IGERT in Urban Ecology Conference for Sustainability IGERTS University of Alaska, Fairbanks October 10-13, 2007 Charles L. Redman, School of Sustainability Ann P. Kinzig, School of Life Sciences Margaret C. Nelson, School of Human Evolution & Social Change

Evolution of an Educational/Research Program Center for Environmental Studies (CES) and Central Arizona--Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) IGERT 1 Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS) IGERT 2 School of Sustainability (SOS)

Participating Academic Units Core units –Life science ( botany, biology ), 12 fellows –Earth Science ( geology, geography ), 12 fellows –Social Science ( anthropology, sociology ), 9 fellows New core unit –School of Sustainability, 3 fellows Allied units –Engineering, 2 fellows –Public Affairs, 1 fellow –History, 1 fellow –Mathematics, 1 fellow

CAP LTER land-use & land-cover change altered biogeochemical cycles altered hydrology local climate change

CAP LTER Central Question How do the patterns and processes of urbanization alter ecological conditions of the city and its surrounding environment, and how do ecological consequences of development feed back to the social system to generate future changes?

Urbanization: Focus for Developing Sustainable Futures More than 90% of future global population growth will occur in cities Cities occupy 2% of land, house 50% of the people and consume 75% of the world’s energy Fast and unbalanced growth accelerates division between rich and poor, environmental degradation and growing violence.

Unique Opportunity Globally, we are now engaged in by far the largest city-building experiment in the history of the planet driven, in part, by a rural to urban transition that has been occurring on a scale never to be repeated.

CAP LTER Conceptual Framework External drivers Climate change Globalization Ecosystem function Primary production Organism interactions & behavior Nutrient cycling & retention Fluvial processes Groundwater recharge Ecosystem structure Built structure Habitat structure & diversity Species abundance & diversity Geomorphic structure Food-web structure Human behavior Institutional and Individual levels Planning & design Regulation Migration Ecosystem services Regulating: Air quality, pest control, water quality, temperature control Supporting: soil fertility, nutrient cycling Cultural: recreation, aesthetics Provisioning: ag Human outcomes Exposure risk Quality of life Human health Perception & value Press or pulse events Land-use change & urbanization Housing development Landscape creation and management Heat island dynamics Atmospheric deposition Hydrologic/geomorphic alteration Natural events Flood Drought Socio-cultural- economic template Geophysical template After Collins et al ISSE

Philosophical Tenets 1.An integrated view begins with established disciplines. 2.Experience in a collection of disciplines does not a multi disciplinary program make. 3.Solution of complex problems requires collaboration. 4.Effective collaborative groups have flexible participants (Flexible, invertible hierarchy). 5.Faculty members are also students.

Philosophical Tenets 6.IGERT Program is graduate-student centered. 7.There is more than a single track to understanding. 8.Our goal is to understand how we understand. 9.Our approach is experiential and empirical. 10.Research questions are motivated by both basic and applied objectives.

Components of IGERT in Urban Ecology Experience Department Requirements Technical Skills Course Electives in Complementary Field Professional Meetings Urban Ecology Reading Group Intellectual Issues Seminar Collaborative Workshops Ethics and Values International Travel Mentoring Seminar w/ COURS and REU Colloquium Series Study Sessions with Visiting Scholars, Policymakers and Industry Reps LTER Graduate Student Activities LTER All Scientist Meetings LTER Winter Symposium Dissertation Research in Collaboration with LTER Scientists Disciplinary Activities CAP LTER Activities Completion of Dissertation IGERT Activities

IGERT Program Activities Urban Ecology Reading Group Brown Bag Field Trips Invited Speakers

IGERT Program Elements Synthesis Center Dedicated space Senior Fellows Organizers Facilitators Liaisons

Program Courses/Requirements Intellectual Issues Professionalism and Ethics Mentoring Workshops Individual research; collaborative chapter

Future Prospects 1.University-wide Graduate Faculty Initiative 2.Continuing interdisciplinary graduate training in Urban Ecology based out of departments 3.School of Sustainability