On November 16, as part of ongoing efforts by the University of California, Riverside, School of Public Policy to give policymakers, practitioners, and researchers an opportunity to discuss current pressing policy challenges, WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal was invited to present, Tribal Water Dialogues in Arizona and the Colorado River Basin: Listen, Learn, and Listen.
October 01, 2021
Dr. Karletta Chief to Lead New Indigenous Resilience Center
“The current moment is one of unparalleled resilience perils that have had major adverse impacts for Native and Indigenous communities,” said Toni Massaro, the executive director of the UArizona Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, in a statement on the newly created Indigenous Resilience Center (IRC). On September 13, UArizona President Robert C. Robbins announced the creation of the IRC, which will be led by Dr. Karletta Chief, university distinguished outreach professor of environmental science and Cooperative Extension associate specialist. The IRC will be a partnership between Native Nations, the UArizona Institutes for Resilience, the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, and several academic programs and faculty members working to support the resilience of Indigenous communities.
In a KOLD News 13 interview, Dr. Chief said that being part of this new initiative has been a dream of hers since she “started this academic journey coming from the Navajo Nation … Growing up on the reservation with no electricity, no running water, and living in a community impacted by coal mining.” UArizona Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell commented on Dr. Chief’s leadership saying, “I am particularly grateful we had the opportunity to place at the helm Dr. Chief, whose entire career both as a researcher and an educator has centered traditional ecological knowledge solidly within an academic framework.” The IRC will harness UArizona’s expertise in water resources, climate change, drought, resilience, and outreach to conduct community-driven and place-based Tribal research and engagement. IRC faculty will also develop courses that connect traditional STEM education with Indigenous knowledge, Tribal consultation and research ethics, natural resource management, and more.
Image: Courtesy of Karletta Chief
Recent News
December 03, 2021
Specialists Present on Their COP26 Experience
On November 19, the WRRC hosted Betsy Wilkening, president of Polar Educators International, and Kristen Poppleton, senior director of programs for Climate Generation, for a Brown Bag webinar on their experiences at the United Nations 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26).
November 30, 2021
WRRC Seeks Two Post-doctoral Research Associates
The University of Arizona (UA) Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) will be hiring two post-doctoral research associates into 24-month positions beginning in early 2022. These opportunities both provide a foundation for building a research portfolio and contributing to greater awareness and understanding of water resources in Arizona and the West. Both positions require that the candidate hold a PhD in a field with relevance to the position description at the time of hiring.
November 24, 2021
The WRRC Gives Thanks
This week there will be no Weekly Wave due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead, we would like to share a few of the many things we are thankful for.
November 19, 2021
Evolving Science Education with ASTA
Creativity drove this year's Arizona Science Teachers Association (ASTA) Annual conference, with the theme of “Teaching Science in an Evolving Climate.” APW contributed three live sessions covering everything from “Barrio walks” to developing and using a variety of models to construct explanations, and exploring our groundwater system.
November 19, 2021
Student Research Presented at WRRC Brown Bag
On Wednesday, November 10, the WRRC hosted a Brown Bag webinar featuring presentations by student researchers who received funding in 2020 through the WRRC from the Water Resources Research Act, Section 104(b) grant program.