Signature Areas

Transition of landscapes and the structures they support from wilderness to urbanization
Second Open Forum with keynote speaker Dr. Thomas J. Baerwald on April 29, 2010 in the Clearwater/Whitewater Room, Commons | For more information click on Learn More
The process of urbanization is one the most pressing problems facing the nation and world but is also among the least understood.
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Nexus of energy production and use, agriculture and the environment
Taken individually, these three areas represent some of the biggest challenges facing mankind. Yet, these three systems are so strongly coupled at their nexus through their reliance on finite resources...
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Real-time Evolution
All around us we can witness these changes occurring in real time. They threaten our way of life on many fronts from emerging diseases and parasites to natural selection of agricultural pests. Our drugs, vaccines and pesticides induce an arms race...
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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education
Broadly speaking this area will address student pipeline issues in K-20 as well as increasing the public’s awareness of science topics. Important aspects of this program will include interventions, research on teaching pedagogies and learning as well as assessment.
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Human Communities
Throughout time, the arts and humanities have fueled the human spirit, defining what it means to be human. They bring a unique set of knowledge and methods to understanding human nature, human experience, how people create...
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