
N-EWN
Network for Engineering With Nature
A new partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and University of Georgia (UGA) establishes the Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN). N-EWN was developed to accelerate delivery of nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure in the public and private sectors.
USACE presented a $2.5 million award to UGA to establish the collaborative network, which will be a clearinghouse for tools, products and outreach for researchers and practitioners from both organizations working on nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure projects. Additionally, the partnership seeks to expand N-EWN by inviting other academic institutions, federal agencies and private industry partners to join the network.

USACE developed the EWN Initiative to efficiently and sustainably deliver economic, environmental and social benefits through the use of natural systems. By using a combination of natural and conventional processes and materials, natural infrastructure can protect people, homes and habitats. Nature-based solutions can take many forms and scales, including sand dunes engineered to attenuate storm surge and waves, floodplains along rivers that allow the rivers to ebb and flow while reducing flood risks to communities and wetlands that filter out pollution and provide habitat, among many other examples.
The collaboration is beginning with USACE researchers ⸺ led by Dr. Todd Bridges, the EWN national lead and Dr. Jeffrey King, EWN deputy national lead ⸺ providing their knowledge and experience to the network, while 16 UGA researchers from 10 different colleges and departments will apply their expertise to the acceleration of EWN. The project leader for UGA is Dr. Brian Bledsoe, a professor in the College of Engineering and Director of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems. The N-EWN partnership will also draw from the expertise of the UGA’s River Basin Center and Center for Integrative Conservation Research.

In an ambitious set of pilot projects, the network’s researchers will advance methods for using natural infrastructure to strengthen community resilience, create models and dashboards that allow designers to map out how natural infrastructure can provide more benefits to society and inspire and empower a new generation of engineers, ecologists and social scientists to implement nature-based solutions through education and workforce development.
The N-EWN website can be visited at n-ewn.org