arizona, the living laboratory: how food, energy & water converge in the southwest by university...

Arizona, the living laboratory:

How Food, Energy & Water converge in the Southwest

Enabling Resiliency in Food, Energy & Water Systems for Society

Why are we here?U.S. Drought Monitor 12.29.15

Intensity: Abnormally Dry Moderate Drought Severe Drought Extreme Drought Exceptional Drought

credit Chris Fenimore – NOAA / NESDIS / NCEI

Drought • As of Dec. 2015, drought is impacting 77M people in the U.S.

• 97% of California’s $43B agricultural sector experienced severe, extreme, or exceptional drought (3/15)

Population • World population will increase by 1 billion people in 10 years

Energy • EIA projects world energy consumption will increase 56% by 2040

Food • How we will feed 9 Billion people by 2025

Why are we here?Challenges

How do we do this?

Integrated solutions & collaboration

Southern Arizona is faced with both significant challenges at the FEW Nexus & unique opportunities

Arizona is the Living Laboratory

What’s being done

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Academia, government & business members

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April 15–17, 2015 workshop among the first of several NSF-sponsored discussions:

What’s being done - NSF/UA Workshop

1. Foster collaborations/build “networks of experts” – organized responses and perspectives to “situational scarcity”

2. Establish interdisciplinary, broad-based approaches to scientific, technological, societal challenges at the nexus of energy, water, and food systems

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE-1539597. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations

expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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providing foundational knowledge that will help direct future research and collaboration between academia, industry & government

The workshop on the Food, Energy & Water nexus resulted in 5 specific themes


1Situational scarcity Food, energy, water and strategic materials can and will be scarce in localized regions & time periods

Optimal Results: • Reductions in long-distance water transport

• Continued economic growth

What’s being done - 5 specific themes

2New materials platforms & systems-level technologies flexibly targeted: • energy-efficient water reuse and purification

• distributed energy sources

• multi-analyte sensor platforms

Optimal Result: • Safe and secure food, energy and water supplies

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3Smart data and decision-making Measurement, analysis, & optimization of chemical & physical parameters at multiple scales. Models integrate energy, water, and food systems

Optimal Results: • Real-‐time responses to regional scarcities in energy, water, and food to assure quality of life

• Tools for the evaluation of new technology



4Policy Response & engagement integration of new science/technology with policy, decision-making, & education; revitalization of local community, workforce development

Optimal Results:

• Overcome the inertia in decision-‐making by working together

• Educate the public and decision-‐makers



5Regional Test Beds & Private / Public Partnerships large enough to integrate new technologies; small enough to make credible & verifiable results possible

Optimal Results: • Rapid evaluation of new technologies • Speed up the time to market


Why U of A

“Super” Land Grant University

• Medical & Law schools

• Public Health

• Colleges that work collaboratively to solve problems

- Agriculture

- Business

- Engineering

- Optics

- Science

- Social & Behavioral Science

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The daily living laboratory

The Yuma area produces about 90% of all the leafy vegetables grown in the United States from November – March. UA researchers work side-by-side with Yuma officials to explore ways to enhance agriculture in the area.

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1Biosphere 2 The Biosphere 2 is the world’s largest environment laboratory. The Landscape Evolution Observatory, inside B2, allows scientists to study how water moves through controlled landscapes and how ecology and landscapes co-evolve in one-million-kilogram experimental structures.


2Solar Zone @ Tech Park The Solar Zone at UA’s Tech Park is one of the nation's premier research parks – a dynamic, interactive community where innovators & business leaders meet and technology giants work side by side. The park’s campus encompasses 1,345 acres and 2 million square feet of space for high-tech offices, R&D, and laboratory facilities.


3WEST CenterIndustry, academic and government researchers work side-by-side at a plant scale facility located in the Pima County Wastewater campus that helps to advance sustainable water solutions – including research that can one day lead to “toilet to tap” technology.


4BIO5Hundreds of researchers from over 20 colleges and departments across the UA work together at BIO5 to perform innovative research that will improve health and save lives. Working across disciplines to accelerate commercial translation of research breakthroughs are the core of BIO5’s mission.


5Institute of the Environment (IE)IE coordinates and hosts interdisciplinary collaborative research across colleges (300+ affiliated faculty) with a commitment to connecting social, physical and applied science to stakeholders. Focus areas include climate, ecosystems, climate adaptation, environmental justice, environmental health, tribal partnerships and the food, water, energy nexus.


6Controlled Environment Agriculture CenterGreenhouse technology helps the production of plants and their products, such as vegetables and flowers, inside structures such as greenhouses. Working with County/State ag officers, researchers produce high value crops at maximum productivity in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. The center supports education, research and extension/outreach.

Working together

Collaboration

Trans-disciplinary

Science Influencing Policy

Boundless Capacity

Formally known as iPlant Collaborative

Solutions for society

Thank you

arizona, the living laboratory: how food, energy & water converge in the southwest by university...

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