Arizona Institute for Resilience

09/18/2026

Congratulations to Elise Gornish and Robert Villa, both members of the Arizona Institute for Resilience, who are part of the team awarded a 2026 Center for University Education Scholarship Spanning Boundaries Challenge grant.

Their project, “Tumamoc Rising: Situating Faculty Learning in the Desert Lab,” will bring faculty together at the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill to cultivate peer support, local knowledge, and new approaches to teaching and learning.

By connecting faculty learning with the unique landscape and knowledge of Tumamoc Hill, the project creates opportunities for collaboration across disciplines while deepening connections to place.

We’re excited to see how this work brings people, place, and learning together. Congratulations to Elise, Robert, and the entire project team!

Learn more about the Spanning Boundaries Challenge and this year’s projects: https://cues.arizona.edu/2026-cues-spanning-boundaries-challenge?utm_campaign=Arizona+Institute+for+Resilience&utm_content=Congratulations+to+Elise+&utm_medium=social&utm_publication=20260918&utm_source=facebook

09/18/2026

Walking Through My Cornfield: One Hopi Farmer’s Journey

Michael Johnson, assistance specialist at AIR's University of Arizona Indigenous Resilience Center, reflects on his childhood on the Hopi Reservation and the agricultural lessons his grandfather passed down through generations.

In his reflection published in The Journal of Arizona History, Johnson shares how traditional Hopi dry farming has sustained communities for nearly 3,000 years while preserving cultural knowledge, values, and connections to the land.

Read Dr. Johnson’s reflection, “Walking Through My Cornfield: One Hopi Farmer’s Journey,” to learn more about the traditions and lessons rooted in Hopi agriculture:

09/16/2026

The AIRwaves Book Club is back for the first meeting of the semester.

Tuesday, September 22 | 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
ENR2, Room N595 or Zoom: https://arizona.zoom.us/j/82624092967

This semester, we’re exploring the connection between books and their film adaptations. At our September meeting, we’ll pitch and select books that have been adapted into movies, then read, watch, and discuss our selections at upcoming meetings.

Come ready to share your ideas, make a case for your favorite book or film, and help choose what we’ll explore this semester.

Have a book and movie pairing in mind? Send your suggestions to [email protected] or bring them to the meeting.

We look forward to seeing you there!

09/15/2026

A new study with The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and University of Washington examines how cities around the world are developing, implementing, and evaluating Heat Action Plans and introduces a new tool to help communities measure their effectiveness.

The research features Ladd Keith, director of AIR's Heat Resilience Initiative and professor at Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and School of Landscape Architecture and Planning at the University of Arizona, and Halley Hughes, program coordinator for AIR’s Heat Resilience Initiative.

The team’s work highlights an important next step in heat resilience: moving beyond creating plans to understanding whether those plans are being implemented and protecting communities from extreme heat.

Read the full study on Global Disaster Preparedness Center and learn more about the Heat Action Plan Implementation and Effectiveness Tool (HAPIE):https://preparecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HAPIE.pdf

09/14/2026

Jumpstart your environmental career with Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at AIR.

Applications are now open for the first-ever DESERT-PFAS Student Grand Challenge

Junior, senior, and graduate students at The University of Arizona are invited to apply to solve real-world challenges relating to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” taking place in our Sonoran Desert community.

PFAS are in our water, soils, food, consumer products, and even air. In Arizona, where PFAS management decisions intersect with water scarcity, rapid population growth, and diverse communities, we face urgent questions about long-term environmental sustainability, public health, and equitable risk management.

Addressing these challenges requires not only technical solutions, but also integrated, practical approaches that are responsive to community needs.

Selected students will work with UA faculty and professional mentors during the fall 2026 and spring 2027 semesters to tackle real environmental challenges related to PFAS and report on their findings and progress.

Partners include: Haley & Aldrich, Tucson Water, County of Santa Cruz Department of Community Development and Infrastructure, and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Build your professional training and network, receive mentorship in solving cutting-edge problems, meet milestones you set with your teammates and mentors, receive a $1,000 award per person at the end of the program!

Applications are due Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM.

Details and application here: https://udallcenter.arizona.edu/student-challenge?utm_campaign=Arizona+Institute+for+Resilience&utm_content=Jumpstart+your+environmen&utm_medium=social&utm_publication=20260914&utm_source=facebook

09/11/2026

What will it take to build a more resilient water future for the Southwest?

In the latest episode of Come Rain or Shine, Kathy Jacobs, director of Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and professor in the Department of Environment Science at The University of Arizona, discusses the challenges facing water resources in the Southwest and what communities can do to prepare.

A key takeaway: building water resilience means planning for a future shaped by climate change, uncertainty, and increasing water demands rather than relying on historical conditions.

Listen to Kathy’s conversation on Water Resources and Climate Adaptation to learn more about the science, planning, and collaboration needed to strengthen our region’s water future.

This podcast is a collaborative product of the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and New Mexico State University. We highlight stories to share the most recent advances in climate science, weather and climate adaptation, and innovative p...

09/11/2026

How can Arizona strengthen its water future in a changing climate?

Explore key findings from the Arizona Tri-University Recharge and Water Reliability Project during the second webinar in the ATUR Summer/Fall 2026 series on September 14 from noon–1 pm via Zoom.

The webinar will highlight key features of the ATUR report, a three-year research effort examining Arizona’s groundwater and opportunities to enhance water supplies by capturing precipitation that would otherwise evaporate.

This project is created by AIR scientists at The University of Arizona and other researchers at Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University.

Learn more and find dates for the other webinars: https://air.arizona.edu/events/atur-project-report-webinar-2

Image When Noon – 1 p.m., Sept. 14, 2026 eventAdd to Calendar Add Event to Calendar ATUR Project Report Webinar 2 Noon – 1 p.m., Sept. 14, 2026 Select your calendar type below: Google iCal File Outlook Enterprise (Office 365) Outlook Personal (outlook.com) Yahoo! ATUR Project Report Webinar 2, M...

09/09/2026

Today is Fall Fest 2026.

Join the Arizona Institute for Resilience today, September 9th at 2pm at ENR S107, as we come together to celebrate our community and the work being done to build a more resilient future.

The afternoon will be filled with connection, conversation, and community with students, faculty, researchers, and partners from across The University of Arizona.

We look forward to seeing you at Fall Fest.

https://events.trellis.arizona.edu/en/f44lNu67/fall-fest-2026-5a3UV434Awj/overview?utm_campaign=Arizona+Institute+for+Resilience&utm_content=Today+is+Fall+Fest+2026.%0A&utm_medium=social&utm_publication=20260909&utm_source=facebook

09/08/2026

Looking to strengthen your science communication skills?

The CAMBIUM-Lovejoy Center Professional Development Series within AIR continues on tomorrow, September 9 from 1:30–3 p.m. at ENR2 S215, with a session focused on scientific storytelling and communicating your research in an engaging and accessible way.

The series brings together graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, staff, postdocs, and community members to build skills that support academic and professional success.

RSVP and discover the next workshops: https://air.arizona.edu/events/cambium-lovejoy-professional-development-series

Image When Next event: 1:30 – 3 p.m., Sept. 9, 2026 eventAdd to Calendar Add Event to Calendar CAMBIUM-Lovejoy Professional Development Series Next event: 1:30 – 3 p.m., Sept. 9, 2026 Select your calendar type below: Google iCal File Outlook Enterprise (Office 365) Outlook Personal (outlook.com)...

09/08/2026

PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” persist in the environment and can move through water, soil and air. They are a complex health and environmental challenge for Arizona communities.

Now, The University of Arizona researchers are coming together to tackle that challenge.

Through AIR’s Annual Resilience Theme award, the DESERT-PFAS team is bringing together experts across environmental science, public health, engineering, policy, the arts and more to better understand PFAS and develop sustainable solutions for Arizona.

The work goes beyond research. The team is engaging community and Tribal partners, policymakers and students to build shared knowledge, support community-based research and turn science into action.

This is resilience in practice: bringing people and disciplines together to address a complex challenge and create solutions that can make a difference across Arizona.

Read the full story:

The winners of this year’s AIR Annual Resilience Theme award will unite researchers, educators, health practitioners and community members to address PFAS across the state.