Assistant Professors Tripti Bhattacharya and Melissa Chipman are using National Science Foundation (NSF) support to look to the past to predict future climate change. A Thonis Family Professor, Bhattacharya integrates molecular studies of ancient sediments and regional climate models to understand how rainfall, particularly in the American Southwest, responds to elevated greenhouse gases. Chipman combines paleoecological methods with aerial and satellite imagery to examine the impact of wildfires, permafrost degradation and shrub expansion on the Alaskan tundra. (Photo: NASA)