OU is well positioned to respond to the global environmental crisis. We seek to leverage OU’s existing research strengths in weather, climate, energy, resiliency and ecosystems; its broad academic portfolio; and existing emerging interdisciplinary research clusters to promote convergent research at the intersections of energy, environment and sustainability. OU will facilitate multidisciplinary research that connects energy-oriented and environmentally oriented research. Convergence of these research themes enables OU to become a lead institution in finding sustainable energy solutions and transforming the capacity of cities and communities to respond and adapt to regional, national and global weather and climate hazards.
The research agenda specifically addresses existing research strengths and gaps at OU and also considers the local landscape. Risk assessment and resilience of both urban and rural communities is a great concern, given the state’s long history of weather and climate disasters. Natural and agro-ecosystems are vitally important pillars for Oklahoma’s economy and the sustainability of co-dependent rural and urban communities. Fossil fuels have shaped Oklahoma’s economy over a century, the integration of renewable energy has started, and there are opportunities to use new clean energy technologies to transform the economic landscape and create new jobs.
We propose an innovative research agenda that pursues a resilience framework which aims to find solutions for building resilient rural and urban communities, build resilient energy systems, and protect the resilience of environmental systems. The following three research hubs will serve as agents for building connections across disciplines.
Environmental conservation is highly interdisciplinary and requires diverse expertise across environmental, social and behavioral, and energy systems. Within this domain are opportunities for innovation in all aspects of OU’s mission. Solutions to environmental conflicts are needed from the granular level of single endangered species to the global level of ecosystem and energy services. To address this, institutional support to grow effective, interdisciplinary teams of scholars who embrace systems approaches to complexity and work with impacted communities to solve fundamental problems in environmental resilience will be required.
We envision a framework that enables interdisciplinary teams to create innovative solutions through a series of increasingly ambitious tasks to achieve high impact. Ideal teams include participants representing expertise in Earth-research fields including biosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere, social and behavioral, and energy systems in an effort to drive convergence among external and internal university partners.
The growing human population’s need for reliable energy is not on a sustainable path and has dramatically impacted the climate and the environment. OU is in an energy resource-rich state and uniquely positioned to address this issue. To do so, an interdisciplinary approach to energy system transformations focused on meeting the rising energy demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions is required. An investment in sustainability places OU in the mix of thought leaders working on this critically important topic, helping to grow our reputation as a flagship research university. Further, we can leverage our expertise in current energy systems, while also transitioning to more sustainable energy technologies and practices, which will benefit the state economically by diversifying the state’s energy economy, attracting new investment capital, building new enterprises and increasing employment.
There is a critical need to investigate the factors contributing to the vulnerability of built structures, the physical characteristics of the structures, the social factors that influence their location and construction, the expected characteristics of disasters in a changing climate, and the likely social impacts if these systems fail. Research is needed to promote thriving communities by applying a resilience framework for mitigation and adaptation strategies for understanding and planning the built environment. Technological and policy-based options both for recovering from, and for minimizing susceptibility to, physical and social damage must be considered.
OU has strengths in resiliency and sustainability as demonstrated by a robust history of grants awarded in the areas of GIS, policy, planning, water research and environmental issues. Much of the necessary infrastructure and expertise is already present across campus, although scattered in different units and centers. We also have a strong and lasting focus on community engagement, and an incredible emphasis on severe weather, forecasting and climate-based risk reduction, all of which support the success of a research investment in this area.
