The series, titled “Community of Scholars Committed to Inclusive STEAM+H Pathways,” has drawn active participation from approximately 25 faculty and deans.
In March, two representatives from Arizona State University attended the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s 2017 Liaison Delegate meeting in Montreux, Switzerland. Amy Scoville-Weaver represented ASU’s Center for Biodiversity Outcomes (CBO), and William Brandt attended on behalf of ASU LightWorks.
The WBCSD is a CEO-led organization of forward-thinking companies that galvanizes the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the environment.
The conference, Roadmap for Impact in Today’s Reality, focused on the drastic political changes over the past year, implications for sustainability and the critical opportunity for the private sector to engage in new ways on sustainable development. As part of the conference, WBCSD released its CEO Guide to the Sustainable Development Goals.
As the current presidential administration rolls back numerous environmental regulations, Senior Sustainability Scientist Leah Gerber considers the consequences of losing the Endangered Species Act – another item queued for the chopping block.
In an April 2017 commentary in Christian Science Monitor titled "Is the endangered species act facing extinction?," Gerber touts the services biodiversity provides us - among them, food, medicine, clean water and air. Not only do these enhance rather than impede our lifestyle, in Gerber's opinion, the plants and animals that make up our ecosystems enrich our lives in ways often ascribed to art.
According to Gerber, who directs ASU's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, these benefits provide solid ground for a bipartisan effort to strengthen the ESA's ability to protect endangered species rather than to limit or invalidate it.
"For those species that we deem worthy of protection, we must promote their recovery and be willing to pay for it," Gerber writes. "For the losing species, we need to prepare for the consequences of their disappearance from Earth."
“The idea [behind this partnership] is to create additional research, education and engagement activities for students and faculty in the realm of biodiversity conservation,” explained Beth Polidoro, CBO Associate Director of Research and professor of environmental chemistry.
Students will have the opportunity to be mentored by the Professors of Practice, enhancing their ability to bridge academic knowledge and practical applications to help solve real-world biodiversity conservation issues. In addition, they will be exposed to networking opportunities and one-on-one career mentoring.
Amy Scoville-Weaver, CBO Project Manager, coordinates this initiative and helps create connections within the university. “Sustainability, it's across disciplines, and I think it doesn't matter what you're doing, even if you're a literature major and are interested in biodiversity," she explains. “Ultimately, everything is connected back to the foundations of life.”
“Engaging with big business offers an opportunity to have tremendous impact on the decisions that are made by these companies,” explained Gerber. “One reason NOT to engage is the hope that deep pockets will provide untapped basic research funding.”
On February 2017, Dr. Gerber was named an ESA Fellow. Gerber was selected for her pioneering efforts to integrate marine ecology and conservation science into tenable policy and decision-making tools.
Myanmar is a biodiversity hotspot, abundant in unique species and ecosystems. 2015 democratic elections in this country have led to rapid political, social and economic change. In recognizing that their social and economic success depends on their natural wealth, last year Myanmar stated its commitment to the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
This postdoctoral fellow will develop high-impact science to support sustainable management and conservation interventions in global fisheries and aquaculture.
The fellow will directly support the three goals of the ASU-CI Knowledge Partnership: protect biodiversity, promote sustainable development (particularly in food production and fisheries), and train the next generation of conservation biologists
This week, Samantha M. Cheng with the Science for Nature and People Partnership at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara is visiting ASU.
During her visit, Cheng will meet with faculty to explore opportunities for collaboration. On Wednesday, March 22, she will be presenting her research on mapping evidence for impacts of conservation on human well-being at a Hugh Hanson Seminar, sponsored by the School of Life Sciences.
During the presentation, Cheng will discuss how their team developed a map of 1000+ relevant studies linking conservation interventions to human well-being. She will explain how to interpret the map, key findings and ways to explore it.
These scientists will devote time to teaching, mentoring and service initiatives at the university, all aligned toward advancing the three goals of the partnership: protecting biodiversity; promoting sustainable development, particularly in food production and fisheries; and training the next generation of conservation biologists.
“Right now we’re in a race, a race that will not be easily won,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “The forces of nature and the negative force of our impact on nature are accelerating. The acceleration of those forces are such that they will contribute to our need to have something we don’t have, which are better theories, better ideas, better tools, better solutions, better implementation, better translation – none of which comes naturally.”
As the New American University, ASU supports local and global partnerships to ignite innovative solutions to pressing biodiversity conservation issues around the world.
Protecting essential natural capital for human well-being.
Transitioning producers to sustainable production methods through science, engagement and technology.
Training the next generation of conservation leaders.
During their welcome week, PoPs will participate in a series of planning workshops to strategize research and teaching. They will present lightning talks and discussion, followed by one-on-one meetings with faculty. They will also facilitate undergraduate and graduate student workshops.
The first activity, under the careful supervision of soil expert Gravuer, gave kids the opportunity to pull plastic bugs out of a large bin of soil and win prizes for how many they “caught.” This activity was designed to teach children more about soil and the living things that support and depend on a healthy soil ecosystem. The second activity, a Living Landscapes game designed by Tower, asked children to determine which animals live in which landscape. Children were given the choice of a marine ecosystem in the Galapagos Islands and Yellowstone National Park. Prizes awarded included (fake) insects and snakes, as well as erasers and reptile-themed stickers.
“It is so wonderful seeing children learn about the wonders of the world not only surrounding them, but also the world beneath their feet,” said Scoville-Weaver. “We had over 500 prizes and we gave out just about all of them! They loved it.”
CBO looks forward to participating in Night of the Open Door in 2018.
On Friday, Feb. 24, Josh Tewksbury, PhD, will be sharing insights about his work on creating solutions by bringing science together across disciplines, as well as increasing the impact of science on decision-making.
Dr. Tewksbury is the Director of the Colorado Global Hub of Future Earth; Executive Editor of Anthropocene – Innovation in the Human Age; Research Professor in the Sustainability Innovation Lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder; and Senior Scholar in the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State University.
Hugh Possingham, Ph.D., Chief Scientist of The Nature Conservancy—the world’s largest environmental non-government organization—recently visited ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes to meet with faculty, students, and administrators and present a series of talks.
In partnership with the ASU Sustainability Solutions Festival and the Arizona Science Center, Dr. Possingham delivered a presentation on how math and funds prioritization can augment our capacity to protect certain endangered species.
“I have translated human’s hopes, dreams and fears into algebra,” said Possingham. “If you want to go do something, go save a plant … or you can make up a formula and save 250 species.”
Understanding that there is a finite amount of time, money and resources, our knowledge and application of the mathematics of decision science is crucial in finding answers to intriguing conservation questions, such as which species should we save—koala bears or polar bears; where should we place marine protected areas, and what is the point of gathering more data.
Dr. Possingham is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland. In 2016, he was elected a foreign associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, the most prestigious science academy in the world. He is one of less than 500 foreign associates — and the only one resident in Queensland.
“We are looking forward to engaging Hugh in discussions about innovative approaches to achieve outcomes in conservation science,” said Leah Gerber, CBO Founding Director. “We hope everyone can join!”
Gerber's notable achievements include a publication portfolio of more than 100 papers, receiving the “Inspirational Faculty Award” from ASU, and her role as a lead author for the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
The fellow will conduct highly interdisciplinary research to explore the role of nature in sustainable development, specifically in the context of achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Corporations engage in sustainable practices for reasons beyond creating a positive public image. Sustainability practices also improve profitability and help businesses comply with emerging regulations. Many companies look outside their own doors for help in making smart choices and maximizing the impact of those choices.
Maintaining a cooperative dialogue between corporate, NGO and academic sectors is fundamental in developing and sharing creative solutions to pressing biodiversity conservation issues.
Webinar panelists included Gabriella Burian (Senior Director, Sustainable Development at Monsanto), Mark Weick (Director, Sustainability Programs at The Dow Chemical Company), Jen Molnar (Managing Director and Lead Scientist of The Nature Conservancy’s new Center for Sustainability Science) and Beth Polidoro (Assistant Professor of Environmental Chemistry at ASU's School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and Associate Director of Research at CBO).
A free recording of the webinar is available here.
On January 18, 2017, ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Director Leah Gerber will facilitate a free webinar exploring how biodiversity thinking not only benefits companies’ public image, but also their profitability and compliance with emerging regulations.
Panelists from corporate (Monsanto, Dow Chemical), NGO (The Nature Conservancy) and academic (ASU School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences and Center for Biodiversity Outcomes) sectors will share insights. This event is sponsored by the Security and Sustainability Forum and ASU's School of Sustainability.
The ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes and Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology have partnered to host a series of dialogues exploring ways in which institutional transformation can lead to diversity and inclusiveness in STEAM+H (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics and health) opportunities.
