The university announced Peter C. Frumhoff, a climate scientist, as the recipient of the Richman Distinguished Fellowship in Public Life award, according to the award’s webpage.
Frumhoff is the Chief Climate Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists—an independent nonprofit focused on climate change and creating “combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe and sustainable future,” according to their page. Frumhoff’s work primarily involves leading various initiatives to inform the public on scientific expertise. His work involves “understanding and motivating public policies; guides science, equity and innovation postdoctoral fellowships; and serves as senior liaison with the scientific community, policymakers and media,” according to the Current Fellow page.
Frumhoff has published various literature regarding climate science and policy, according to the page. His work has involved, “the role of tropical forests and land use in climate mitigation, the climate attribution of extreme weather events, the climate responsibilities of fossil fuel companies, the governance of solar geoengineering research and the water demands of energy in a changing climate,” according to the page.
According to the page, Frumhoff serves on numerous boards including the Board of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and the Board of Editors of Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. Prior to his involvement with these boards, Frumhoff worked on the Board of Directors of the American Wind Wildlife Institute, the Advisory Committee on Climate Change and Natural Resource Science at the United States Department of the Interior and the Board of Editors of Ecological Applications, according to the page.
Frumhoff was a part of the NASEM team that wrote the 021 report on Reflecting Sunlight: Recommendations for Solar Geoengineering Research and Research Governance, according to the article. He also was the lead offer on a report for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) called the Fourth Assessment Report. He was also the lead author of the IPCC Special Report which discussed Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry effects on global climate. Frumhoff has also been involved in multiple regional climate impacts assessments, acting as guide for these reports, according to the page, he was involved in the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA).
The Richman Distinguished Fellowship in Public Life award is given to individuals who are “active in public life [and] whose contributions have had a significant impact on improving American society, strengthening democratic institutions, advancing social justice or increasing opportunities for all citizens to realize and share in the benefits of this nation,” according to the page.
The award was created by Brandeis alumna Carol Richman Saivetz ’69, according to the page. Saivetz, along with her children, Michael Saivetz ’97 and Aliza Saivetz Glasser ’01, named the award in honor of Fred and Rita Richman, the Saivetzes’ parents and grandparents, respectively. The funding of the award is provided by the Richman and Saivetz families, according to the page.
The Richman Distinguished Fellowship in Public Life is hosted by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life—a program at the university that provides responses to conflict and injustice, according to their page. The center hosts the event on behalf of the Office of the President as well as the office of the Provost, according to the page. Frumhoff’s residency will be from March 29 to March 31 in 2022, according to the page.
