"The Joint Global Change Research Institute houses an interdisciplinary team dedicated to understanding the problems of global climate change and their potential solutions. Joint Institute staff bring decades of experience and expertise to bear in science, technology, economics, and policy. One of the strengths of the Joint Institute is a network of domestic and international collaborators that encourages the development of global and equitable solutions to the climate change problem. Initiated in early 2001, JGCRI brings together the intersecting interests of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Staff at the Joint Institute are focused on developing new opportunities to train university students in these interdisciplinary areas: 1. Integrated Assessment Modeling 2. Technology Strategies to Address Climate Change 3. Natural Resource Modeling and Assessment 4. Vulnerability and Adaptation Studies 5. Local and Global Environmental Mitigation Measures--Policy Development and Testing. In addition, the Joint Institute focuses on developing dialogues around global change issues, across disciplines and national boundaries, and among diverse socio-economic stakeholders."