The Global Drylands Center at ASU invites scientists at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to submit proposals for collaboration with Ben-Gurion University in Israel.

Download full request for proposal.

Rationale:

Arizona State University (ASU) and Ben-Gurion University (BGU) share remarkable similarities, the key of which is the physical environment in which both institutions reside. The U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) promotes scientific relations between the U.S. and Israel by supporting collaborative research projects in a wide area of basic and applied scientific fields through existing internal and NSF proposals.

Opportunity:

The purpose of this call is to generate international research proposals in Environmental Sciences between BGU and ASU faculty. The expectation is that proposals will present new cutting edge, collaborative research to be submitted to the NSF-BSF or other external funding programs.

• Anticipated program budget is US$80,000.
• Up to two awards will be made under this program.
• The budget must include a detailed justification.
• The proposal must explicitly address how its outcomes will enhance competitiveness in eventual extramural funding.

Deadline:

November 15, 2017, 5 pm local time

Download full request for proposal.

For the third year in a row, Arizona State University tops U.S. News and World Report's list of “most innovative schools” in the nation.

The ranking recognizes the university’s groundbreaking initiatives, partnerships, programs and research – including in the field of sustainability. It also recognizes innovative improvements to curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.

The widely touted set of annual rankings by the news magazine compares more than 1,500 institutions on a variety of metrics. It is based on survey responses from peers – including college presidents, provosts and admissions deans throughout the country.

On September 6, 2017, ASU-Conservation International Professor of Practice Jack Kittinger and Postdoctoral Research Associate Elena Finkbeiner facilitated a presentation on recent findings from sustainability science that are helping transform coastal fisheries.

Continue Reading

Sustainability Scientist Martin Pasqualetti is one of three editors on a book now out from Routledge titled The Routledge Research Companion to Energy Geographies.

The book provides a pathway toward international cooperation and sustainability by offering a framework that portrays the interdependence between geography, energy and our society – such as security, space and place, planning, environmental science, economics and political science. Recognizing that debates over location and energy flow often lack substantial consideration of geographical networks, the book illustrates and explains the importance of distribution of fuels and services around the world and how energy affects our decisions.

Pasqualetti is a professor at the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, and co-director of ASU’s Energy Policy Innovation Council.

New ideas on how to build more resilient cities focus on working with nature, rather than trying to master it, says Charles Redman – founding director of ASU’s School of Sustainability.

Redman now leads a group of researchers from 15 institutions in a National Science Foundation-sponsored project called the Urban Resilience to Extreme Weather Related Events Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN), which focuses on ways to make cities more resilient to natural calamities. This entails building infrastructure systems that are safe-to-fail, rather than fail-safe, and recognizing that cities should be able to take advantage of natural features of the land.

"The overarching problem with cities like Houston is that they have built over the natural landscape with impervious surfaces, and with impediments to the natural flow of surface runoff," says Redman. "A more effective approach may be to implement infrastructure systems that work with the land to facilitate runoff rather than try to control it, but acknowledge and plan that if a specific threshold is exceeded and the system 'fails' in some sense there are backup plans in place that minimize the adverse impacts."

The UREx SRN’s Thaddeus Miller, a social scientist, and Mikhail Chester, an engineer, lay out six rules for investing in infrastructure during a time of ‘unprecedented’ weather events.

Considering U.S. infrastructure was recently given a D+ by the American Society for Civil Engineering Infrastructure Report Card and early estimates of the damage from Hurricane Harvey are hovering around $190 million, we need to start looking at how we got to this point and how to proceed moving forward.

Brianna Fornes, an undergraduate at Arizona State University, was recently awarded Best Technical Presentation by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This award highlights her work during a summer internship at Idaho National Laboratory. The goal of her project was to improve preservation of algal biomass by optimizing lactic acid fermentation. This is because algae biomass production varies throughout the year, making it necessary to store biomass until it can be processed.

“Interning at the INL was an inspiring experience. I was lucky enough to be working alongside some of the country's brightest scientists, who made themselves available to me for direction and advice," Fornes says of her achievement. "It was an honor to have the opportunity to make a contribution to the fantastic work being done at INL.

"I was already so proud to represent AzCATI and ERM and share the accomplishments we had achieved over the summer, so winning was just the cherry on top. Considering that I was one of very few undergraduates in the competition, being selected for best technical presentation solidified to me how much I had learned and grown during my time in Idaho. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.”

Continue Reading

The UREx SRN’s Charles Redman talks with ASU Now about how to better prepare for events like Harvey and Irma and how the UREx network is developing tools to make cities more resilient.

One step towards making cities more resilient is to realize we cannot always predict what is to come. Therefore, we should move from fail-safe designs – which assume we know exactly what will happen – to safe-to-fail, which have multiple back-up plans.

Earlier this summer, the City of Glendale Water Services Department sponsored three “Hotel Saguaro” puppet shows during the Glendale Library’s busy summer reading program. A unique pre-show activity called “Taste Your Yard” allowed participants to learn about desert edible and medicinal plants. 

The City partnered with Maricopa County Master Gardeners, Library teen volunteers, and Trees Matter to staff interactive stations where participants made mesquite flour and sampled desert edibles, such as prickly pear candy, agave syrup, and pomegranate juice. This popular session demonstrated the need for more opportunities to learn about desert food—thankfully, development of the Desert Food Forest was underway.

The City of Glendale Water Services Department was recently awarded an Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management Community Challenge Grant to develop a Desert Food Forest demonstration at the Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden. The Desert Food Forest will showcase water-efficient, desert-edible trees, shrubs, perennials, and succulents that homeowners can successfully grow, harvest, and enjoy in their own landscapes. The landscape will utilize passive rainwater harvesting, curb cuts with permeable pathways, and an interpretive sign to engage the public.

In addition to the 3,000 sq. ft. demonstration, the grant will provide for youth and adult education on Sonoran Desert edible and medicinal plants. The City is partnering with the Linking Edible Arizona Forests (LEAF) Network to offer a free “Create Your Own Desert Food Forest” class on Saturday, October 21 from 10 a.m. to Noon at the Glendale Main Library (5959 W. Brown St.). A design charrette, involving local plant experts, is scheduled this September and will help ensure a sustainable design that is compatible to our unique climate. The Food Forest demonstration is scheduled to be installed later this fall.

This project was born out of residents’ increasing interest in learning how to transform their lawns into more water-efficient desert gardens. In the Phoenix metropolitan area, outdoor water usage typically makes up more than half of a resident’s total water usage. Much of this water is used to support lawns and ornamental plants that require more resources and maintenance than desert-adapted plants. With the gaining popularity of growing desert edibles, this project will provide a demonstration and resource for visitors at the Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden who want to create a desert food forest that benefits people, native wildlife, and the environment.

Nestled at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, Apache Junction is strategically positioned as the eastern gateway into the Greater Phoenix metro area and the western entry to the Tonto National Forest’s recreation venues. This geography, coupled with a western atmosphere, make the city appealing to residents and visitors alike.

Along with its many attractive qualities, the city of Apache Junction – like most communities – faces unique sustainability challenges as it continues to grow. It is these challenges that form the basis of a partnership with Arizona State University’s Project Cities program.

Continue Reading

Nestled at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, Apache Junction is strategically positioned as the eastern gateway into the Greater Phoenix metro area and the western entry to the Tonto National Forest’s recreation venues. This geography, coupled with a western atmosphere, make the city appealing to residents and visitors alike.

Along with its many attractive qualities, the city of Apache Junction – like most communities – faces unique sustainability challenges as it continues to grow. It is these challenges that form the basis of a partnership with Arizona State University’s Project Cities program.

Continue Reading

Inspired by the river walk in San Antonio, U.S. Senator John McCain plans to transform the entire Salt River bottom with help from ASU.

Rio Salado 2.0 will run through metro Phoenix and serve as an urban and environmental amenity. It will use ASU expertise in areas like hydrology, biology, architecture, planning, finance and sustainability – but not without community input.

“The university will be a convener of community interests and key stakeholders to make sure all voices are heard and reflected in the work to be done,” said Senior Sustainability Scientist Duke Reiter.

Dr. Beth Polidoro, Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Deputy Director, was recently awarded $195,837 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program to implement a screening-level ecological risk assessment for microplastics in American Samoa.

Continue Reading

ASU's reputation for sustainability leadership continues to grow, corroborated by its standing in Sierra magazine's latest “Cool Schools” ranking of North America’s greenest colleges and universities.

Named first among institutions with more than 10,000 students — up from second in that category last year — ASU sits in seventh place overall, according to the listing. It was compiled using surveys from a record-breaking 227 schools, as well as a customized scoring system based on universities' commitment to upholding high environmental standards.

This is the third consecutive year ASU has scored in the top 20. The 2017 ranking does not yet reflect the impact of the Red Rock Solar Plant, dedicated in January 2017. Over the course of its first full year in operation, Red Rock will reduce ASU’s total carbon footprint by more than 10 percent.

GreenLight Solutions – a consulting organization started by ASU School of Sustainability students – has partnered with nonprofit Build Us HOPE to assist those experiencing homelessness.

In August 2017, members of GreenLight Solutions joined Build Us HOPE volunteers and people currently experiencing homelessness to break ground at Micro on Madison – a project that provides tiny houses to homeless veterans in the Valley. The 300-to-450-foot houses are sustainable, cost-effective and easy to replicate. Currently funded by donations, the houses will be paid for in part by future tenants with adequate funds.

“We’re just trying to get it done instead of talking about it,” said Kevin Keleher, a School of Sustainability alumnus and the executive director of Greenlight Solutions. “It’s a really exciting time.”

One of the UREx SRN’s network cities – Hermosillo, Mexico – was highlighted by Hermosillo Mayor Manuel Ignacio Maloro Acosta during the first 2017 meeting of the National System of Climate Change.  Maloro Acosta emphasized Hermosillo’s work with the UREx network and said that the city will be one of the most prepared in handling a changing climate.

Albert Kyi is entering the 11th grade this fall at Grace Church High School in New York City, NY, and has demonstrated a passion for innovation and sustainability far beyond his age.

His desire to find solutions that address climate change started in 4th grade when he was part of a team that tried to cut down on the school’s energy usage. Since then, Kyi has been actively learning about technologies that reduce carbon emissions and the effects of climate change.

Kyi’s journey building a Direct Air Capture (DAC) machine began last year during 10th grade, when students were given a budget and six months to complete a big project. Kyi knew he wanted to do something related to climate change.

Inspired by his dean Mr. Reilly, who told his students to always “dream big,” Kyi wanted to create a technology that could slow down global warming. When he came across DAC technology through his online research, he knew it would be perfect for his project, so he contacted Dr. Klaus Lackner and Mr. Allen Wright.

Continue Reading

Future Cities is a new podcast created by UREx graduate students and postdocs. We hope to use this podcast as a way to communicate our own research with a broader audience, to share stories from across the network, and highlight some of the challenges that cities face when planning for future extreme events.

We want this podcast to be accessible to a large audience and we will aim to have one third of our podcasts in Spanish since one third of our network cities are Spanish speaking.

Episodes that we already have in production cover a range of topics including innovation in cities, scenario workshops, and heatwaves in Hermosillo. We are always looking for new episode ideas, so please contact us if you have an idea or want to produce your own episode.

The podcast will debut this Fall and can be listened to on the Future Cities YouTube channel. Follow on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod for updates and contact us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com if you want to get involved!

– Stephen Elser

ASU-Conservation International Professor of Practice, Dr. Jorge Ahumada, recently published a paper in Biological Reviews titled “Building essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) of species distribution and abundance at a global scale.”

The study assesses some of the challenges of developing a large, global database focused on species distribution and abundance. It proposes eleven workflow steps to operationalize this process while offering concrete examples from existing projects, including the TEAM Network.

Continue Reading