Community Engagement News

Shannon Taylor, White Mountain Apache and Navajo, is a junior studying Geographic Information Systems Technology. In this Q&A, she discusses how she hopes to apply Traditional Ecological Knowledge along with GIS and cartography to help with Native American communities' conservation efforts, historic preservation, land management and other tribal environmental issues.

Grace Adams is a senior studying Environmental Science with an emphasis on Leadership, Sustainability, and Communication. As the outreach and communications team lead for Compost Cats and through her other various activities, Adams has worked to shift the UArizona campus culture toward sustainability and environmental stewardship.

The Supreme Court recently ruled against the Navajo Nation, denying their water rights and exacerbating the severe water crisis on their reservation. With approximately 30% of households lacking running water, the Navajo community has been grappling with the consequences of this long-standing issue. Despite efforts dating back to the 1950s, the 1868 treaty that established the reservation did not include provisions guaranteeing water access for the Navajo. This unresolved issue continues to adversely affect the Navajo community, contributing to high death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighting the pressing need for a resolution.

The start of the 2023 monsoon season also marks the start of the third Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts game, which brings together amateur forecasters to compete against one another with their monsoon season predictions.

Since 2015, the Agua Dulce HOA has supported common-area water conservation and green stormwater infrastructure, saving 4.6M gallons of water and $19K in the process. To share the HOA's strategies for success, the Water Resources Research Center earlier this month hosted University of Arizona alumnus Hans Huth, the Agua Dulce Home Owners Associate Water Harvesting Chair and Volunteer.

Dr. Corrie Hannah, a research scientist at the University of Arizona’s Arizona Institute for Resilience, is committed to finding solutions to social and environmental challenges prevalent in marginalized communities with limited resources.

Her research has taken her around the world, but its her work here in Tucson that could have an even broader reach. In addition to exploring disaster risk reduction and humanitarian aid, she is also expanding the resources available to historically underfunded scholars tackling climate adaptation research throughout Africa.

Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium's newest exhibit, "Undersea Discovery," takes visitors on a journey from the ocean shore to its rarely seen depths, providing a look at the colorful animals and plants that make up the vast waters of the world.

The University of Arizona is helping communities contribute to decision-making on water resources in the state. Professor Sharon Megdal with the UA Water Resource Research Center talks about getting indigenous peoples involved and how their knowledge can be transferred to cities coping with water concerns.

Sharon K. Collinge, a leader in global sustainability and an expert on landscape change and ecological processes, is joining the University of Arizona as director of the Arizona Institute for Resilient Environments and Societies, or AIRES, beginning August 1.