SOU, PSU collaborate on climate resilience

Southern Oregon University and Portland State University held a joint faculty workshop in Ashland last month that focused around water, fire, climate research, teaching and community engagement.

SOU and PSU both are well-known for their dedicated, community-engaged research and education in climate resilience and sustainability. To further develop collaborative opportunities in research and education, faculty studying climate and sustainability science at the two schools met and exchanged ideas during the SOU–PSU Climate Coalition Workshop in March. The in-depth discussion yielded potential research topics aligned with existing faculty strengths and societal needs.

Twelve SOU faculty members and students from the Environmental Science, Policy & Sustainability, Sociology & Anthropology, Communication, Education, Biology and Chemistry programs attended the event, and 18 PSU faculty and primarily graduate students attended – most from PSU’s School of Earth, Environment and Society.

The workshop explored areas of synergy and shared interests around teaching and research, with a focus on community-engaged research. Community partners from the Rogue River Watershed Council, Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District, The Nature Conservancy, City of Ashland, Medford Water Commission and Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative also participated in the multiday event. Those partnerships provided some grounding for the research collaborations, and also an opportunity to take two field trips to learn about river restoration (with the Rogue River Watershed Council), and fire management in the Rogue Valley (with the City of Ashland fire department and The Nature Conservancy).

Next steps for the SOU-PSU collaboration include a quarterly webinar series featuring faculty from each institution, pursuit of joint institution research funding proposals and exploration of shared opportunities for students.

The workshop was funded by the President’s Advisory Committee on University Relations Community Engagement Fund of the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Funding was obtained by SOU’s Jamie Trammell, Ph.D., and PSU’s Paul Loikith, Ph.D., and made available through Portland State’s membership in the UCAR consortium since 2024. Trammell and Hima Hassenruck-Gutipati, Ph.D. – both faculty members in the ESPS program – made up the planning committee at SOU.