Professors on the Frontline of the Academic Industrial Complex

Nature recently published a perspective "Has the ‘great resignation’ hit academia?"  In discussing faculty discontent with academia and shifting to "non-academic" jobs, one factoid they cite is "Forty-one per cent of mid-career researchers — compared with 32% of early-career scientists — reported that organizational politics or bureaucracy frequently or always frustrated their efforts to do a good job".  What is it about the corporate

Delta Science Governance Survey

This report summarizes the results from a survey of California Bay-Delta science enterprise stakeholders conducted in 2021 by researchers from the University of California-Davis, University of Colorado-Denver, and University of Arizona.  You can download the full report here.

The Great Disengagement: Has COVID Transformed the Culture of Higher Education?

In the global economy, COVID seems to have triggered the Great Resignation, which is a transformative event. A punctuated equilibrium. I think a similar phenomena might be happening in the culture of higher education, and I will name it: The Great Disengagement. What are it symptoms? What are its causes? What are its consequences? Is there a cure? I can only offer some speculations here but it think we need global reckoning in the entire higher education system.

What is Science Governance?

As a member of the Delta Science Program's Science Advisory Committe, I'm currently engaged in a planning process called the "Science Needs Assessment" (SNA).

CEPB on Black Lives Matter

The faculty, students, researchers, and staff of the UC Davis Center for Environmental Policy and Behavior stand in solidarity with the Black community. We condemn white supremacy, police brutality, and the politics of racism, fear, and hate. Black Lives Matter. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are the most recent illustrations of the systemic racism and injustice that permeate every aspect of our society--including academia.

Why Hamilton Matters for Polycentric Governance

Happy New Year 2020!  I went to San Francisco last weekend and saw the amazing musical Hamilton. You should definitely go!  I also spent half of Dec 31, 2019 editing a paper on the spread of conflict in polycentric governance systems, where we are particularly concerned about how conflict and cooperation within one policy forum may spread like a virus to other forums.  I think the idea of "seconds" in the duels performed in Hamilton, may help us think about conflict in polycentric systems, along with the role of "collaborative" governance.

Post-doc Position: Sea Level Rise Governance Networks

The UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy seeks a post-doctoral fellow in Governance Network Analysis and Climate Adaptation under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Lubell.  The position will be for one year residence with possible second year renewal depending on funding. The position will begin in January 2020, or as soon as possible after that time. Salary ranges from $50,760 to $59,100 annually depending on experience.

French Fries, Social Networks, and Climate Change

Did you know that french fries, climate change, and social networks are closely related? I just had to write about this fascinating story that I heard on NPR about potatoes in Idaho. "In all my years of raising potatoes and trying to squeeze in the harvest before the weather causes damage, this is the earliest we've seen a widespread frost of this magnitude," says the potato farmer being interviewed.

PG&E: Cause, or Symptom?

I woke up this morning in Davis, California to the sound of high winds and the taste of dry, brittle air. Neighboring communities in the Sierra foothills and various Western ranges are experiencing a planned power outage, as the investor-owned private utility PG&E shuts down their system in an attempt to avoid catastrophic wildfires like the Camp Fire.

Podcast: Environmental Justice and SGMA

Groundwater is a really important resource in California. It's depended on by many as a primary water source, and it's used as a backup water supply during droughts. Until recently, groundwater had no laws governing it's use. In 2014 California passed a set of laws to regulate the use of groundwater to help prevent overdraft. In this podcast, CEPB undergraduate researcher Evelyn Shu examines issues related to environmental justice in the context SGMA