Florida Atlantic Brings Research and Leadership to Southeast Florida Climate Leadership Summit

Florida Atlantic University will bring senior leaders, faculty and researchers to the 18th Annual Southeast Florida Climate Leadership Summit, Nov. 4–6 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. The university's School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability (ECOS) is a signature sponsor of the summit, and Florida Atlantic voices will be featured each day of the three-day program.

"Southeast Florida is where the nation's climate and resilience solutions are being tested first, and our researchers are in that work every day, from the reef to the roadway," said Steven Vollmer, Ph.D., director of ECOS. "We're proud to help convene this conversation, putting our science faculty in the room with the practitioners shaping our region to help ignite even further action."

ECOS researchers work to translate coastal science into local action. Their work includes mapping vulnerable flood zones, modeling shoreline erosion, designing nature-based infrastructure such as living shorelines, and developing urban planning models that help local governments meet coastal resilience requirements. Together, these efforts address challenges ranging from storm surge to dry-day flooding.

The summit opens Nov. 4 with Innovation Day, a technology-focused program featuring two Florida Atlantic faculty members. Sudhagar Nagarajan, associate professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering, will join "The Eyes and Ears of Tomorrow," a panel on how sensors, robots and drones are making cities more efficient and more resilient. George Sklivanitis, associate research professor in Florida Atlantic's Center for Connected Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence, will join "Thinking Beyond the Now," a discussion of how artificial intelligence supports government missions, infrastructure and broader resilience efforts.

Vollmer will deliver the Summit’s welcome remarks on Nov. 5. On Nov. 6, he will moderate "Managing the Frontlines while Balancing the Ledger," a conversation with county administrators from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties about the operational and fiscal realities of resilience work. That same day, Florida Atlantic President Adam Hasner will join Nova Southeastern University President Harry Moon, M.D., for "Anchoring the Blue and Ocean Economy: Higher Education at the Helm," moderated by Katie O'Fallon, executive director of the Marine Research Hub. Florida Atlantic’s ECOS is also sponsoring the summit lunch on Nov. 6.

The summit is the flagship event of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, a partnership launched in 2009 by Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties to coordinate climate mitigation and adaptation across the region.

Registration and full program details are available at the Broward Climate Leadership Summit 2026 website.

To learn more about ECOS, visit fau.edu/environment.

-Florida Atlantic University-

Florida Atlantic University is one of the nation’s fastest-rising public research universities, serving more than 32,000 students in South Florida. Ranked among the Top 100 Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report, recognized as a Top 25 Best-In-Class College, and cited by Washington Monthly as one of the nation’s most effective engines of upward mobility, Florida Atlantic is also one of only 13 institutions nationwide to hold Carnegie Foundation designations for R1 research, opportunity and community engagement. Guided by its strategic plan, “2031FAU: Where Tomorrow Begins,” the university is focused on delivering career-ready education and experiential learning, driving scholarly inquiry that creates healthier, safer and more prosperous communities, strengthening institutional excellence, and elevating its impact across South Florida and beyond. Florida Atlantic continues to advance its position as Florida’s first quantum university, integrating research, education and industry partnerships around next-generation computing technologies. Through other signature strengths in neuroscience and healthy aging, environmental, ocean and coastal innovation, and national defense and autonomous systems, Florida Atlantic expands knowledge, fuels economic opportunity and fulfills its mission as South Florida’s hometown university.