Williams Lecturer Receives Fulbright Fellowship for South Africa Research

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Alex Apotsos, lecturer in geosciences at Williams College, has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to spend 11 months doing research in South Africa starting in August.

Apotsos's project, "Mapping the Climate Change Vulnerability of Coastal Urban Areas in Southern Africa," will increase understanding of the climate vulnerability and informational needs of coastal urban areas in Southern Africa. Apotsos will develop localized climate change vulnerability maps that combine biophysical factors, such as storm surge and sea level rise, with socio-economic factors, such as poverty rates, educational levels and infrastructure, that influence the ability of communities to increase their resilience.

During the development of these maps, Apotsos will engage with local and regional planners to understand better their perceptions of urban vulnerability as well as the information they need to address these vulnerabilities. This research builds off his background in coastal oceanography as well as his work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on assessing vulnerability in Sub-Saharan Africa.


"With more and more people moving to the urbanized areas of the coast, it is essential that we begin to understand better the vulnerability of these growing populations," Apotsos said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to investigate the nexus of biophysical and socio-economic factors that can lead to more resilient communities in Southern Africa with my colleagues at the University of Cape Town."

Over the last 18 years, Apotsos has done both scientific studies of the coastal environment and developed and implemented effective policy based on scientific information. A coastal oceanographer by academic training, Apotsos has also served with the Peace Corps and worked for the U.S. Senate and USAID. This research combines his expertise in coastal processes, climate change vulnerability, and the integration of science into policy and implementation.

Teaching at Williams since 2015, Apotsos has a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a Ph.D. from MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

 


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Williams Seeking Town Approval for New Indoor Practice Facility

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board last week gave Williams College the first approval it needs to build a 55,000-square foot indoor athletic facility on the north side of its campus.
 
Over the strenuous objection of a Southworth Street resident, the board found that the college's plan for a "multipurpose recreation center" or MRC off Stetson Road has adequate on-site parking to accommodate its use as an indoor practice facility to replace Towne Field House, which has been out of commission since last spring and was demolished this winter.
 
The college plans a pre-engineered metal that includes a 200-meter track ringing several tennis courts, storage for teams, restrooms, showers and a training room. The athletic surface also would be used as winter practice space for the school's softball and baseball teams, who, like tennis and indoor track, used to use the field house off Latham Street.
 
Since the planned structure is in the watershed of Eph's Pond, the college will be before the Conservation Commission with the project.
 
It also will be before the Zoning Board of Appeals, on Thursday, for a Development Plan Review and relief from the town bylaw limiting buildings to 35 feet in height. The new structure is designed to have a maximum height of 53 1/2 feet and an average roof height of 47 feet.
 
The additional height is needed for two reasons: to meet the NCAA requirement for clearance above center court on a competitive tennis surface (35 feet) and to include, on one side, a climbing wall, an element also lost when Towne Field House was razed.
 
The Planning Board had a few issues to resolve at its March 12 meeting. The most heavily discussed involved the parking determination for a use not listed in the town's zoning bylaws and a decision on whether access from town roads to the building site in the middle of Williams' campus was "functionally equivalent" to the access that would be required under the town's subdivision rules and regulations.
 
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