In this video, Rittmann provides renewable energy and the decontamination of water and soils as examples of such services. He adds that, through increased investment in our partnership with microorganisms, we can achieve worldwide independence from fossil fuels.
Two of our FSTI affiliates - Jennifer Hodbod and Hallie Eakin - have published a new paper in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. 'Adapting a social-ecological resilience framework for food systems' addresses the purpose of applying social-ecological resilience thinking to food systems before going on to distinguish between the resilience of food systems and broader conceptualizations of resilience in social-ecological systems. The paper then focuses on functional and response diversity as two key attributes of resilient, multifunctional food systems, using the drought in California to unpack the potential differences between managing for a single function—economic profit—and multiple functions. Their analysis emphasizes how the evolution of the Californian food system has reduced functional and response diversity and created vulnerabilities, and how managing for the resilience of food systems will require a shift in priorities from profit maximization to the management for all functions that create full food security at multiple scales.
For further details please contact jennifer.hodbod@asu.edu
When you think about light, what comes to mind? Do you think of a campfire in a dark forest, stars from a galaxy far away, or the neon sign across your street?
However you choose to envision it, light is all around us. Humans have had a long history of experimenting with different ways to utilize light. Some of the greatest minds have dedicated their lives to understand how to make light, and how to use it. Light is an integral part of how we communicate, navigate, learn and explore.
The Pac-12 Conference has announced its membership in the Green Sports Alliance, making it the first collegiate sports conference to count all its members – including ASU – as participants. As members of the GSA, the conference and university athletics programs have committed to measure their environmental performance, develop strategies and goals to reduce their footprint, monitor progress and engage fans in the process.
Sporting events at ASU have specifically been targeted as a place to educate students and the community on how to become more sustainable.
“It’s very rare to find a red trash receptacle at any of our sporting events,” said Peter Wozniak, manager of ASU’s athletic facilities. “We really do try and lead by example.” Wozniak added that in addition to using LED lighting and providing recycling bins at their sports facilities, ASU purchases sustainable cleaning supplies and encourages food suppliers to use recyclable products.
A new report from the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association - based on data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - ranks ASU among the world's top 50 universities for the number of patents in 2014. The 48 patents issued to ASU researchers that year tied it for 44th, just ahead of Duke University. The ranking reflects the university's dedication to conducting use-inspired research and building innovative technologies that contribute to our communities.
“The granting of 48 utility patents continues to demonstrate that our faculty and students are on the frontiers of science and at the forefront of developing new and meaningful technologies that extend to Arizona and beyond,” said sustainability scientist Sethuraman Panchanathan, senior vice president of Knowledge Enterprise Development at ASU. “As a rapidly growing research enterprise, these patents recognize the uniqueness of the work performed at ASU and the direct societal impact it has on the nation at large.”
Beginning July 1, Elizabeth Wentz - a professor and director of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning - will assume a new role as dean of social sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at ASU.
As a senior sustainability scientist with the ASU Wrigley Institute, Wentz is interested in restructuring cities to be more effective in the face of global climate change, as well as in the factors influencing single-family water demand. Her modeling efforts are reflected in the Decision Center for a Desert City-developed decision tool WaterSim, designed for use by local water managers. She also examines the tradeoffs between residential water and energy use.
"As a New American University, ASU is focused on being a global leader in elevating the stature of the social sciences as an integrative science,” said President Michael M. Crow. “Our teaching and discovery contributions range from global climate change to digital humanities, the geologic anthropocene and engineering solutions. All of which require comprehending and communicating human behavior, social dynamics, cultural differences and political interactions across broad geographic and time scales. Dr. Wentz has the background and experience to move us toward our goal.”
We’re heading into summer with some exciting synthesis research funded and underway! Several groups of CAP scientists will analyze long-term data to address specific scientific questions. We expect these projects will contribute greatly to the development of the CAP-IV proposal.
The projects and teams are:
Using the Survey 200 data to discern influences of climate, plant communities, and land use on decadal patterns of soil properties (Becky Ball and Sharon Hall)
Studying the structure of food webs and biodiversity patterns, and how they change with land use and climate anomalies (Dan Allen, Heather Bateman, Chris Martin, John Sabo, Jean Stutz, Albert Ruhi)
How has urbanization in riparian zones on two major streams affected ecosystem service provision? (Dan Allen, Ben Ruddell, Nancy Grimm, Billie Turner, and Xiaoxiao Li)
Using long-term land cover data to understand how metrics of spatial patterning have changed (WenWen Li and Libby Wentz)
Statistical synthesis of long-term climatic and land use/land cover datasets (Zhihua Wang and Soe Myint)
Relating long-term changes in urban biodiversity with changes in human perception and management (Paige Warren, Kelli Larson, Heather Bateman, Susannah Lerman, Sharon Hall, Christofer Bang)
Determining residential landscaping water requirements in the CAP ecosystem using a water balance model and long-term, experimental yard datasets (Sharon Hall, Enrique Vivoni, and Kelli Larson)
Synthesis of longitudinal land cover analysis and long term social and environmental trends (Ray Quay, Sharon Hall, Sharon Harlan, Billie Turner, Kelli Larson, Ben Ruddell, Yujia Zhang, and Xiaoxiao Li)
Time-series analysis of Tempe Town Lake biogeochemistry (Hilairy Hartnett, Monica Palta, and Albert Ruhi)
Impacts of haboobs and dust storms on the chemistry of Tempe Town Lake, bringing together long-term datasets on atmospheric and aquatic chemistry (Hilairy Hartnett and Pierre Herckes)
In addition, we have five graduate student projects funded through our Grad Grants program, which will also contribute to the corpus of research syntheses we have to work with as we gear up for the renewal. Congratulations to these graduate students:
Chao Fan – developing new analytical tools to describe urban sprawl and exploring its relationship with the urban heat island
Ben MacNeille –bacterial communities of the phyllosphere and their mitigation of atmospheric pollution
Julie Ripplinger – Bottom up and top down social and ecological controls of residential plant communities, using Survey 200 data
Melinda Weaver – how urban stresses alter behavior of house finches
Qunshan Zhao – relationship of urban heat island to roof materials
Stevan conducting fieldwork!
Since my last note, a lot has happened – especially comings and goings. Stevan Earl has stepped down as CAP Site Manager, assuming a position as Data Manager for GIOS. In that capacity, he will continue to work with CAP scientists on getting their data into the database (please put your data into the database!). We welcome Sally Wittlinger, as of May 18, as our new Site Manager! Sally brings a wealth of experience in program and lab management and comes to us most recently from DCDC. Look for a more thorough introduction after she begins work. Our CAP student worker, Mary Munoz Encinas, is graduating from ASU in a few days. Mary has been behind the scenes entering biota data as well as completing her own work using our urban shade tree data.Congratulations to Mary!
Here are some additional CAP LTER highlights:
We had another very successful and well-attended All Scientists meeting in January, with Kathy Jacobs (formerly Director of the National Climate Assessment and now Director of the UA’s Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions) as our keynote speaker and a distinguished panel discussing the future of Phoenix.
Planning for the CAP-IV proposal is well underway with Dan Childers at the helm.
Survey 200 is well underway. We are especially grateful to Lindsey Pollard, who stepped in when Stevan moved to the IT group to ably coordinate the survey.
Dr David Hulse visited ASU to deliver a special CAP seminar on his excellent work on future scenarios for the Willamette River Basin in Oregon.
Congratulations to Tony Brazel and Kerry Smith, who were awarded CAP LTER research awards and were honored at a small gathering in April.
ASU is a recommended recipient of two of the three Sustainability Research Networks (SRN) awards (expected start in late summer/early fall). ASU is the lead institution of the first, the Urban Resilience to Extremes (UREx) SRN (Charles Redman, PI, Nancy Grimm and Mikhail Chester, co-PIs), and is a subawardee for the Urban Water Innovation Network (U-WIN) SRN led by Colorado State (MattGeorgescu, co-PI). Both proposal strongly leveraged CAP. However, both are pending at this writing!
CAP recently submitted an equipment proposal to replace a vehicle and partially support the acquisition of a new gas chromatograph for trace-gas analysis.
CAP (Phoenix) is again on the drawing board as a potential urban ‘relocatable’ site for NEON – stay tuned.
Since last writing, three graduate students affiliated with CAP have or are in the process of defending their dissertations/theses. Join me in congratulating the following:
Thomas Bleasdale defended his dissertation, “Gardens of justice: Food-based social movement in south and west Phoenix,” on April 16th (Sharon Harlan, Chair; Bob Bolin and Kevin McHugh, committee members)
Hannah Heavenrich will defend her thesis, “Soil biogeochemical consequences of a ‘sustainable’ urban grassland to shrubland transition,” on May 13th (Sharon Hall, Chair; Kelli Larson and Diane Pataki, committee members)
Jeffrey Ackley will defend his dissertation, “Rich lizards: How affluence, land cover, and the urban heat island effect influence desert reptiles persisting in an urban landscape,” on May 15th (Jianguo Wu and Brian Sullivan, co-chairs; Soe Myint, Dale Denardo, and Michael Angilletta, committee members)
CAP REU student, Jessica Jia, successfully defended her Honor’s Thesis, “Quantifying the trade-off between landscape vegetation height, surface temperature, and water consumption in single-family residential houses for a desert city,” this spring (Kelli Larson and Elizabeth Wentz, co-chairs). Congrats to Jessica as well!
A little news about me: Although I will be taking sabbatical during the 2015-2016 academic year, I will mostly be here (staybatical) and will continue to lead CAP in collaboration with Dan, as we begin the process of transitioning leadership. I will also be very busy helping to get the new UREx SRN project underway. In June, I will spend a week at Kellogg Biological Station (one of our sister LTERs) as an ‘eminent ecologist’ (their title) in residence. I will spend a bit of time in New Mexico throughout the year, and have plans for a 4-6-week stay in Stockholm at the Resilience Center late next spring. But I will be completely available for all things CAP, so send me email or give me a call at any time.
Finally, congratulations and thanks go to the authors of the 18 journal articles that have appeared since my December update. These papers are listed below. Please do let us know if we’ve missed any, and as always, remember to keep Cindy and Marcia informed of new journal articles, book chapters, books, or noteworthy presentations—and to acknowledge CAP in your publications.
I wish each of you a productive and relaxing summer.
Nancy
Publications since my December 2014 Director Note:
Abbott, J. K., H. A. Klaiber and V. K. Smith. 2015. Economic behavior, market signals, and urban ecology. NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 20959. (link)
Ackley, J. W., M. J. Angilletta Jr., D. DeNardo, B. Sullivan and J. Wu. 2015. Urban heat island mitigation strategies and lizard thermal ecology: Landscaping can quadruple potential activity time in an arid city. Urban Ecosystems DOI: 10.1007/s11252-015-0460-x. (link)
Ackley, J. W., J. Wu, M. Angilletta, S. W. Myint and B. Sullivan. 2015. Rich lizards: How affluence and land cover influence the diversity and abundance of desert reptiles persisting in an urban landscape. Biological Conservation 182:87-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2014.11.009. (link)
Bestelmeyer, S. V., M. M. Elser, K. V. Spellman, E. B. Sparrow, S. S. Haan-Amato and A. Keener. 2015. Collaboraton, interdisciplinary thinking, and communication: New approaches to K-12 ecology education. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(1):37-43. DOI: 10.1890/140130. (link)
Childers, D. L., M. L. Cadenasso, J. M. Grove, V. Marshall, B. McGrath and S. T. Pickett. 2015. An ecology for cities: A transformational nexus of design and ecology to advance climate change resilience and urban sustainability. Sustainability 7(4):3774-3791. DOI: 10.3390/su7043774. (link)
Gifford, M., J. Liu, B. E. Rittmann, R. Vannela and P. Westerhoff. 2015. Phosphorus recovery from microbial biofuel residual using microwave peroxide digestion and anion exchange. Water Research70:130-137. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2014.11.052. (link)
Ibes, D. C. 2015. A multidimensional classification and equity analysis of an urban park system: A new methodology and case study application. Landscape and Urban Planning 137:122-137. DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.12.014. (link)
Marusenko, Y. Y., F. Garcia-Pichel and S. J. Hall. 2015. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea respond positively to inorganic nitrogen addition in desert soils. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 91(2):1-11. DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiu023. (link)
McHale, M., S. Pickett, O. Barbosa, D. Bunn, M. Cadenasso, D. Childers, M. Gartin, G. Hess, D. Iwaniec, T. McPhearson, M. Peterson, A. Poole, L. Rivers, S. Shutters, and W. Zhou. 2015. The new global urban realm: Complex, connected, diffuse, and diverse social-ecological systems. Sustainability 7: 5211-5240. (link)
Metson, G. S., D. M. Iwaniec, L. A. Baker, E. M. Bennett, D. L. Childers, D. Cordell, N. B. Grimm, J. M. Grove, D. A. Nidzgorski and S. White. 2015. Urban phosphorus sustainability: Systematically incorporating social, ecological, and technological factors into phosphorus flow analysis.Environmental Science & Policy 47:1-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2014.10.005. (link)
Rudd, B. T. and H. L. Bateman. 2015. Reptile use of trails in the Phoenix mountain parks. Herpetological Review 46(1):15-17.
Shaffer, S. R., W. T. Chow, M. Georgescu, P. Hyde, G. D. Jenerette, A. Mahalov, M. Moustaoui and B. L. Ruddell. 2015. Multiscale modeling and evaluation of urban surface energy balance in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 54:322-338. DOI: 10.1175/JAMC-D-14-0051.1. (link)
Shuster, W. D., S. D. Dadio, C. E. Burkman, S. R. Earl and S. J. Hall. 2015. Hydropedological assessment of parcel-level infiltration in an arid urban ecosystem. Soil Science Society of America Journal Open Access. DOI: 10.2136/sssaj2014.05.0200. (link)
Volo, T. J., E. R. Vivoni and B. L. Ruddell. 2015. An ecohydrological approach to conserving urban water through optimized landscape irrigation schedules. Landscape and Urban Planning 133:127-132. DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.09.012. (link)
Wang, Z. H. 2014. A new perspective of urban-rural differences: The impact of soil water advection. Urban Climate 10: 19-34. (link)
Wang, Z. H. 2014. Monte Carlo simulations of radiative heat exchange in a street canyon with trees. Solar Energy 110: 704-713. (link)
White, D. D., A. Y. Wutich, K. L. Larson and T. Lant. 2015. Water management decision makers’ evaluations of uncertainty in a decision support system: The case of WaterSim in the Decision Theater. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 58(4):616-630. DOI: 10.1080/09640568.2013.875892. (link)
Yang, J., and Z. H. Wang. 2014. Physical parameterization and sensitivity of urban hydrological models: Application to green roof systems. Building and Environment 75: 250-263. (link)
Mounir El Asmar, a senior sustainability scientist, has been recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers for his outstanding contributions to construction management and engineering.
El Asmar was presented the ASCE Thomas Fitch Rowland Prize on June 9 at the International Construction Specialty Conference in Canada for his research to quantify the performance of emerging construction project delivery systems. The ASCE award was based on the results of a project he led and reported on in a paper written with two colleagues, which was published in the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management.
“My work is about improving the performance of our built environment,” El Asmar says, “and our study shows this new approach offers real potential for major improvement in the industry.”
To determine how investment in the developing world can impact and be impacted by climate change, the World Bank Group and its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, traveled to Arizona State University for expert sustainability advice.
On May 18, 2015, a diverse global cohort of 30 World Bank and IFC members gathered in Tempe for a two-day workshop. Here, seven prominent scientists from the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability presented their research and insights on climate change. Specialized lectures, panels and discussions explored how the World Bank could contribute to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, as well as how climate change findings would affect the operations and priorities of the bank.
David Pijawka, a senior sustainability scientist and professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, has been awarded $80 thousand by the Navajo Nation to continue his work with its planning community.
The award comes after Pijawka and a team of researchers evaluated the processes, quality and outcomes of the Community-Based Land Use Plans developed by the Nation's chapters. The team found that updates were needed, and recommended that they be guided by the latest technical planning knowledge, tools, methods and professional practices. In response, the Nation asked Pijawka to spearhead the effort.
The award will cover the production of two guidance documents, as well as training for the Nation's regional and chapter planners. Training will occur both on-site and at a ten-day workshop held in June 2015 on ASU’s Tempe campus, which will feature topics like community visioning and participation, geographic information systems, legal issues, and cultural and sovereignty considerations.
On June 3, leaders from Arizona State University joined a ceremony in Islamabad to launch a five-year energy studies partnership with two leading Pakistani universities: National University of Science and Technology and the University of Engineering and Technology-Peshawar.
The $18-million project, known as the Partnership Center for Advanced Studies in Energy, was awarded to ASU by the U.S. Agency for International Development. It will work to improve power production in Pakistan, a nation that British economist Jim O’Neill said could be the 18th-largest economy in the world by 2050.
To achieve this, ASU staff will work with Pakistani counterparts on growing capacities in governance, curriculum, applied research, exchanges and scholarships, and institutional sustainability. The driving force will be graduate education and research.
Ultimately, project organizers envision a highly functioning center operating as seamlessly as possible between the two universities so they, in turn, can continue to find innovative and coordinated ways to boost Pakistan’s energy production.
At last month's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, ASU’s Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives presented six high school students with Walton Sustainability Solutions Awards. The awards recognized the students' innovative solutions to societal challenges, including ebola prevention, waste management and carbon emissions.
“Our winners demonstrated how combining multiple disciplines can develop creative solutions to global challenges,” said Kelly Saunders, a program manager for the Walton Initiatives. “They don’t see some barriers experienced researchers see; it frees them to develop out-of-the-box solutions. They are relentless and resilient in the face of challenges.”
Each of the students will receive a prize of $2,500 to further their research and development.
Sustainability scientists Edward Kavazanjian and Janet Franklin were among the four ASU professors named Regents’ Professors for the 2014-2015 academic year - the highest faculty honor at the university. This title recognizes full professors who have made exceptional achievements that have brought them national and international distinction.
Kavazanjian is particularly well known for his work on analysis, design and construction of landfills and waste-containment systems, especially under earthquake loading. His contributions in earthquake engineering have crucial importance to catastrophic events that occur with frequency.
Franklin was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in April 2014 for her pioneering work employing geospatial data and spatial analytical tools to examine the evolving biodiversity of ecosystems over time, as they relate to the physical environment, ecological processes and human influences. Her research in spatial analysis using remote sensing and geographic information technologies has led to new discoveries concerning the changing landscape of the earth.
On June 4, ASU Wrigley Institute Director Gary Dirks presented a plan - based on a study authored by sustainability scientist Mick Dalrymple - to transform Albania's education system. The transformation would take place through a series of innovative, sustainable improvements to that nation's 3,300 schools, could generate more than 220,000 new jobs and increase Albania’s gross domestic product by $880 million.
Among those in attendance during Dirks' presentation, given in Albania's capital of Tirana, were Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Education and Sports Lindita Nikolla.
Albanian leaders initially approached ASU's sustainability experts for help in making its schools safe, stable and energy efficient. ASU’s Global Sustainability Solutions Services - a program within the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives - evaluated the opportunities, challenges, impacts and costs for “greening” Albania’s school buildings before developing a multi-tier approach to improving energy efficiency, air quality, indoor and outdoor facilities, and other design elements.
Senior Sharyn Tom presenting the "School of Sustainability's Student Survival Guide."
Sharyn Tom is a Spring 2015 graduate of the School of Sustainability, having earned a Bachelor of Science in the Economics of Sustainability track. She also obtained a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the W. P. Carey School of Business.
Prior to graduating, Tom shared her sustainability story with us. We look forward to hearing where her curiosity and passion for problem solving take her next!
Why did you choose to major in Sustainability?
Because I’m a dual citizen between Canada and the U.S., I would go to Vancouver, B.C. every summer to visit family. I was constantly inspired by the city’s sustainability advances in transportation, First Nations Law, urban planning, policy and conservation. I wanted to be part of the revolution that brought those wonderful things to Phoenix, and I saw the sustainability program at ASU as an opportunity to become knowledgeable in the field.
Why did you choose the Economics of Sustainability track?
I was completely inspired by ECN 360: Economic Development - a class I took with Todd Schoellman. It remains one of my favorite economics classes because it opened my eyes to new ways of applying my sustainability knowledge for good. Understanding key elements of economics - such as supply and demand, market movements and financial incentives - became a powerful part of building the business case for sustainability.
On June 2, Arizona State University-affiliate Zócalo Public Square hosted a sustainability forum titled "Should Phoenix Exist?" The forum examined how Phoenix came to be a thriving metropolis despite its desert location, the consequences of its rapid growth and what citizens should do to ensure its continued success.
Among the forum's panelists were Sarah Porter, director of ASU's Kyl Center for Water Policy at the Morrison Institute, and Andrew Needham, a New York University historian and author of “Power Lines: Phoenix and the Making of the Modern Southwest." According to Needham, Phoenix’s urban transformation came largely without an understanding by most people of the distances crucial resources must travel to get to a city in the middle of the desert.
All panelists agreed that the key to sustaining the Valley, in addition to strong and innovative leadership, is an informed population.
Among the summer reading recommendations shared by faculty and staff from across ASU in a recent ASU News article are several from the ASU Wrigley Institute.
Distinguished Sustainability Scientist Chuck Redman believes it is important to have a deeper understanding of poverty (for those of us lucky enough not to have experienced it firsthand), and suggests several books that could contribute to this. He was seriously moved by “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich, a writer who attempted to adopt the lifestyle of the working poor herself.
Redman adds that there are a variety of books on climate change that have reached the mass market and are quite readable. A bit more academic is Tim Flannery’s “The Weather Makers,” which tries to put the history, science and future into context. A bit less academic is Thom Hartmann’s “The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight.”
Brigitte Bavousett, a student recruitment and retention specialist for the School of Sustainability, requires Sustainable Cities students to read David Orr's “The Nature of Design.” Although 13 years old and a "classic" in the field of sustainability, Bavousett says it is very thought-provoking and relevant to current concerns. The variety of topics ranges from "slow knowledge" to "loving children."
Arizona State University has been named one of the nation’s most sustainable colleges for the sixth year in a row by The Princeton Review's "Guide to 353 Green Colleges." The annual guidebook identifies and measures colleges with exemplary commitments to sustainability.
In this year’s green rating, ASU was noted for its use of renewable energy, its number of LEED-certified buildings and available transportation alternatives.
Sarda is a leading practitioner in the field of corporate sustainability. In his role at Dell, he is responsible for business integration and strategy, information strategy, measurement and reporting. Recently named one of the ‘most influential sustainability voices in America’ by The Guardian and ranked sixth in GreenBiz’s Sustainability Twitterati index, he actively participates in a variety of cross-industry efforts such as the Global Reporting Initiative and The Sustainability Consortium.
In this video, he discusses strategies for furthering sustainability in both business and academia.
Bruce Rittmann is Director of the Biodesign Institute's Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, a Regents' Professor in Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering's School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and a Distinguished Sustainability Scientist in the ASU Wrigley Institute. His interests lie in better understanding microorganisms so as to take advantage of the services they can provide to humans and our environment.
When you think about light, what comes to mind? Do you think of a campfire in a dark forest, stars from a galaxy far away, or the neon sign across your street?
Dear CAP Colleagues, Students, and Friends,
