What We Do: Representative Projects

Catastrophic wildfire creates threats to safe and reliable drinking water, especially in the Pacific Northwest where fire activity has historically been limited. This USFS-funded project explores factors that influence the relationships between wildfire and drinking water from headwaters to water treatment facilities to help communities prepare and provide safe drinking water in the aftermath of wildfire.

WSU Units Involved: CEREO, SOE, CEE
Contact: Jennifer Adam (jcadam@wsu.edu)

Pathways is a novel international research for students program with engagement in headwater dependent systems research across the Transect of the Americas. The Pathways student experience is funded by NSF and includes a two-week Summer School in collaboration with our hosts at one Transect site, and a 2-4 month research experience with a host mentor at one of the Transect sites. The Pathways Program advances fundamental knowledge of socio-ecological systems.

WSU Units Involved: CEREO, CEE, SOE, IPO
Contact: Jan Boll (j.boll@wsu.edu)

The Intermountain West is facing a multiple pressing challenges related to wildfire, water, and sustainable agriculture. This NSF-funded project aims to bring together researchers and communities to create science-driven solutions that allow places and landscapes across our region to transform and thrive in changing conditions.

WSU Units involved: MCARE, CEE, CEREO, SOE, CSANR
Contact:Julie Padowski (julie.padowski@wsu.edu)

Wildfires create increased erosion and runoff of ash, sediment, and debris flows in rivers that communities use for drinking water. This NASA-funded project supports researchers and utility partners to work together to adapt the FireEarth research modeling framework into a decision support tool that can be used for preparing water utilities for wildfire impacts.

WSU Units Involved: CEREO, CEE, SOE
Contact: Julie Padowski (julie.padowski@wsu.edu)

In the Columbia River Basin, food, energy, and water issues revolve around the competition for limited surface water resources to sustain irrigated agriculture, hydropower generation, and in-stream flow requirements for endangered fish populations.  This NSF-funded project approaches problems to FEW issues in tour region  through a set of conceptual and biophysical regional models that focus on storage for a more resilient future.  

WSU Units Involved: CEREO, CEE, SOE, PPPA, BSYSE, SES, CSANR
Contact: Jennifer Adam (jcadam@wsu.edu)

This NSF-funded project developed a research coordination network to study the effects of climate change and population dynamics on water storage in headwater-dependent systems and downstream human development along a latitudinal Transect of the Americas. Research coordination focuses on three dominant headwater storage types from Canada to Chile: glaciers, seasonal snowpack, and rain-fed. This project includes coordination of researchers and practitioners capable of integrating new knowledge and communication with the people who can carry the work forward. 

WSU units Involved: CEE, CEREO, SOE, WRC
Contact: Jan Boll (j.boll@wsu.edu)

The FireEarth modeling framework leverages collaboration between scientists at the University of Idaho, Washington State University, University of California Merced, and the US Forest Service. FireEarth aims to improve our understanding of wildfire vulnerability across the Pacific Northwest so that communities can build resilience to future wildfires.

WSU units Involved: CEREO, SOE, CEE
Contact: Jennifer Adam (jcadam@wsu.edu)

Research that spans disciplinary and geographic divides is important for finding sustainable solutions to agricultural and environmental issues. This USDA-funded project supports  integrated Research, Extension, and Education (REE) teams towards developing  collaborative proposals that improve urban agriculture and food systems broadly, as well as work at the intersection of urban agriculture and food systems that operate in, near, or within urban settings.

WSU Units : CEREO, MCARE
Contact: Brad Gaolach (brad.gaolach@wsu.edu)