In November 2025, the Institute for Climate and Community Resilience convened researchers, practitioners, community leaders, and funders for a two-day symposium at the UT Conference Center in downtown Knoxville titled Forum for Advancing Appalachian Climate Science and Community Resilience, sponsored by the Heising-Simons Foundation. Participants joined from across Tennessee and the broader Appalachian region, representing universities, national laboratories, nonprofits, local governments, and community-serving organizations.
The Symposium was designed to move beyond traditional academic conferences by intentionally connecting climate research with on-the-ground resilience work. Through facilitated discussions, panels, working sessions, and collaborative exercises, participants explored shared challenges—such as flooding, disaster recovery, public health, housing, and infrastructure—and mapped the region’s existing capacity to respond.
Across three themes—Old Stressors, New Pressures; Self-Reliance and Capacity of Place; and Partnership Precedes the Project—the event emphasized the importance of long-term, trust-based partnerships between researchers and communities. The Symposium generated new connections, early project ideas, and a foundation for ongoing collaboration that will continue through ICCR working groups, research initiatives, and follow-up convenings.
