1. Campus & Resources
  2. Research, Centers & Institutes
  3. The Center for Global Resilience and Security (CGRS)
  4. CGRS Initiatives

CGRS Initiatives

Building Resilient Communities through Interdisciplinary Research and Design Collaboration​

The Center for Global Resilience and Security (CGRS) brings Norwich University’s unique strengths in leadership, security, experiential education, and perseverance to resilient community building. Our work centers on human resilience.

Design+Build Collaborative Team Working over Blueprints

Design Collaborative

A new expansive initiative inspired by the seven affordable-housing prototypes Norwich has developed since 2011, the Collaborative continues not only to design and prototype regionally informed, resilient housing, but also to organize and coordinate related research and programming.

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Environmental Security Initiative

The Environmental Security Initiative (ESI) is a keystone collaborative effort between the Norwich University Center for Global Resilience and Security (CGRS) and the John and Mary Frances Patton Peace & War Center (PAWC).

Mission: To advance research in the intersecting areas of environmental degradation and national security.

Vision: To be global leaders in environmental security research and education.

Center for Global Resilience & Security Hurricane Assistance

Resilient Vermont

A conference for Vermonters seeking to engage with each other, their communities, and the state at large through meaningful and interdisciplinary discussions and problem-solving. Join us for this one-day event as we look to the past to plan for our future.

Past Initiatives

The CGRS-affiliated Dog River Conservancy (DRC), located in central Vermont, brings together communities around the Dog River to promote awareness of water conservation efforts in the area. The Dog River flows into the Winooski River, which drains into Lake Champlain.

CGRS considers energy resilience a core component of building community resilience. We’re developing energy curricula for a range of learners, from undergraduate students to senior leaders in military and industry, to produce generational change.

In fall 2020, CGRS launched its first environmental health investigation. Norwich University developed a Wastewater Based Epidemiology (WBE) Initiative and joined a growing effort among colleges and universities across the United States to investigate the use of wastewater for early detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

The Environmental Security Initiative (ESI) is a keystone collaborative effort between the Norwich University Center for Global Resilience and Security (CGRS) and the John and Mary Frances Patton Peace & War Center (PAWC).

Mission: To advance research in the intersecting areas of environmental degradation and national security.

Vision: To be global leaders in environmental security research and education.

The Norwich Humanities Initiative demonstrates the value and impact of integrating humanities-centered approaches to research, teaching, and learning within STEM and professional fields. Our team-taught Topics in Interdisciplinary Humanities courses provide students with the tools they need to:

  • Become storytellers
  • Explore their histories
  • Communicate efficiently and effectively with others
  • Think outside the box
  • Broaden their perspectives
  • Engage the world they live in with fresh eyes and ears, and
  • Become productive citizens of the world