As Rick Miranda moves to the classroom and into the role of Chief Academic Officer of the CSU System, SoGES acknowledges his commitment to CSU’s sustainability efforts and his many contributions to SoGES. Rick’s support of SoGES programs such as the Sustainability Leadership Fellows and Student Sustainability Center, and SoGES associated centers - The Africa Center, Global Biodiversity Center, and the Salazar Center for North American Conservation - have been fundamental to the progress of SoGES and sustainability at CSU. Thanks Rick!

SoGES Associate Director Peter Backlund co-authored a report that looked at the U.S. agricultural system and identified climate stresses. The report was published last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “We want to help farmers, ranchers and land managers adapt better under climate change, which requires understanding what is actually happening on the ground. These indicators offer ways to measure the impacts of change,” Peter said. LEARN MORE.

SoGES Director Diana Wall recently co-authored a paper published in Nature Communications that analyses global knowledge gaps in biodiversity across the lands of the world. The authors found that there is a high degree of soil biodiversity knowledge from temperate biomes, but that there is little data from these global "blindspots" such as tundra, flooded grasslands, and tropical biomes. The paper shows why “understanding if and to what extent biodiversity changes are happening in soil communities is of high importance."

Craig Starger, Future Earth Colorado Global Hub research enabling lead, co-authored an editorial introductory article in the new special issue of Coastal Management, focusing on ocean sustainability. "Humanity’s ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and remain within the limits of planetary boundaries will largely rely on our capacity to create new and mobilize existing knowledge-to-action through novel networking approaches." LEARN MORE.

Rob Jackson, chair of the SoGES External Advisory Board and Earth-systems researcher at Stanford University, was featured in Nature about two recent papers for which he was a co-author (learn more here and here). “People may joke, but cows and other ruminants burp as much methane as the oil and gas industry,” he said.

Kathleen Galvin, Assistant Director of Educational Programs and Curriculum Committee Chair at SoGES, Director of The Africa Center, and professor in the Department of Anthropology recently co-authored a paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology that shows how local knowledge can help manage ecosystems and wildlife. LEARN MORE.

Jan Leach, SoGES Executive Council member, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, has won the 2020 Award of Distinction from the American Phytophathological Society (APS). According to APS, this award is the highest honor bestowed by the organization and is presented on rare occasions to persons who have made truly exceptional contributions to plant pathology. Congratulations, Jan!

Ken Reardon, SoGES Executive Council member and professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering was featured in a Coloradoan article for his role in the development of a new, portable COVID-19 test. Ken is the Chief Science Officer of Quara, the company to which CSU researchers Brian Geiss, Chuck Henry, and David Dandy licensed their viral RNA-testing platform. LEARN MORE.

Future Earth is hosting a virtual workshop to help early career researchers from Africa better understand and apply for funding opportunities from the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action. Applications to attend the workshop are due Aug 17th.

LEARN MORE about the Belmont Forum funding opportunities for international networking activities on the Sustainable Development Goals.

With school just around the corner, check out this great resource from the Student Sustainability Center (SSC)! With support from SoGES, the SSC has created a digital, interactive planner with information about the many sustainability resources on campus and in the community. The planner was conceptualized by CSU alumna and former SSC Director, Olivia Bruce.

SoGES Lead Scientist Pat Keys returned for another visit to the the Columbia University Earth Institute's "Sustain What?" livestream broadcast series to add his expertise on Anthropocene risk to the conversation. The show discussed changing climate, migration, and how "ProPublica tries a novel mix of reporting and newsroom science to disentangle causes and effects." Learn more and watch the recorded livestream here.

Check out the latest episode of the SoGES SHH! Sustainability Happy Hour livestream where we chat with water education specialist, Julie Kallenberger, from the Colorado Water Center. Watch more episodes on the SoGES YouTube page and sign up to receive email updates, details, and reminders about upcoming broadcasts!

Online minor enrollment available - simply email the appropriate advisor. Visit the SoGES education and training webpage to learn more and download the minor course check sheets.

The Global Environmental Sustainability (GES) Minor offers undergraduate students in every department at CSU a curriculum that enhances their major with the core knowledge to address real world sustainability challenges and the tools to bring sustainability into their careers. To enroll, students must meet with GES Advisor Dale Lockwood (virtual appointments available). Email GESadvising@colostate.edu for more information.

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainable Energy (SEM) is jointly offered by the Energy Institute and SoGES. This minor offers undergraduate students, regardless of their major, an opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge of the many dimensions of sustainable energy. To enroll, students must meet with SEM advisor John Sheehan (virtual appointments available). Email Energy_Advising@colostate.edu for more information.

The Sustainable Water Interdisciplinary Minor (SWIM) is jointly offered by the Colorado Water Center and SoGES. This minor focuses on water issues from social, political, economic, and ecological perspectives. Students gain knowledge of the complexities of water management and its use. To enroll, students must meet with SWIM advisor Julie Kallenberger (virtual appointments available). Email Julie.Kallenberger@colostate.edu for more information.

The Role of Sustainability in Peace and Reconciliation Studies (SPRS) Interdisciplinary Minor is open to students who want to understand more about the philosophical roots of peace and reconciliation and its expression within various academic disciplines, research, and service. To enroll, students must meet with advisor Dale Lockwood (virtual appointments available). Email GESadvising@colostate.edu for more information.

PLUGGED IN: CSU's Sustainability Newsletter is distributed on the first Tuesday of each month. CLICK HERE to join our mailing list. Questions about this newsletter? Email micha.bennett@colostate.edu.