The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at UNC Asheville invites the public to attend a drop-in open house from 3:30-5 p.m. Friday, October 28, at the RENCI at UNC Asheville Engagement Site, located in the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville. The event is free and open to the public. The RENCI at UNC Asheville Engagement Site provides leading-edge technology for area decision makers and other collaborators in the areas of disaster research, mitigation, and preparedness, taking advantage of Western North Carolina’s expertise in weather and climate modeling, visualization, and public outreach.

Visitors will see a 16-foot visualization wall, an immersive GeoDome, and 3-D visualizations in action as they learn about projects such as the Livable Communities Initiative, the Early Warning System designed to track unexpected forest change and potential threats, the Urban Growth Model for the Asheville region, a web-based template system for assessing climate change impacts and management options, the Buncombe County Multi-Hazard Risk Tool, flooding impacts and mitigation, and geospatial climate information viewers.

RENCI at UNC Asheville staff are excited about welcoming the public to the engagement site. “The RENCI at UNC Asheville Engagement Site is a resource for our collaborators, decision makers, and the public,” Susan Weatherford, RENCI at UNC Asheville project manager, said. “Coming to our Engagement Site during the Open House and using our tools and technologies is a great way to learn about our communities, our region, and our nation.”

For further information on the open house, please contact Nina Flagler Hall, community engagement coordinator for the RENCI at UNC Asheville Engagement Site, at 828/225-6575 or nhall@unca.edu. The UNC Asheville Community Engagement Site is located in Suite 116 of the Grove Arcade, on the O’Henry Avenue side of the building, at One Page Avenue, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801.