatic events, including but not limited to mechanisms such as, road traffic crashes, falls, drownings, burns, and poisonings.

Why This Matters

Climate change is no longer a distant concern—it’s already shaping the health and safety of our communities. In Iowa and across the Midwest, more frequent flooding, extreme heat, and severe weather are increasing the risk of injury, trauma, and even violence. These events are straining emergency response systems, displacing populations, and exacerbating stress and mental health conditions that may contribute to injury and interpersonal and community violence.

Rural areas and underserved populations are especially vulnerable, making this a critical time to develop solutions that are equitable, evidence-based, and locally informed. The University of Iowa is uniquely positioned to lead in this emerging research space, with deep expertise in both environmental health and injury and violence prevention.

How You Can Engage

We are seeking bold, forward-thinking research ideas that explore the intersection of climate change and injury and violence prevention. These ideas will be used to identify key themes for the Micro Lab and help build collaborative research teams across campus.

During the in-person 90-minute Micro Lab, participants will:

Connect with new collaborators across disciplines
Explore the biggest challenges and opportunities in climate change and injury and violence prevention
Co-develop actionable research concepts for future funding and development
Get support from climate change and injury and violence prevention experts from the UI Environmental Health Sciences Research Center and the UI Injury Prevention Research Center

Call to Action: Submit Your Bold Ideas by June 25

Your submission will help shape the Micro Lab discussion, even if you can’t attend. You may submit up to three ideas.

Please include:

Title/Synopsis

Provide title/synopsis of your idea (max 75 characters)

Provide a Response

“What is the interdisciplinary climate change and injury and violence prevention research challenge that Iowa researchers are particularly well positioned to explore in the next three to five years?” (max 750 characters)

UI Research Resources

Provide a description of UI research resources that support your idea (e.g., centers, cohorts, datasets, instrumentation).

Reminder: Submissions are welcome whether or not you can attend the Micro Lab.

Target Audience

We welcome submissions and participation from faculty, postdocs, and research staff across all disciplines.

Registration