Workshops

2024


American Academies of Arts & Sciences Members’ Convening: Opportunities and Challenges for Arizona

The Global Drylands Center of Arizona State University was honored to support an event alongside the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Members that attended were able to discuss the opportunities and challenges for Arizona members of the Academy and hear from Dr. Michael Crow, a fellow Academies member. The gathering allowed for members across the state to convene, welcome new members, and share ideas.


Vapour-Pressure Deficit Workshop

The Global Drylands Center of Arizona State University hosted a meeting entitled “Assessing the Relative Importance of Atmospheric vs. Soil Water as Controls of Carbon Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems” in Scottsdale, AZ on April 25. Although both atmospheric and soil water describe distinct stages within the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, they have traditionally been explored by different scholarly communities. The workshop brought together 13 scholarly representatives from both communities, who discussed alternative approaches of research and compared the strengths and weaknesses of different methods. By evaluating complementarities and identifying knowledge gaps, we sought to address where, when, and how much atmospheric and soil water affect ecosystem functioning. The meeting concluded on April 26 with plans for three potential publications synthesizing our current knowledge and exploring ways in which we may quantify the effects of atmospheric and soil water on terrestrial carbon cycling. Additional meetings will further support observational and experimental studies that are arising to create a better understanding of atmospheric and soil water dynamics.


Future Transdisciplinarity at ASU, Spring 2024

Transdisciplinary approaches are frequently invoked for addressing the most pressing problems currently affecting humanity. Challenges like global climate change, inequality, and sustainable cities cannot be understood or responded to by a single method or discipline, and ASU prides itself for fostering transdisciplinary work in teaching and research. However, scholars in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities can understand the concept of transdisciplinarity in noticeably divergent ways. In this workshop, we want to explore the following questions: How do ideas about what constitutes transdisciplinarity impact faculty research and teaching at ASU? What factors push faculty towards transdisciplinary work, and what factors pull them away from it? How do ASU faculty understand the relationships between transdisciplinarity, community-engaged research, and the co-production of knowledge?


Hispanic Drylands

Exploring the links between drylands, Chicanos, and Latinos unveils a rich tapestry of interconnectedness, shaped by historical, environmental, and cultural factors. Drylands, characterized by arid conditions, have played a significant role in shaping the experiences and identities of Chicanos and Latinos throughout history. By understanding and appreciating these connections, we can gain insight into the complex interplay between human societies and the natural world, giving insight into the importance of fostering sustainable relationships with arid ecosystems for future generations.

In efforts between the Chicano/Latino Faculty and Staff Association (CLFSA) at Arizona State University & the Global Drylands Center (GDC), the evening will be dedicated to exploring and linking the themes and interplay of both.

We will have the honor of hearing speakers Dr. Ferran Garcia-Pichel & Dr. Anita Huizar-Hernandez present via their respective perspectives & specialties. Anticipate great food & even better conversation!


2023


Future Transdisciplinarity at ASU, Fall 2023

Inter- and transdisciplinary approaches are frequently invoked for addressing the most pressing problems currently affecting humanity. Challenges like global climate change, inequality, and sustainable cities cannot be understood or responded to by a single method or discipline, and ASU prides itself for fostering inter- and transdisciplinary work in teaching and research. However, does this type of work need to be enhanced at ASU and beyond? What are the cases in which single disciplinary approaches bring the fastest scientific progress? When might a multi-or transdisciplinary approach provide the best option to address scientific questions and societal problems? What practices make for successful and generative collaborative research across highly disparate fields? Is question-driven work more suitable for collaboration? What are the impediments to transdisciplinary work, and what are its limitations?


JRN Global Drylands Modeling Workshop 2023

At the workshop, we discussed the important processes needed to represent drylands in a low-dimensional (i.e., “as simple as feasible”) process-inspired model, which mainlined Jornada insights while also representing global drylands. This process-inspired model included at least wind and water connectivity, woody-herbaceous demographics, and spatial-temporal impacts of soils, climate, herbivory, and other disturbances, and how these contributed to state-changes.