The Desert asLiving Laboratory - Scottsdale...National Academy of Sciences Members of the American...

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The Desert as Living Laboratory:ASU and the Desert Discovery CenterFerran Garcia Pichel, PhD, Dean, Natural Sciences, ASU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Christopher Boone, PhD, Dean, ASU School of SustainabilityWellington “Duke” Reiter, FAIA, Senior Advisor to the President, ASU

July 2017

The partnershipThe partnership between the Desert Discovery Center and Arizona State University represents a common interest in the future of our community as well as the planet and how we can contribute to the betterment of both.

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is an extraordinary investment in our desert heritage and quality of life by the citizens of the City of Scottsdale. ASU, per its Charter, “assumes a fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of the communities it serves.” The parallels are obvious, if not uncanny.

This combination of the largest urban preserve in the U.S. and a university lauded for its dedication to sustainability, world-class research, and community engagement could not be better aligned. Rarely have a city and an institution of higher learning had the opportunity to realize such a shared vision, one which will further demonstrate the wisdom of setting aside this unique desert landscape for generations to come.

ASU is honored to be a partner in the conceptualization of the Desert Discovery Center with the intent of making this facility one of wonder, revelation, and a commitment to stewardship for the benefit of all.

Table of ContentsASU overview

ASU research scope & capacity

ASU + DDC concepts, 2013-2014

Selected ASU programming

ASU contributing faculty

Selected ASU programming

ASU outreach programs

ASU’s international reach

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ASU overview1

ASU Charter

ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of the communities it serves.

Leverage Our PlaceASU embraces its cultural, socioeconomic and physical setting.

Transform SocietyASU catalyzes social change by being connected to social needs.

Value EntrepreneurshipASU uses its knowledge and encourages innovation.

Conduct Use-Inspired ResearchASU research has purpose and impact.

Enable Student SuccessASU is committed to the success of each unique student.

Fuse Intellectual DisciplinesASU creates knowledge by transcending academic disciplines.

Be Socially EmbeddedASU connects with communities through mutually beneficial partnerships.

Engage GloballyASU engages with people and issues locally, nationally and internationally.

Design Aspirations

Faculty

3,439total facultymembers(fall 2016)

5Nobel laureates members of the

National Academy ofSciences

Members of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences

Members of theNational Academy ofEngineering

Pulitzer Prize winners Members of the National Endowment forThe Humanities

19 15

10 4 48

Students

Top10in graduate employability,ahead of MIT, Columbia, UCLA

5thin the nation forsuccessful FulbrightStudent grantapplications

public university chosenby international students

degrees awarded, 2016

of undergraduatesreceived Pell Grants (fall 2013)

best college in the nation for veterans

ASU programs ranked in the top 10 degree producers for minorities

#1 20K+

35% 2nd 27

ASU + DDC Partnership

ASU is a world leader in arid lands research and conservation.

Development of the Desert Discovery Center as envisioned would improve worldwide understanding of arid ecosystems and improve our ability to preserve and sustainably manage drylands in the face of unprecedented change.

ASU research scope + capacity2

About ASU ResearchTransdisciplinaryTearing down the walls between organizations and traditional disciplines in order to address some of the most complex challenges.

Use-inspired Making a positive impact, whether through educating a diverse population, producing reliable and sustainable energy, or developing new materials for tomorrow’s technologies.

AgileASU’s size does not hinder its speed. We identify and respond to new challenges quickly and nimbly in collaboration with our partners.

Rankings in externally-funded research

#3earth sciences Health and Human

Services (including NIH) funding among institutions without a medical school

overall amonginstitutionswithout a medicalschool

National Aeronautics& Space Administration(NASA) funding

humanities social sciences

#10 #10

#11 #12 #5

Externally-funded research growthASU’s research growth is more than triple that of all US Universities

All US Universities 44%

158%

3 ASU + DDC concepts 2013-2014

December 2013

DESERT CENTERMcDowell Sonoran

Preserve

School of Human Evolution + Social Change

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS +

SCIENCES

COLLEGE OFTECHNOLOGY +

INNOVATION

COLLEGE OFPUBLIC

PROGRAMS

GLOBALINSTITUTE OF

SUSTAINABILITY

School of Earth + Space Exploration

School of Historical, Philosophical, + Religious Studies EE

School of Life Sciences

Center for Science + the Imagination

CAP-Long Term Ecological Research Project

Decision Center for a Desert City

School of Sustainability

EESchool of Community Resources + Development

EELodestar Center for Philanthropy + Non-Profit Innovation

HERBERGER INSTITUTE FOR

DESIGN + THE ARTS

BARRETTTHE HONORS

COLLEGE

ASU Foundation

CRONKITESCHOOL OF

JOURNALISM

BIODESIGNINSTITUTE

Decision Theatre Tourism + Development Management

Office of the President

Office of the Provost

ASU Deer Valley Rock Art Center

School of Geographical Sciences

Department of Applied Sciences + Mathematics

American Indian Studies

Initial ASU-DDC partnership framework

January 2014

“Objective: with 27,800 acres as a living laboratory, create the premier institution for the study of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, desert ecology, arid regions worldwide, and the impact of urbanization on the environment, society, and planet.”

Further-developed ASU-DDC partnership framework

4 ASU/DDC programming

ASU + DDC focal subjects Sustainability Sciences Biogeochemistry Climate Change +

the Desert Earth and Space

Exploration Desert Zoology Geology

Biodiversity Desert Botany

Invasive Species Citizen Science

Desert Ornithology Resilience

Desert Reservoirs Invention + Discovery

Desert-City Interface Curating the Desert City Hydrology Biomimicry

Education + Community Outreach

Microbes + Soil Preservation

Sustainable Tourism +Community Engagement

Urban socio-ecological systems

The Global Drylands Institute

As a partner with the DDC, ASU will:

Locate the Global Drylands Institute (GDI) headquarters within the DDC facilities as a research anchor

Endow the GDI with up to 5 new facultypositions for the best research capacity + impact in areas of our common interest

Invest in scientific equipment and start-up funds for laboratory spaces within the DDC

Endowing world-class research

Global Drylands InstituteA collaboration between ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Sustainability.

Arid environments known as ‘Drylands' contain a large and rapidly increasing portion of the world’s human population, particularly in developing nations.Understanding the many types of links within ecosystems in drylands, particularly how they are affected by human activities is ASU’s focus in this field.

ASU/DDC programming

Single-Investigator

Research Projects

Local Naturalist

Organization Partnerships

National + Global


Research Funding

Agencies + Foundations

ASU Global Drylands Institute

Scottsdale Desert Discovery Center

Single-Investigator Research

Single-Investigator

Research Projects

Local Naturalist


National + Global


Research Funding




ASU contributing faculty5

ongoing research examples

Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) Part of a network of LTER projects funded by the NSF.

In-depth ecological research teamsK-12 student engagement programsOver 20 community partnershipsCitizen scienceArts engagement

Urban Ecological ResearchSchool of Life SciencesEcological Science for Protected Areas + People in an

Urbanizing World

Effects of the urban atmosphere on Sonoran Desert ecosystemsCentral Arizona Community Wildflower SurveyEcological homogenization of urban AmericaCitizen science engagement

Saguaro Biology ResearchCollege of Integrative Sciences and Arts

The Saguaro Genome Project

Cross-border collaborations

DNA-barcoding to identify invasive and native species

Bat Biology ResearchCollege of Integrative Sciences and Arts

Emerging Infections & EpidemicsArizona Bat Winter EcologyGenetic bioinformatics Collaborations with:

AZ Game and Fish DepartmentMcDowell Sonoran Conservancy Field Institute

Hydrology ResearchSchool of Earth and Space ExplorationHydrological processes in natural and urban environments and

their interactions with ecological, atmospheric and geomorphic

phenomena

Ecohydrology and woody plant encroachmentLand surface hydrology in monsoon ecosystemsDistributed flood forecasting Ecohydrological interactions and modeling in natural and urban environments

Soil Crusts ResearchSchool of Life SciencesNature, evolution, role, adaptations, and effects of microbial

communities in their natural habitats.

Diversity and distribution of bacteria in natural communities, e.g. biological soil crusts.Interactions between microbial growth, photosynthesis, and mineral formationThe environments in which microbes have existed since their appearance on Earth and throughout time.

Sustainable TourismSchool of Community Resources & Development

Focusing on community outcomes

Long-term, system-wide, sustainable strategies

Connecting scientists and decision makers

Co-created solutions for community + tourism development

Development of collaborative relationships among public and private orgs for community needs

ASU/DDC programming

Single-Investigator

Research Projects

Local Naturalist


National + Global


Research Funding




Local Partnerships



Sustainable Cities NetworkConnecting communities, advancing sustainability,and cultivating solutionsProvides members with knowledge, resources, and innovations to accelerate the valley toward national leadership in sustainability.

Apache Junction Litchfield Park Casa GrandeAvondale Maricopa ClarkdaleBuckeye Maricopa County FlagstaffCarefree Mesa Oro ValleyCave Creek Paradise Valley PaysonChandler Peoria Pima CountyEl Mirage Phoenix Pinal CountyFort McDowell Yavapai Nation Queen Creek Prescott ValleyFountain Hills Scottsdale SedonaGila Bend Surprise SomertonGilbert Tempe TucsonGila River Indian Community Tolleson YumaGlendale Wickenburg Salt River-Pima Maricopa

Indian CommunityGoodyear Youngtown

ASU/DDC programming

Single-Investigator

Research Projects

Local Naturalist


National + Global


Research Funding




National/Global Partnerships



Conservation International +ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes

Addressing 1,200 protected areas across 78 countries and more than 730 million hectares of land, marine and coastal areas. Partnership goals:

protect biodiversity

promote sustainable development

train the next generation of conservation biologists

ASU/DDC programming

Single-Investigator

Research Projects

Local Naturalist


National + Global


Research Funding






Funding agencies + foundations

6 Related humanities research/programming

Pasts + Futures

Thought + Knowledge

Language Identities, Communities

+ Cultures



Humanities + Social Sciences

Humanities @ ASUSharing the human experience

The humanities and social sciences explore the past and present of human culture.Through them, we understand ourselves and create a better world for the future.Humanities is embedded in an wide variety of academic programs at the university, from engineering to arts.

Humanities + Social Sciences DDC focal areasCreative engagement as a learning toolStorytelling for museumsUrban-desert interfaceOral history and interpretationBorderlands interpretationUnderstanding “place”People + cultures of the SouthwestNative American, Latino and migrant communitiesInterpretive public art projectsDevelopment of public exhibitionsDigital humanitiesDigital curation of landscapeDigital archive curationDigital expertise, teaching + desert city historiesCuratescape toolsCenter for Science and the ImaginationSalt River Stories projectTomorrow Project

ASU outreach programs7

Outreach + education

General public

education

Local school districts

National Science

Foundation’s broader impacts

Specific ASU outreach programs



community engagement examples

Contributing to the public missionASU will support the public education mission of the DDC by:

Establishing a research experience program for visitors

Providing content and scientific rigor for the development of general outreach programs and exhibits

Establishing connections between the DDC and specific academic programs at ASU

ASU Student “Desert Keepers”Student scientists develop research projects at the DDC with expert oversight + public programming / citizen science components

Student docents guide visitors to the DDC, assisting with interpretation, answering questions and prompting new thinking

Contributing to the public mission

In 2016:149 units hosted 361 events across 5 campusesAttendees were 73% K-20 students, 27% adults

“This is a fabulous event. My son said to me, ‘Now I understand what happens at the university and now I’m excited to go to college.’”

- Parent of Prospective Student

Night of the Open Door

Immersive Virtual Field TripsCenter for Education through Exploration

vft.asu.edu

ASU’s international reach8

Global Drylands issues

Global significanceASU will apply our work, our status as renowned innovators and our local, national and international partnerships to:

establish the DDC as the focal point of ASU’s preservation, restoration and ecological research with partner universities

establish the Preserve, the DDC and City of Scottsdale as the global exemplar for proactive and sustainable preservation of arid lands and urbanizing areas

Global drylands + urban regions

Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

GLOBAL DRYLANDS INSTITUTE

PLuS AllianceThree top-tier research universities and educational leaders combine strengths to impact global challenges and improve lives around the world.

871,000+combined alumni

worldwide

10,000+combined educators and

researchers+

Kings College LondonEngland

University of New South WalesAustralia

PLuS Alliance

Dublin City UniversityIreland

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, China

Global Consortium for Sustainability Outcomes

Leuphana University of Lüneberg, Germany

Karlsuhe Institute of Technology, Germany

Universidad NacionalAutónoma de México

Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico

Portland StateUniversity


University of Toronto, Canada


Dublin City UniversityIreland

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, China

Additional GDI Partnerships

Leuphana University of Lüneberg, Germany

Karlsuhe Institute of Technology, GermanyUniversity of

Toronto, Canada

Universidad NacionalAutónoma de México

Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico

Portland StateUniversity


Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute for Science

Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Mexico


Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives

Global Sustainability Solutions ServicesExecutive Master of Sustainability LeadershipGlobal Sustainability Studies ProgramSustainability Solutions FestivalWalton Sustainability Fellowship ProgramSustainability in Science MuseumsNational Sustainability Teachers’ Academy

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