Sustainability Digest 032720

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 5:00 p.m. 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 on the menu on the right of the page at Subscribe or Unsubscribe. You can also view archives here.

Some of the following events may be cancelled due to the corona virus, so please check prior to the event to see if it is still occurring.

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.)

Other Events - Off Campus

1. WWW Earth Hour 2020

2. Webinar: Digital Strategies in Education: Evidence From the Field

3. Maricopa Smartscape: Advanced Irrigation 2020

News and Announcements

4. ASU for You gathers resources for everyone so learning doesn't stop

5. A timeline of Earth Day history

6. Testing the mettle of the aluminum cup

7. How to combat misinformation when you need the truth the most

8. ASU Center for Child Well-Being offers 'The Germfighter's Guide'

9. Teacher Resources from the Sustainability Teachers' Academy

10. High school students from Chandler receive $50,000 grant

11. ASU professor works to mitigate impact of extreme temperatures in Tokyo Olympics

12. For narwhals, the 'unicorn of the seas,' size matters for sexual selection

13. March Southwest Climate Outlook

Other Jobs

14. Watershed Coordinator, Department of Agriculture and Food, Multiple locations, UT

15. Restoration Ecologist, The Wetlands Initiative, Wilmington, IL

16. Assistant Director of Resilience Planning, Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation, University of Connecticut, Avery Point, CT

17. Hydrologic Technician, Agricultural Research Service, Oxford, MS

18. Research Ecologist (Assistant Unit Leader of Ecology), U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Unit Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

19. Wildlife Biologist (Assistant Unit Leader of Wildlife), U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Research Unit Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

EVENTS

Institute Events

MA Defense: Julia Colbert

(Thursday, April 2, 2020) Julia Colbert will defend her MA scientific paper “Exploring Sustainability Literacy through Nature Journaling in School Gardens”. Faculty, students and the general public are invited. Join at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom (meeting ID: 120-437-779).

Sustainability Certificate Program at ASU

(Thursday-Saturday, April 2-4, 2020) Earn a certificate in sustainability strategy from the W. P. Carey School of Business and School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. Join this cohort and connect with a network of sustainability professionals. Sessions focus on organizational opportunities that accompany sustainability challenges. Participants learn how to make the business case for sustainability projects to minimize wasted resources, time and talent. More information at sos.asu.edu/opportunity.

MA Defense: Andrew Hudson

(Tuesday, April 7, 2020) Andrew Hudson will defend his MA thesis “Our Shared Storm: Exploring Cli-fi Scenarios of Climate Politics Futures”. Faculty, students and the general public are invited. Join at 9:30 a.m. through Zoom

Other Events

On Campus

21st Century Research – Moving Beyond Animals through In Vitro and In Silico Toxicity Testing

(Friday, March 27, 2020) Advances in 3D and in vitro models have led to fundamental improvements in human disease modeling, drug development, toxicology testing, and more. As technology advances scientists are integrating human-relevant methods such as tissues-on-chips, 3D bioprinting, organoids, and other in vitro and in silico models into research to produce more reliable results. This seminar series features field leaders discussing the application of these approaches to their research. Expert speakers for this seminar are Erin Hill, Institute for In Vitro Sciences and Michael Lawless, PhD, Simulations Plus. From 1:30-3:30 p.m. MST (4:30-6:30 p.m. EDT) online. More information and registration.

21st Century Research – Moving Beyond Animals in the Neurosciences and Infectious Disease Research

(Friday, April 24, 2020) Advances in 3D and in vitro models have led to fundamental improvements in human disease modeling, drug development, toxicology testing, and more. As technology advances scientists are integrating human-relevant methods such as tissues-on-chips, 3D bioprinting, organoids, and other in vitro and in silico models into research to produce more reliable results. This seminar series features field leaders discussing the application of these approaches to their research. Expert speakers for this seminar are Lena Smirnova, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing; Cleber Trujillo, PhD, University of California San Diego; and Cheryl A. Nickerson, PhD, Arizona State University. From 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the auditorium, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe campus. More information and registration.

Off Campus

REMINDER!

WWW Earth Hour 2020

(Saturday, March 28, 2020) This Earth Hour, millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour to show their steadfast commitment to protecting nature. Together we’ll speak up for wildlife and forests. We’ll show our support for rivers and oceans. And we’ll rally around crucial actions needed to curb climate change. Join us at 8:30 p.m. for one hour to show your support for a healthy planet! More information.

GreenBiz Webcast: Ensuring Reliable Power and Water to Drive Sustainable Business Operations

(Tuesday, March 31, 2020) When plant managers integrate schedule-based maintenance with data-driven condition-based practices, they can achieve new levels of operational reliability and efficiency. Asset Performance Management (APM) is an ideal solution to support meeting these objectives. Join this webinar to learn insights into how industrial operations utilize APM to address challenges within their asset-intensive infrastructures. From 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT. More information and registration.

2020 University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability

(Tuesday-Friday, March 31-April 3, 2020) The 11th University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability will take place at the Hyatt Regency Guam, with pre-conference events on March 30 and 31. For the first time in conference history, the Governor of Guam, Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, will serve as co-chair alongside UOG President Dr. Thomas W. Krise. This year's theme is "Island Wisdom for a Global Future." Together with strategic partners, the Local2030 Islands Network and Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), the conference aims to gather representatives from at least 20 islands in 2020 to share progress, innovations, and strategies to collectively move toward a sustainable global future. Sustainability leaders from around the globe are also invited to share innovations and partnership opportunities that will contribute to island sustainability. More information and registration.

NEW!

Webinar: Digital Strategies in Education: Evidence From the Field

(Wednesday, April 8, 2020) Are you interested in learning more about innovative digital initiatives transforming education in under-served and under-resourced areas of the world? Wondering how digital education might be relevant to your work? Join USAID and Arizona State University (ASU) for a Digi-Know Webinar and learn more about digital strategies in education through a discussion on fieldwork experience, evidence, and lessons learned. At 12:00 p.m. EDT. Registration.

2020 Southwest Extreme Precipitation Symposium: Sharing Knowledge about Extreme Precipitation in the Southwest Region of North America – Droughts to Floods

(Fall 2020) 2020 SWEPSYM will be held in conjunction with the 17th Biennial Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge (BSMAR 17) in Tempe, AZ. BSMAR 17 is organized by the Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) and the Groundwater Resources Association (GRA) of California. The theme this year is integrating water, flood, and stormwater management infrastructures with enhanced observations and forecasting. More information and registration.

NEW DATE!

Maricopa Smartscape: Advanced Irrigation 2020

(Thursday, November 5, 12, and 19, 2020) Registration is open for The University of Arizona, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension 2020 Advanced Smartscape: Irrigation course. Classes will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at The University of Arizona, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office: 4341 E Broadway Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85040. Seats are limited and fill fast, so sign up today!

More information and registration.

Arizona Bicycling Summit 2020

(TBD) The Arizona's Bicycling Summit, to be held in, gathers leaders, educators, planners, public health professionals, event promoters, and cyclists of all kinds to discuss current issues related to bicycling in Arizona. Registration fee includes breakfast, lunch and all sessions - Student registration $10; Professionals register by March 1 for discounted early bird rate. At the Nile Theater, 105 W Main St, Mesa, AZ 85210. More information.

18th Annual Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop

(TBD) The 18th Annual Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop (CPASW) will bring together a diverse community to share developments in research and application of weather and climate information for societal decision-making. Participants will include researchers, service producers, resource managers, planners, practitioners, social scientists, and others making weather and climate-sensitive decisions. NOAA’s National Weather Service Climate Services Branch, Arizona State University, the Arizona State Climate Office, and many climate services partners are collaborating in the organization of the 2020 CPASW. The workshop will be held in Phoenix, AZ. More information.

STGlobal Conference

(Friday-Saturday, April 17-18, 2020) The STGlobal Consortium is a group of universities with students interested in science & technology studies (STS), science & technology policy (STP), and other related topics. Each year, graduate students from the member schools organize a graduate student-centered international conference in Washington, DC. The conference provides students with an opportunity to present their original research within a supportive community, gather critical feedback on works-in-progress, network with students in related fields, and attend professional development lectures. The 20th annual STGlobal Conference will be held at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC. The STGlobal 2020 conference planning committee is extending the proposal submission deadline until February 14, 2020. Please note that this extension includes travel grant applications. More information and registration.

Phosphorus Forum 2020

(TBD) Arizona State University's Sustainable Phosphorus Alliance will host its 4th annual Phosphorus Forum in Washington, DC. Professor Don Boesch of the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science will be providing the keynote at this day-long knowledge-sharing and networking event. Participants will include scientists, NGOs focused on water quality issues, nutrient recovery technology companies, fertilizer manufacturers, food producers, water utilities, farm consultants, government regulators, agricultural suppliers, phosphate mining companies, and others. There is no streaming of this event. More information and registration.

Circularity 20: Accelerating the Circular Economy

(Tuesday-Thursday, August 25-27, 2020) Circularity 20 is the largest circular economy conference in the United States. Building on the success of a sold-out launch event, Circularity 20 will bring together more than 1,000 thought leaders and practitioners across industries and functions to accelerate the circular economy. Through inspirational plenaries, interactive breakouts, deep-dive tutorials, networking opportunities and a solutions-focused showcase, Circularity 20 will inspire, inform and empower participants to turn circular economy concepts into profitable opportunities for companies and cities. To be held at Intercontinental Buckhead Atlanta, 3315 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30326. More information and registration.

European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference

(Monday-Wednesday, June 15-17, 2020) Registration is now open for the 4th European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference, Vienna. This 4th ESPC will centre in plenary on business models, company success stories and city and regional actions towards nutrient circularity. Parallel sessions will mix research with application (see below, call for papers). The third day will be the 4th European phosphorus R&D day, showcasing R&D into phosphorus recycling and recycled products and new approaches. Fifty presentations are already registered, but some opportunities remain. Hotels are beginning to fill up in Vienna. Register and book now to get better prices! Full details.

PSID Data User Training Workshop

(Monday-Friday, June 15-19, 2020) This five-day workshop will orient participants to the content and structure of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, its special topics modules, and the PSID Child Development Supplement and PSID Transition into Adulthood Supplement. The workshop pairs instructional sessions led by experienced PSID researchers and staff with guided lab sessions in which users construct their own analytic data files. The workshop is open to predoctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, college and university faculty, and professional researchers. Admitted predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows may request to be considered for a stipend to help with travel and housing costs. Applications received by April 17 will be given priority for enrollment. More information about the workshop and application to participate through the ICPSR Summer Program. Support is provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute on Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Science Foundation.

SISE 2020: Resiliency: Climate Change and the Power of Data + Response

(Thursday-Wednesday, July 9-22, 2020) Join us in Chicago for our 10th annual program focused on resiliency — Resiliency: Climate Change and the Power of Data + Response. There is no program fee, everyone that participates receives lodging on campus free of charge, and there are travel scholarships available for most traveling to Chicago. Application Deadline: All applications are due May 30. Interviews must be conducted by June 9. Final decisions sent June 10. More information.

URP 2020: Sustainable & Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships

(Wednesday-Friday, November 25-27, 2020) Regions are of critical importance to achieve the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda including the Sustainable Development Goals and the HABITAT III objectives. By focusing on sustainable and resilient urban-rural partnerships, the international URP2020 conference aims at developing new urban-rural imaginaries, integrating strategies and projects that explore present and future potentials in terms of sustainability and resilience. The URP2020 will bring together and connect scientific insights and enlightening experiences of on-going projects in practice. We offer a forum for exchange and support the co-design of ideas to tackle the challenges for sustainable and resilient regional development. The conference will be held in Leipzig, Germany. More information.

NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW!

ASU for You gathers resources for everyone so learning doesn’t stop

Arizona State University has gathered a vast collection of its online resources onto a single platform called ASU for You, available now as people stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. ASU for You offers a wide array of content, much of it at no cost, for all learners — from elementary school students to adults — as well as resources for teachers and parents who are navigating teaching and learning at home. The site, launched on Friday, has 16 areas of content, with more to come. Read more.

NEW!

A timeline of Earth Day history

Next month marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Those five decades have witnessed great leaps forward in protecting our planet and natural resources, but there's more work to be done. Read more.

NEW!

Testing the mettle of the aluminum cup (from GreenBiz.com)

From the Super Bowl to the Phoenix Open, a growing number of event-goers have guzzled down beverages in a new kind of cup marketed as "a sustainability game-changer," made of at least 70 percent recycled aluminum. Since Ball Corp launched its pilot in September, the company has swapped hundreds of thousands of landfill-bound plastic cups for aluminum alternatives at events across the United States. As aluminum enthusiasts frequently will remind you, this material is "infinitely recyclable," meaning that it can be recycled over and over without degradation, unlike its plastics counterparts, which lose quality with each recycling. To that effect, these organizations often cite that 75 percent of the world's aluminum ever produced is still in use today. Read more.

NEW!

How to combat misinformation when you need the truth the most

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Thursday that misinformation and fear related to the coronavirus are in many ways “more dangerous than the virus.” ? On a good day, the internet is rife with nonsense. With the world in a tailspin, that has been dialed up to 11. Nadya Bliss is the executive director of Arizona State University’s Global Security Initiative. The unit works on researching and cracking security challenges that are global in scale, borderless by nature, interdependent and often have no clear solutions — exactly the type of problem the world is under assault by now. Read more.

NEW!

ASU Center for Child Well-Being offers 'The Germfighter's Guide'

In this free guide, cute illustrations, activities and puzzles teach kids best practices for staying healthy.

NEW!

Teacher Resources from the Sustainability Teachers’ Academy

The Sustainability Teachers’ Academy team is committed to creating and providing curricular resources that span a diverse range of topics—including food systems sustainability, quality of life and well-being, decision-making for sustainability, and much more. Our lessons are applicable for grades 6-9 with variations presented that will enable you to tailor the activity for a younger or older audience. Read more.

NEW!

High school students from Chandler receive $50,000 grant

Arizona State University’s Healthy Urban Environments Initiative awarded an innovative team of science students from the Arizona College Prep-Erie Campus with a $50,000 grant for their work on a heat stroke prevention device. With funding, these 9th and 10th graders will build a prototype of the device to test on student athletes. Read more.

NEW!

ASU professor works to mitigate impact of extreme temperatures in Tokyo Olympics

This summer’s (rescheduled to summer 2021) Tokyo Olympics are expected to be one of the hottest Olympic Games on record. According to Jennifer Vanos, an assistant professor in Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability, long-term climatology tells us that the question is not if it will be hot and humid in Tokyo, but rather how much hotter than normal it could be. In an effort to obtain more precision on these marginal differences and how the extreme heat will impact athletes, spectators and volunteers, Vanos and an interdisciplinary group of global researchers just published a paper in the journal Temperature. Read more.

NEW!

For narwhals, the 'unicorn of the seas,' size matters for sexual selection

Showy peacock feathers, extravagant elk antlers and powerful crayfish claws are just a few examples of the ostentatious animal extremes used to compete for and attract mates, a process called sexual selection. Now, thanks to Arizona State University researcher Zackary Graham and his colleagues, we can add the "unicorn of the seas," the narwhal, to the list. Read more.

UA Science: Sky School Instructor Positions for 2020-21

For the 2020-21 academic year, UA Sky School will be offering several opportunities for instructor positions. The fellowships connect graduate students with K-12 students as research mentors and educators during residential or daytime educational programs. The fellowship is a unique opportunity to gain experience with science education and communication. Sky School staff will provide training for effective mentoring of students. Instructors will mentor groups of K-12 students on 1-4 day programs throughout the year at our Mt Lemmon campus and other field sites in the Santa Catalina Mountains and/or at local schoolyards in Tucson. Programs include instruction on general themes relevant to sciences in the sky island region-ecology, geology, hydrology, environmental sciences, dendrochronology, soil science, astronomy, and cultural history-as well as opportunities for students to conduct inquiry projects on topics of their choice. Sky School leadership will provide feedback to instructors on improving their facilitation and teaching skills. ASU graduate students are eligible and welcome to apply. Review begins March 30, applications close April 17, 2020. More information or uaskyschool@gmail.com.

Students! Share your sustainability story

Earth Day's 50th anniversary is coming up and the Zero Waste Department at ASU wants to celebrate it by sharing YOUR story. They're looking for 50 students that are passionate about sustainability and have a deep love for Mother Earth. They want to give you the space to talk about you and the projects that you've been working on or will be working on in the future to help us change the world. Getting to know you will inspire others to join our green movement and to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Fill out the form so Zero Waste can contact you, and feel free to share the link with your friends.

Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy Dissertation Fellowship Program

The Babbitt Center’s Dissertation Fellowship Program invites applications from doctoral students who are writing dissertations in fields that address the Babbitt Center’s interest in improving the integration of land use and water management and policy in the Colorado River Basin. This fellowship program provides an important link between the Lincoln Institute’s educational mission and its research objectives by supporting scholars early in their careers. Application deadline is April 1, 2020. More information and application guidelines.

CivicSpark Fellow Applications

CivicSpark is a Governor's Initiative AmeriCorps program dedicated to building capacity for local governments to address the most pressing community resilience issues relating to the environment and social equity. CivicSpark is recruiting 90 Fellows for the 2020-21 Service Year. Projects for the 2020-21 service year will begin to be posted late-March 2020. More information and application.

Qlik Academic Program Datathon: Solving the Climate Crisis

Qlik and C40 Cities have launched a Datathon, a series of challenges to help solve some of the issues at the heart of our current climate crisis. We are inviting our Qlik Academic Program students across the globe to develop data and analytic solutions for a climate resilient earth to support healthy ecosystems in multiple geographies. Learn more and how to become a Qlik Academic Program student. There are four challenges, all related to a global set of cities, plus an additional “choose your own challenge” option. All entries will be reviewed and judged by Qlik, C40 Cities and other experts from climate organizations. A winner will be selected for each challenge. Challenge winners will be announced in April and presented at QlikWorld in Phoenix, AZ, in May with an overall winner announced at QlikWorld! Submission deadline April 3. More information.

Arizona Department of Water Resource Drought Program

February 2020 drought summary is online.

NEW!

March Southwest Climate Outlook

The March 2020 Southwest Climate Outlook is online.

CLIMAS Podcast: March 2020: Winter Recap, State of the Snow, Streamflow Forecasts

Tune into the Southwest Climate podcasts on Apple Podcasts or Southwest Climate Change Network.

OPPORTUNITIES

Institute Job Openings

Faculty Associate Pool, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University

Application open until filled. More information.

Other Jobs

NEW!

Watershed Coordinator, Department of Agriculture and Food, Multiple locations, UT

Application deadline March 29, 2020. More information.

NEW!

Restoration Ecologist, The Wetlands Initiative, Wilmington, IL

Application deadline March 30, 2020. More information.

NEW!

Assistant Director of Resilience Planning, Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation, University of Connecticut, Avery Point, CT