{"id":68,"date":"2021-10-05T11:16:51","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T18:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev9.rtd.asu.edu\/?page_id=68"},"modified":"2025-09-08T09:12:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T16:12:27","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/globalfutures.asu.edu\/essa\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-container container mb-0 my-6 my-xl-12\">\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-7\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"highlight-gold\">A Change in Earth&#8230;<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Earth has entered a new geological epoch, termed the Anthropocene, characterized by the indelible imprint of human impact on the Earth system (Steffen et al. 2018). Changes in human activities in recent decades\u2014such as exploding growth in urban populations, encroaching development, ocean refuse and fresh water degradation, fossil fuel dependency, and increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere\u2014are matched in scale and acceleration by troublesome environmental trends: the Earth is getting hotter, extreme events are increasing in frequency and magnitude, water security is increasingly threatened, and species are being lost at astonishing rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"highlight-gold\">A Change in Science&#8230;<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Anthropocene requires a convergent, multi-scaled (local- to planetary-scale), and societally embedded science and engineering to understand the dynamics of a human-dominated planet and to help find solutions to the wicked challenges that accelerating human activity has imposed. Put simply, complex societal problems require a new approach that questions the \u201cwho, what, where, and how\u201d of science if we are to find creative new solutions together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"highlight-gold\">A Change in Graduate Education\u2026<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Not just a new science but a new way of training the next generation of scholars and action-oriented researchers is required to solve the urgent problems we face. Scientists must \u201cescape the ivory tower\u201d (Baron 2010) and work together with decision-makers and community leaders locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Earth Systems Science for the Anthropocene (ESSA) Graduate Scholars Network provides transdisciplinary, solutions-based, student-centered educational pathways to fill this gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"uds-blockquote accent-gold  with-image py-6\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"feature-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/globalfutures.asu.edu\/essa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/nancy-grimm-new.jpg\" alt=\"Nancy Grimm\" title=\"nancy-grimm-new\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n\t\t<blockquote>\n\t\t\t<p>We need to bring together the domains of social, ecological and technological expertise that don\u2019t often talk to each other because preparing for\u2014and transforming\u2014in the face of the big challenges of the Anthropocene requires input from all of these perspectives.agenda. To push this knowledge frontier, we must transform graduate training and include more diverse voices, identities, and perspectives.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"citation\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"citation-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"name\">Nancy B. Grimm, Regents Professor, ESSA Co-Director<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"description\">Regents Professor, Virginia M. Ullman Professor of Ecology, School of Life Sciences<br><a href=\"https:\/\/grimm.lab.asu.edu\/\">https:\/\/grimm.lab.asu.edu\/<\/a><\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"uds-blockquote accent-gold  with-image reversed py-6\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"feature-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/globalfutures.asu.edu\/essa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/ayork.jpg\" alt=\"Abigail York\" title=\"ayork\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n\t\t<blockquote>\n\t\t\t<p>Arguably the Anthropocene\u2019s most significant challenges are societal, necessitating advances in the social sciences and the humanities and a transdisciplinary scientific agenda. To push this knowledge frontier, we must transform graduate training and include more diverse voices, identities, and perspectives.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"citation\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"citation-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"name\">Abigail York, ESSA Co-Director<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"description\">Professor of Governance and Public Policy, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"highlight-gold\">A Change in Society&#8230;<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"pb-6\">Making change in today\u2019s world requires not just a change in knowledge and skills but a change in systems\u2014social systems, governance systems, technological systems, educational systems. While this begins with ASU\u2019s strong commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusiveness, it doesn\u2019t end there. Through a supportive community, networks of mentorship, a student-designed plan for learning, and strong professional and career-building events, the ESSA Graduate Scholars Network helps students prepare their own pathways forward toward careers they envision, to be the scientists and engineers they want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"highlight-gold\">ASU, the new American University<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Through funding from the President&#8217;s Strategic Initiative Funds, ESSA builds upon innovative research centers and education initiatives headquartered at ASU such as the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, UREx Sustainability Research Network, NATURA Nature Based Solutions for Urban Resilience for the Anthropocene, ARC-NAV (Arctic Robust Communities-Navigating Adaptation to Variability), CAP LTER (Central Arizona-Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research), The Global Locust Initiative and various research centers&#8211; such as Global Drylands Center and the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes. These initiatives and many others are &#8220;advancing research and discovery of public value;&#8221; and helping ASU assume &#8220;fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural, and overall health of communities it serves&#8221; (ASU Charter).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"uds-blockquote accent-gold  with-image py-6\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"feature-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/globalfutures.asu.edu\/essa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/10\/mcrow.jpg\" alt=\"Michael M. Crow\" title=\"mcrow\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n\t\t<blockquote>\n\t\t\t<p>Learning is for Everyone. If we can help universities to produce  more master learners dedicated to the breadth and betterment of our society and our democracy, we will have had a major impact on the outcome of humanity.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"citation\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"citation-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"name\">Michael M. Crow, ASU President<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"description\"><\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-bootstrap-blocks-row row\">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-2\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-8\">\n\t\t\t\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"highlight-gold\">The ESSA Vision<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Earth Systems Science for the Anthropocene<\/strong> initiative is motivated by the understanding that transdisciplinary scholarship embedded in partnerships with real-world practitioners, communities, and publics in meaningful ways is absolutely essential to inform actionable science that advances societal impact and social justice.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-2\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-68","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uds_featured_image":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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