An Introduction to the John Muir Institute of the Environment

1. An Introduction to the John Muir Institute of the Environment Environmental Policy and Management Graduate Program Fall Orientation September 18, 2018

2. Overview of the Muir Institute • Five major centers and programs, supporting over 300 faculty, staff and students • Center for Watershed Sciences • Center for Health and the Environment • Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing (CSTARS) • Tahoe Environmental Research Center • UC Davis Natural Reserve System • Bodega Marine Reserve, McLaughlin Reserve, Stebbins Cold Canyon, Jepson Prairie, Quail Ridge, Lassen Volcanic National Park Partnership EPM Orientation September 2018

3. Center for Health and the Environment (CHE) Examining the effects of environmental agents, including chemicals, particles and air-borne pollutants, on the health of humans, animals and ecosystems Director: Kent Pinkerton Center for Watershed Sciences (CWS) Solving critical water issues facing California and beyond Director: Jay Lund Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) Understanding, restoration and sustainable use of freshwater ecosystems in a global context Director: Geoff Schladow Natural Reserve System Outdoor laboratories to field scientists, classrooms without walls for students, and nature’s inspiration to all Director: Andrew Latimer

4. Our mission is to understand and solve global environmental threats at a time of unprecedented social connectedness, technological development and planetary change.

5. A global network of researchers Muir Institute Pure, Elsevier Inc.,

6. Major Research Themes in the Environmental Nexus • Human Health, Behavior and the Global Commons • Sustainable Resource Use • Environmental Pollution and Resilience • Policy and Collective Decision Making • Visualizing Change with Big Environmental Data EPM Orientation September 2018

7. Muir Institute Strategic Plan • Recognizes that developing a more unified strategy and approach is essential to furthering our impact locally, regionally, and globally • Identifies specific mechanisms and priorities for the next 5 years • Creating UC Davis “OneClimate” • Leading the “Big Environmental data” wave • Going global: Emerging environmental issues • Maximizing our fully integrated potential • Expanding our educational reach EPM Orientation September 2018

8. Muir Institute Guiding Principles Environment is for everyone: We consider the environment as the fundamental building-block of a healthy civilization, and our obligation is to understand and preserve the world’s life-support systems for generations. Information-age is upon us: We are committed to the open data movement and making information available to researchers, policy makers and the public. Healthy ecosystems, healthy people…healthy ecosystems: Our cross-cutting efforts are fueled by a simple principle: healthy ecosystems build healthy people, which then result in healthy ecosystems. Unity and collaboration are essential: Collaboration and cooperation are key ingredients behind our almost two decades of success. We strive for objectivity and seek to provide an open atmosphere for healthy debate and discourse. Education is our greatest ally: We educate the next generation of environmental innovators, problem solvers and thought-leaders through our professional Master’s Degree in Environmental Policy & Management. We believe in human diversity and its power to unlock innovation. EPM Orientation September 2018

9. Muir Institute Research Specialties • Research for real word impact in the areas of water, sustainable food systems, public health, air quality, climate, resource conservation and biodiversity • Collecting, visualizing and modeling big environmental data to provide novel insights • Solving complex challenges at the interface of human health, the economy and the environment EPM Orientation September 2018

10. Our Initiatives • At the Muir Institute, we translate our vision into practice though bold initiatives. These efforts help to galvanize the Muir Institute and its centers of excellence into global problem solvers. Our initiatives include: • OneClimate • Wild Energy • Polar Forum • World Water Institute (CWS’ “big idea”) • Big Environmental Data EPM Orientation September 2018

11. OneClimate • About OneClimate | OneClimate is an initiative dedicated to creating a sustainable, just and habitable world and the pathways to get there. • OneClimate moves beyond the politics and dialogue of global climate change by leveraging UC Davis’ own unique blend of cross-disciplinary problem-solving, allowing us to merge disciplines to create entirely new ways of thinking about the world, for the world. We • Projects – Support the projects, research and actions that will make a tangible difference in the world. • Organization – Develop the leadership structures that will make OneClimate a sustainable, mutually-beneficial organization. • Place – Develop a physical space to support the range of OneClimate projects and collaborations. • Partnership – Foster internal and external partnerships across a wide range of stakeholders • Impact –Transform society, create planetary sustainability and develop solutions to some of the 21st century’s most pressing challenges • For more information, please contact Sara Nichols, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatves, Muir Institute. EPM Orientation September 2018

13. Wild Energy Initiative • Motto | Where energy, life, and the environment work together. • Statement of Purpose | The Wild Energy Initiative facilitates research and education on interactions between energy systems and Earth, including its systems and species, to address exigent global change and sustainability issues. • Current Initiative Projects: • Solar Energy Potential of the Largest Commercial Buildings in the United States • Synergies of Solar Energy across a Land-Food-Energy-Water Nexus • Sustainability of Utility-Scale Solar Energy: Critical Ecological Concepts • The Desert Danaus Project at Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System • The PV-Annual Plant Nexus Project in the Mojave Desert • The UC Davis Agrivoltaic Demonstration Site • For more information, please contact Assistant Professor Dr. Rebecca R. Hernandez. EPM Orientation September 2018

14. Polar Forum • Mission | To engage the public in polar research and education to foster awareness of climate change impacts on the unique natural, cultural, and societal features of the Polar Regions. • Outreach Objectives: • To highlight the Polar Regions as an exemplar of the urgency of climate change and strengthen the role of UC Davis as a world leader in environmental education. • Engage the community through unique outreach events, bridge the gap between UC Davis’ world-class polar research expertise and the public, and act as a conduit of expertise on polar issues to the media, policy makers and University of California system. • Encompass a uniquely broad array of disciplines – from sea ice dynamics and atmospheric chemistry, to paleoclimatology, anthropology, and Native American studies. • For more information on the Polar Forum, please contact Pernille Sporon Boving or Dr. Eric Post. EPM Orientation September 2018

15. World Water Initiative (A UC Davis “Big Idea”) • Objectives and Vision: • Bring UC Davis’ interdisciplinary expertise to bear on solving local and global water challenges. • Expand UC Davis leadership in managing one of the world’s most precious resources by pioneering 21st century water science, engineering, management and policy. • To leverage the California Model of water management to deliver solutions for a wide range of water challenges at home and abroad. • Goals: • Establish a hub for global education in water science and management • Launch “Water without Borders” to provide scientific expertise and promote social justice for water issues around the world • Create the California Water Science Center—a sweeping new private-public-academic water partnership • For more information, please contact Dr. Jay Lund, Director for the Center for Watershed Sciences. EPM Orientation September 2018

16. Big Environmental Data • Mission | To lead the way in collecting, visualizing and modeling big environmental data to provide unprecedented insights into our changing world. • Ongoing activities: • We are solidifying the Muir Institute’s position as a locally, regionally and globally recognized center of excellence in Big Environmental Data through the following activities and partnerships: • Elsevier Inc., • New Muir Institute Data Science Scholar (Dr. GunaManogaran) • CSTARS - one of the strongest environmental remote sensing and geospacial data groups in the United States (Dr. Susan Ustin, Director CSTARS). • AI for Earth Innovations Grant (National Geographic and Microsoft) EPM Orientation September 2018

17. About the Barn • Please feel free to use the “Corral” area of the Barn for all school related activities (studying, meetings, group projects, etc) • The Barn hours are generally 8:00am to 5:00pm • Available Barn supplies: • Wifi (eduroam) • Water (in the kitchen) • Mini fridge (in the Corral, please do not use the kitchen refrigerator) • For printing, pleasure refer to Campus Printing Services and Computer Centers • Sign up for the JMIE listserve by emailing Mabel Oen, Executive Assistant, to find out about Barn events including JMIE Coffee Hour (join us, it’s fun!) • Don’t forget to stop by and say hello, we look forward to having you enjoy the Barn with us! EPM Orientation September 2018

18. Director: Benjamin Houlton Prof. Benjamin Houlton, Land Air and Water Resources and Chancellor's Fellow. Research specialties: Global biogeochemical cycles, climate change, gene to biosphere relationships, coupled human-environmental systems, computational modeling, and others. EPM Orientation September 2018

19. Associate Directors Prof. Susan Ustin Associate Director of Research Director of CSTARS Sara Nichols Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives Prof. Mark Schwartz Associate Director of Education EPM Orientation September 2018

20. Muir Institute Staff George Sheer IT Technical Staff Jenny Nickell Human Resources Diane Kruger Chief Administrative Officer Mabel Oen Executive Assistant Carmen Woods Finance Lindsey Dunn Finance EPM Orientation September 2018

21. THANK YOU For any general questions, please feel free to contact Sara Nichols, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives