Several college faculty joined more than 130 public and land-grant university scientists nationwide to prepare a “roadmap” that calls for an integrated approach to natural resources education, research, and management across funding agencies and academic disciplines, and better communication of research results to the public, including policymakers. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ strategy document details “grand challenges” facing the United States in six areas — sustainability, water, climate change, agriculture, energy, and education — and recommends actions to meet these challenges over the next decade.

Associate Professor Sarah Karpanty co-authored the chapter that responds to the climate-change challenge, and Professor Janaki Alavalapati was a reviewer of the energy challenge response. Professor Eric Hallerman chaired the team that wrote the response to the education challenge response, with Professors Brian Murphy and Dean Stauffer serving as peer reviewers on that response.

The goals of the roadmap are to provide direction for public universities for the next five to 10 years; identify major challenges, knowledge gaps, and priorities; provide guidance for policymakers in strategic planning and investment; advocate for the use of sound science in natural resources decision making; and chart a path for and facilitate the development of interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach focused on natural resources challenges.

Read the full press release.

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