SUSTAINABILITY DIGEST


The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability provides this list to announce seminars, meetings, colloquiums, lectures, brown bags, announcements of interest, and job opportunities to the Institute community. If you have items you’d like to add please submit them to Cindy.Zisner@asu.edu before 5 PM Wednesday. This Digest is sent out on Friday morning. You may subscribe, unsubscribe, or change subscriber settings at http://lists.asu.edu/archives/giosasu.html under the Options where it says Join or Leave GIOSASU. You can see archives of list messages at the same address.




NEW ITEMS

(Current items remain in the Digest until they happen so don’t forget to peruse the web listing in case you missed something in the previous week.)


Institute Events

1. School of Sustainability Spring 2016 Convocation

2. School of Sustainability Community Garden Maintenance & Harvest

3. Biodiversity Series: Emerging Trends in Conservation

4. Sustainability @ASU: Webinar - Wasted Food, Challenges, and Opportunities in Partnerships and Consumer Behavior Change


Other Events - On Campus

5. Robotics Seminar: From Robots to Biomolecules: Computing Meets the Physical World


Other Events - Off Campus

6. Solar Impulse - Phoenix Goodyear - Friday Afternoon Public Visit

7. Colorado River Shortage Briefing

8. Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Waste Program Workshop

9. Myths and Facts Surrounding Solar


News and Announcements

10. 50 shades of climate opposition

11. A recipe for feeding the underserved

12. Our water systems are a disaster — how can we change that?

13. Undergrads flex research muscles at ASU symposium

14. How UPS navigates the logistics clean tech 'Valley of Death'

15. On Devils' wings

16. Are cities doing enough on climate change? Residents say no

17. Four PhD studentships at ICTA-UAB María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence to address anthropogenic climate change


Institute Jobs

18. Instructional Designer


Other Jobs

19. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University

20. CDC-NCAR Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Health Research, Atlanta, GA

21. Postdoctoral Research Associate, New England Sustainability Consortium, University of Maine

22. Southwest Organizer, National Young Farmers' Coalition, Durango, CO

23. Postdoctoral Fellow, Social Sciences, Climate, Ecosystem, and Fire Applications, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada 

 


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EVENTS

Institute Events


          NEW!

          School of Sustainability Spring 2016 Convocation

(Thursday, May 12, 2016) The spring 2016 graduation ceremony for the School of Sustainability will be held at ASU's Gammage Auditorium. More information.


          NEW!

          School of Sustainability Community Garden Maintenance & Harvest

(Saturday, May 14, 2016) Are you interested in gardening? Have you been looking for a way to contribute to your community? Interested in meeting fun, sustainability-oriented people? Then join us for the School of Sustainability Monthly Community Garden Day! From 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Escalante Community Garden, 2150 Orange St, Tempe. More information and RSVP.


          NEW!

          Biodiversity Series: Emerging Trends in Conservation

(Monday, May 16, 2016) Leading experts from Conservation International will discuss emerging trends in conservation from a variety of perspectives including oceans, wildlife, protected areas, agriculture, and ecosystem services measurement, valuation and accounting. From 4:00-5:30 p.m. in room 481, Wrigley Hall, Arizona State University at the Tempe campus. More information and RSVP.


          NEW!

Sustainability @ASU: Webinar - Wasted Food, Challenges, and Opportunities in Partnerships and Consumer Behavior Change

(Wednesday, May 25, 2016) Dan O'Neill, Christopher Wharton from ASU and John Trujillo, Director Pubic Works for the City of Phoenix, will discuss the problems of wasted food, the issues embedded in consumer behaviors related to food consumption and loss, the potential for public-private collaboration to implement regional system solutions and the great potential in partnerships between universities and cities. From 10:15-11:45 a.m. MST. More information and RSVP.



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Other Events

On Campus


          NEW!

Robotics Seminar: From Robots to Biomolecules: Computing Meets the Physical World

(Friday, May 6, 2016) Lydia E. Kavraki, Rice University will present From Robots to Biomolecules: Computing Meets the Physical World at 10:15 a.m. in room 535, Goldwater Center, Arizona State University at the Tempe campus. For questions regarding the seminar please contact Dr. Heni Ben Amor (hbenamor@asu.edu).

 

Fourth Annual Conference on Governance of Emerging Technologies: Law, Policy and Ethics

(Tuesday-Thursday, May 24-26, 2016) The conference will consist of plenary and session presentations with discussions on regulatory, governance, legal, policy, social and ethical aspects of emerging technologies, including (but not limited to) nanotechnology, synthetic biology, biotechnology, genomics, personalized medicine, stem cell and regenerative medicine, human enhancement technologies, telecommunications, information technologies, surveillance technologies, geoengineering, neuroscience and robotics. The conference is premised on the belief that there is much to be learned and shared from and across the governance experience and proposals for these various emerging technologies. To be held at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Conference Center, Tempe, Arizona. Abstracts due January 31, 2016. More information.

 

Phenomenology and Sustainability: Interdisciplinary Inquiries in the Lived-World of Persons, Communities, and the Natural Work

(Thursday-Monday, May 26-30, 2016) Our theme, “Phenomenology and Sustainability,” announces a broad area of concern related to the well-being of persons, communities, the natural world and their interrelationship. “Phenomenology and Sustainability” seeks to question the suppositions underlying scientific and humanistic projects and unreflective practices that might thwart sustainable relationships or impede their full realization. In addition, it welcomes the articulation across a broad range of contexts of guiding principles and practices or illustrative concrete applications that might enhance the development of such relationships. To be held at Arizona State University at the Downtown Phoenix campus. More information.


Off Campus


          i.d.e.a. Museum Exhibit: Underwater FantaSea

(Friday, February 12-Sunday, May 29, 2016) The i.d.e.a. Museum, Mesa, AZ collaborated with researchers from Arizona State University's Center for Biodiversity Outcomes to develop the Underwater FantaSea exhibit. Celebrate the oceans by diving into our exhibit that features artwork by artists who bring together a mix of fascinating sea life and imaginative beauty to take you on a fanciful journey under the sea. You'll meet amazing creatures, explore the depths of the underwater world and discover your own connection to the ocean. Underwater FantaSea will provide an opportunity to learn about the importance of oceans, how they impact you impact you, as an individual, and how you can do your part to keep them healthy--even if you live hundreds of miles from them. More information.


          NEW!

          Solar Impulse - Phoenix Goodyear - Friday Afternoon Public Visit

(Friday, May 6, 2016) Discover Solar Impulse 2 in Phoenix Goodyear. Our doors will be open from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. - Come when you want in this time frame - consider the visit as being 15 minutes! You can register up to 4 people but each person much have their own ticket! More information and registration.

 

Educator Workshop: Aquatic Communities: Macroinvertebrates, Fish and Their Environment

(Saturday, May 7, 2016) The Arizona Game and Fish Department and Arizona Project Wet are teaming up to offer an exciting new educator workshop. Join us as we explore the aquatic communities found along the Verde River. We will study key aspects of the habitat, such as water quality and macroinvertebrates, while also learning about invasive and native species. Participants will also have the opportunity to try their hand at fly-fishing and apply their understanding of the ecosystem. More information and registration.


          NEW!

          Colorado River Shortage Briefing

(Wednesday, May 18, 2016) The Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Central Arizona Project are hosting a Colorado River Shortage Briefing that is open to the public from 9:00-10:30 a.m. at the Arizona Department of Water Resources, Verde Conference Room, 3550 N Central Ave, Phoenix. There were also be satellite locations to view at CAP Headquarters in Phoenix and Tucson. For more information.

 

International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology: ISSST 2016

(Sunday-Wednesday, May 15-18, 2016) ISSST is a conference that serves as an interactive platform allowing scientists, artists, engineers and humanists to exchange and create sustainability ideas and solutions. Dr. Gary Dirks, Director of ASU LightWorks, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Dirks works on projects that will develop biofuel compatible diesel and jet fuel production, create more sustainable plastics, find ways to mimic antibodies for better and less expensive cures, and use the chemical process of photosynthesis to generate clean energy. The conference will be held at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, Phoenix. More information.


          NEW!

          Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Waste Program Workshop

(Tuesday, May 24, 2016) ADEQ encourages community members, businesses and government agencies to attend this no-cost workshop. Topics include: Solid Wastes; Hazardous Wastes; Hazardous Waste Manifest and Reporting; Pollution Prevention; Underground Storage Tanks; and myDEQ, an online RCRA EPA ID Registration. Seating is Limited. Registration is required. From 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at ADEQ Phoenix Office, 1110 W Washington St, Phoenix. Please visit for registration. Professional Development Hours (PDHs) are available for this workshop. If you have questions about this event, please contact the Waste Inspections and Compliance Unit at wastecompliance@azdeq.gov.

 

Fourth Annual Conference on Governance of Emerging Technologies: Law, Policy, and Ethics

(Tuesday-Thursday, May 24-26, 2016) The conference will consist of plenary and session presentations with discussions on regulatory, governance, legal, policy, social and ethical aspects of emerging technologies, including (but not limited to) nanotechnology, synthetic biology, biotechnology, genomics, personalized medicine, stem cell and regenerative medicine, human enhancement technologies, telecommunications, information technologies, surveillance technologies, geoengineering, neuroscience and robotics. The conference is premised on the belief that there is much to be learned and shared from and across the governance experience and proposals for these various emerging technologies. To be held at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Conference Center, Tempe. More information.


          NEW!

          Myths and Facts Surrounding Solar

(Wednesday, May 25, 2016) Please join Brandon Cheshire, owner of SunHarvest Solar for an engaging presentation on the myths and facts surrounding rooftop solar in Arizona. Presentation will be followed by a Q & A opportunity and refreshments will be provided. This is a free and open to the public presentation, though space is limited, so please RSVP. From 5:00-6:00 p.m. at CO+HOOTS, 221 E. Indianola Ave, Phoenix 85012.


          Sustainability and Textiles

(Monday-Thursday, June 6-9, 2016) Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles is a four-day series of lectures, discussions, panels, and hands-on workshops focusing on sustainability and technology in fashion and textiles. This year an optional fifth day has been added to close the loop on the conference in a mindful way, as well as add a full day of site visits to relevant industry locations. Designed for industry professionals as well as academics wishing to broaden their understanding of sustainability and how to support its integration into the industry. This interdisciplinary program is important for designers, technologists, educators, and those involved in creation or production, as well as those seeking greater business and professional knowledge. At the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York. More information and registration.


          VERGE Hawaii: Asian Pacific Clean Energy Summit

(Tuesday-Thursday, June 21-23, 2016) The Hawaii State Energy Office has partnered with the GreenBiz Group to launch VERGE Hawaii — Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit. VERGE Hawaii will explore innovative clean energy policies, models, technologies and infrastructure and sets the stage for immediate actions and plans needed to deliver on Hawaii’s ambitious goal of 100% renewably powered energy by 2045. Further, this VERGE event will serve as a platform for Hawaii’s energy leaders and stakeholders to engage, learn and contribute. More information.


          2nd Annual International Conference on Computational Social Science

(Thursday-Saturday, June 23-25, 2016) This 2nd Annual International Conference on Computational Social Science is an interdisciplinary event designed to engage a broad community of researchers - academics, industry experts, open data activists, government agency workers, and think tank analysts – dedicated to advancing social science knowledge through computational methods. This event affords the opportunity to meet and discuss works in which social systems and dynamics are investigated in a quantitative way through large datasets that are either mined from various sources (e.g. social media, communication systems) or created via controlled experiments or computational modeling. Hosted by the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. More information.

 

KDD2016: 22nd ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining: KDD Workshop on Data Science for Food, Energy, and Water

(Sunday, August 14, 2016) Recognizing the need for orchestrated efforts to address the many interrelated data scientific challenges for the security of Food, Energy and Water, the goal of this workshop will be three-fold: 1. To introduce the emerging area of “data science for food, water and energy (DS-FEW)” to the KDD community; 2. To invite scientists and practitioners in the FEW domains to the KDD community, and interest them in leveraging our technology and expertise; 3. To innovate new technology, leveraging existing KDD technology where appropriate, to address the challenges we face in FEW, by bringing together a multi-disciplinary audience and enticing them to synergize. This workshop is part of the entire conference which occurs from August 13-17. Call for papers submission deadline is May 27, 2016 and the notification date will be June 13, 2016. For more information.



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NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS


          NEW!

          50 shades of climate opposition (from GreenBiz.com)

The signing of the Paris Agreement last month, and the subsequent announcement out of Beijing of a national moratorium on new coal plant permits, represent a triumph for the societal forces that have aligned and coalesced over the past decade to fight climate change. Read more.


          NEW!

          A recipe for feeding the underserved

ASU students create bilingual cookbook featuring local produce, local chefs' recipes to promote community health. Read more.


          NEW!

Our water systems are a disaster — how can we change that? (From GreenBiz.com)

People in developed countries turn on the tap and safe drinking water flows, a dramatic health benefit they tend to take for granted. That complacency dramatically was disrupted last year when children in Flint, Michigan, started testing positive for lead poisoning and the source was traced to tap water. But Flint shouldn’t have taken anyone by surprise; in fact, water industry professionals have been sounding the alert for years. Read more.


          NEW!

          Undergrads flex research muscles at ASU symposium

Pritika Shahani isn’t even in med school yet and she already has four years of cancer-drug research under her belt. Sophisticated concepts and formidable verbiage spilled out of her like water off a duck’s back at ASU West’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Project Symposium, where the New College biology senior is joined by dozens of other similarly driven, inquisitive scholars. Read more.


          NEW!

How UPS navigates the logistics clean tech 'Valley of Death' (from GreenBiz.com)

The average UPS delivery driver makes 120 stops a day, which means that each morning he or she has more potential routes available than there have been seconds in the history of the Earth. Read more.


          NEW!

          On Devils’ wings

Phoenix native Frank Luke shot down 14 German balloons and four airplanes in eight days in World War I. Now state-of-the-art F-35 fighters fly out of the base named after him. World War II legend Joe Foss (26 kills over Guadalcanal) spent his last years in Scottsdale. Ever drive along U.S. 60 and wonder what the giant white “PHOENIX” with a west-pointing arrow was for? It was to help British pilots training during World War II find their way back to airfields. Read more.


          NEW!

Are cities doing enough on climate change? Residents say no (from GreenBiz.com)

"So, climate change is happening and that is the city’s official position?" The question came at the end of an interview Karen Weigert did in 2011 on Chicago’s premier evening news program shortly after she had been appointed the city’s first chief sustainability officer. Much of the conversation had focused on what the city was doing to enhance sustainability and what residents themselves could do. But here was the question that seemed to matter a great deal in the media — what Chicago’s "official position" was on a politically divisive issue. Read more.


          NEW!

Four PhD studentships at ICTA-UAB María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence to address anthropogenic climate change

The Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) offers four scholarships to candidates who would like to pursue their PhD degree at ICTA within the Strategic Research Programme ICTA-UAB María de Maeztu, Programme for Units of Excellence in R&D (MDM-2015-0552). The positions are related to the call “Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores 2016” of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). Deadline for pre-applications is 8:00 p.m. (CET) on 22 May 2016, and please write to pr.mdm.icta@uab.cat for further information or to apply for the positions. More information.


          EERE Postdoctoral Research Awards 2016

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Postdoctoral Research Awards support EERE's mission in energy efficiency and renewable energy by offering recent Ph.D. recipients the opportunity to conduct applied research at universities, national laboratories, and other research facilities. Application deadline is May 20, 2016. More information.

 

US Bureau of Reclamation launching two nationwide “crowd-sourcing” competitions

The US Bureau of Reclamation in collaboration with other Federal and State agencies, will launch two nationwide prize "crowd-sourcing" competitions each with a $20,000 prize purse that seek better solutions to: 1. Detect Internal Erosion in Earthen Dams, Canals, and Levees and 2. Pass Juvenile Fish Migrating Downstream Over or Around Tall Dams. Competition time frames are March 31, 2016-May 10, 2016. For more information.


          Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy, University of Illinois-Chicago

Water and energy have long been thought of, and addressed as, two separate issues. With the advent of systems thinking, life cycle assessment, and other interdisciplinary analysis strategies, this deep connection between water and energy has been widely acknowledged only recently. The 6th annual Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy: Nexus program will: explore the relationship between energy and water through systems approach, with an eye towards environmental and agricultural impacts; explore the use of water, especially in energy extraction (fracking) and generation; and highlight the role of the grid in energy issues, emphasizing three specific areas: smart grid, storage for the grid, and the distribution of energy. Across all topics, participants will examine where the United States is to date, potential paths moving forward, and obstacles and opportunities for each path. Situated on one of the largest bodies of freshwater on Earth and playing host to a large and complex grid system, Chicago will be the focal point of discussions of the nexus. The program will occur from August 4-17, 2016 in Chicago. Application deadline is July 1, 2016. More information.


          Arizona Department of Water Resource Drought Program

February 2016 drought summary is online.


          April Southwest Climate Outlook

          The April 2016 Southwest Climate Outlook is online.

 

CLIMAS Podcast: April 2016 – An Exceptional El Niño - (For All the “Wrong” Reasons?)

Tune into the Southwest Climate podcasts on iTunes or Southwest Climate Change Network.




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OPPORTUNITIES

Institute Job Openings

 

Faculty Associate, School of Sustainability, Online

Application deadline May 15, 2016. More information.


          NEW!

          Instructional Designer

Instructions to Apply: To review and apply go to ASU Human Resources, click on Current ASU Employee or External Applicants, and in the “Requisition ID” section, type 22331BR.

 

Postdoctoral Fellowship (Transitions and Implementation) in Urban Resilience to Weather-Related Extreme Events

Application deadline May 31, 2016. More information.




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Other Jobs


          Associate Director of Sustainability, University of California

Application deadline May 7, 2016. More information.


          Assistant Sustainability Coordinator, University of Cincinnati

Application deadline May 8, 2016. More information.


          NEW!

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University

Application deadline May 15, 2016. More information.


          NEW!

          CDC-NCAR Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Health Research, Atlanta, GA

Application deadline May 15, 2016. More information.


          Resource Ecologist, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, River Forest, IL

Application deadline May 15, 2016. More information.


          NEW!

Postdoctoral Research Associate, New England Sustainability Consortium, University of Maine

Application deadline May 16, 2016. More information.


          Extension Education, Water Resources, Michigan State University

Application deadline June 1, 2016. More information.

 

Scholar-In-Residence, Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering Design, McGill University

Application deadline June 15, 2016. More information.

 

Postdoctoral Researchers, Abrupt Change in Ecological Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Application deadline June 15, 2016. More information.

 

Science and Policy Internships, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Various locations, USA

Application deadline July 15, 2016. More information.


          NEW!

Southwest Organizer, National Young Farmers’ Coalition, Durango, CO (or remotely in Southwest)

More information.


          NEW!

Postdoctoral Fellow, Social Sciences, Climate, Ecosystem, and Fire Applications, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada

More information.


          Sr. GIS Web Manager, The Trust for Public Land, Santa Fe, New Mexico

More information.

 

Scientific Web Developer/Designer, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California-Santa Barbara

Job #20160165 more information.

 

Health and Environmental Investigator IV, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program, Department of Public Health, Seattle and King County, Washington

          More information.


          Assistant Director, Environmental Science and Policy, University of Maryland

          More information.

 

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Stream Microbial Ecology, Loyola University

More information.



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