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ASU researchers call for universities to incentivize societally engaged conservation work

March 28, 2024

In the world of academia, a scientist’s list of publications is their currency: It helps them get job offers, promotions and research funding.

But publications don’t always make a difference outside of academia, as they may never reach members of the public who that research might be important to. That puts scientists in fields like conservation in the tough spot of choosing between doing work that boosts their career or work that makes a real-world difference.

A team of researchers from ASU’s Center for Biodiversity Outcomes argues that scientists shouldn’t be forced to make that choice. In their new paper published in the journal of Biological Conservation, the team calls upon universities to reward conservation scientists not only for their publications, but for doing work that has real outcomes.

Read full story on ASU News.

Administrative Assistant position

February 2, 2024

The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic Administrative Assistant to perform various advanced secretarial and administrative work unique to the Center. This position is an exciting opportunity for a highly skilled and motivated applicant to work in an established Center making significant contribution to the Sustainability field.

See the job description.

Global Drylands Center and Sala Lab looking for undergraduate research support

December 19, 2023

The Sala Lab at Arizona State University is looking for motivated undergraduate students to participate in research activities in grassland ecosystem ecology, for 10 weeks, during the summer of 2024. Successful applicants will work with peer students, faculty, graduate students, technicians, and postdocs to assist with ongoing rainfall manipulation experiments, vegetation and soil sampling, and other field surveys at the Jornada Experimental Range (~25 miles from Las Cruces, NM). Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to work with Sala Lab members and the PI to develop a personalized research project.

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Osvaldo Sala co-authors article on Australian carbon plan in Science

December 8, 2023

According to Senior Global Futures Scientist Osvaldo Sala and his co-author David Eldridge, professor in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales, Australia’s commitment to climate change abatement is not supported by scientific evidence, which shows that increasing — not decreasing — grazing leads to more trees and shrubs. Australia should replace efforts to reduce grazing with effective methods of sequestering carbon.

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The future of US rangelands: Choices that reshape our landscape

December 8, 2023

Despite inaccurate media portrayals of sprawling, uninhabited areas, rangelands are home to 30% of our planet’s human population and 50% of the world's livestock — making them indispensable for livelihoods and food security. However, global conversations about conservation and climate change often do not mention these landscapes.

Osvaldo Sala, Regents Professor and director of the Global Drylands Center at Arizona State University, hopes to change that.

Sala recently co-authored a paper titled "Supplying Ecosystem Services on US Rangelands" that sheds light on the potential crossroads facing these ecosystems as they are confronted with evolving environmental and societal changes. The paper was published in the research journal Nature Sustainability.

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ASU Regents Professor awarded for pioneering approach to soil restoration

December 8, 2023

Arizona State University Regents Professor Ferran Garcia-Pichel was recently awarded the 2023 Theodore M. Sperry Award from the Society for Ecological Restoration during its world congress in Darwin, Australia.

The Sperry Award acknowledges individuals or institutions who have made substantial contributions to advancing the science or techniques used in restoration practice. In this Garcia-Pichel's case, the award was bestowed “for his innovative research into the role of microbiology in ecological restoration."

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Critical questions to ask and answer about the future of global agriculture in an era of multiple crises

November 16, 2023

By Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University.

October 6, 2023 at the ASU DC campus, the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, TMG Think Tank for Sustainability, Berlin Germany and the German Embassy of Washington DC joined together to host an event designed to identify the most pressing questions policymakers must confront as they write the forthcoming US farm bill.

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To save biodiversity, it’s time to turn science into societal outcomes

November 13, 2023

Leah GerberFor decades, scientists have held data about Earth’s biodiversity in hand — a crisis replete with 1 million species facing extinction, more so than at any other time in human existence — and yet, collectively, our global actions to protect species have, for the most part, been a failure.

In 2021 alone, 23 species were taken off the endangered species list because they had gone extinct.

To read the full ASU News story, click here.

From kitchen to community: DC Central Kitchen uses food to change lives

November 9, 2023

By Brock LaChapelle, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

In May 2023, DC Central Kitchen welcomed our cohort from the ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate program to their facility for a tour of their operation. Located in the LEED Certified RiverPoint development, this non-profit organization’s mission is to “use food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities.” They do this by providing culinary training, job placement, community/school meals, and an outreach program that supplies the demand for healthy produce in DC food deserts.

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Meet affiliated faculty Yujin Park

November 6, 2023

In this series, we're sitting down with the Swette Center-affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Food Systems Profiles page.

Read on for an interview with Yujin Park, Assistant Professor in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts.

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Advising and Addressing USDA Rule-makers

November 3, 2023

By Payton Moore, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

In the spring of 2023, my cohort and I had the pleasure of traveling to Washington, D.C. to meet with various policy experts as part of our Food Policy Immersive course. To kick off the week, we first met with Andrew Perry and Steve O’Neill from the USDA Office of Budget and Program Analysis (OBPA) via Zoom. They shared valuable insights with us, from where comments go when discussing topics, how addressing rulemaking can be effective (in its passage or not), and self-implementing agencies.

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GLI attends 14th International Congress of Orthopterology

November 1, 2023

By Mira Ries

GLI team photo at ICO
GLI team left to right: Dr. Rick Overson, Dr. Arianne Cease, PhD students Mehreen Tahir and Sydney Millerwise and GLI project coordinator Mira Ries

The 14th International Congress of Orthopterology was held in Mérida, Mexico on October 16-19, 2023. Over five days we heard from excellent plenary speakers from Mexico, Australia, the United States, and England spanning topics like biophysics of sound production, current and historical locust research, and efforts to better understand the ecology and evolution of these insects.

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CIFOR-ICRAF is a must-know organization

October 24, 2023

By Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University

My students and staff exclaim – she’s off again on an international trip! Indeed. For nearly six years, I’ve been engaged as a member of the board of trustees for CIFOR-ICRAF, an international institution comprised of two merged research centers that together produce much of the world’s knowledge on trees, forests, agroforestry, and sustainable landscapes. Aside from the pandemic years, I travel twice yearly for board meetings, usually at the campus of CIFOR, in Bogor Indonesia or ICRAF in Nairobi Kenya. In this photo taken in Indonesia, I’m pictured here with fellow board members from the Philippines, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Finland, Indonesia, Kenya, and France. 

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Insight into the Policy Views of Secretary Tom Vilsack

October 23, 2023

By Timothy Sullivan, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student

When I learned that my graduate cohort would be meeting with USDA Secretary Vilsack during our food policy immersion course in Washington, D.C., the gears immediately started turning in my head. I began vigorously researching Secretary Vilsack’s policy views, wanting to ask him the most impactful question possible in our time with him. As former Governor of Iowa and former President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, many see Secretary Vilsack as a supporter of “big ag.” I learned that this belief is not rooted in reality and ignores the wonderful things Secretary Vilsack has done for the agriculture sector – small, medium, and large.

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Center for Biodiversity Outcomes intern position

October 19, 2023

The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes is seeking driven, sustainability-minded students interested in becoming an Intern on our team. You will enhance transferable skills such as administrative organization, workflow, teamwork and strategic communication. You will be exposed to a variety of fields such as administration, copywriting and editing, social media, public relations and project management to advance biodiversity conservation efforts in the academic and environmental fields. Students may also request specific projects within their area of interest.

This position will average 10-15 hours of work per week. The start and end dates are flexible, according to the student’s availability. Students may work remotely or in our office space in LSA 351 on ASU’s Tempe campus. This internship is unpaid, but it may be eligible for academic credit.

To apply, candidates should email their CV/resume and unofficial transcripts to biodiversity@asu.edu. We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis.

Meet affiliated faculty Michelle Stewart

October 18, 2023

In this series, we're sitting down with the Swette Center-affiliated faculty to catch up on food systems, innovation, and what makes a good meal. See the rest of the series on our Food Systems Profiles page.

Read on for an interview with Michelle Stewart, Senior Global Futures Scientist and Instructor in the School of Sustainability. 

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Advancing Sustainability in Agriculture: Insights from OCS Leaders

October 17, 2023

By Chelsea Radford, ASU Sustainable Food Systems graduate student.

In May 2023, my ASU Sustainable Food Systems cohort and I made our way to Washington, D.C., for our Policy Immersive course. We had the extreme privilege of meeting with countless individuals who work at the USDA and other government agencies. Two of the folks we met with during our trip were Dr. Deirdra Chester and Dr. Richard Derksen, who work at USDA’s Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS).

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