Community Engagement News

UArizona Associate Professor in the School of Theatre, Film and Television Michael Mulcahy to debut new climate-focused docuseries, Making Arizona, on Feb. 21, 2024 at UArizona’s award-winning ENR2 building.

Until the turn of the millennium, stormwater had been seen as a nuisance to be removed as quickly as possible. Storms meant flooding, property damage and even potential contamination of the potable water supply by litter, pollution and bacteria. But, where previous decision makers had seen a waste product, a new school of experts saw opportunity.

Faculty members at the University of Arizona are utilizing community-engaged research methods to connect with communities, which, in turn, help identify research priorities, build trusting relationships, uphold self-determination and ultimately generate more accurate information to shape public health solutions, including those focused on water quality.

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.

Zack Guido is the Director of AIR’s International Programs, who unravels the intricate interplay between resilience and adaptability in the face of environmental stressors. In this Q&A, Guido delves into his collaboration with communities to bolster their climate resilience, advocating for the integration of weather and climate information into decision-making processes. He explores the pivotal connection between resilience work and pressing matters of social justice and equity, shedding light on the importance of actively involving marginalized communities in research.

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.