The document summarizes a workshop on the food, energy, and water nexus held in Arizona. It discusses the challenges of drought, population growth, and increasing energy and food demands. The workshop brought together participants from academia, government, and business to foster collaboration and establish interdisciplinary approaches. It identified five themes: situational scarcity; new technologies; smart data and decision making; policy response; and regional test beds. The document highlights the University of Arizona's role in collaboratively addressing these issues through its research centers, facilities, and partnerships across disciplines and sectors.

1. Arizona, the living laboratory:
How Food, Energy & Water
converge in the Southwest
Enabling Resiliency in Food, Energy & Water
Systems for Society

2. Why are we here?
U.S.
Drought
Monitor
12.29.15
Intensity:
Abnormally
Dry
Moderate
Drought
Severe
Drought
Extreme
Drought
Exceptional
Drought
credit
Chris
Fenimore
–
NOAA
/
NESDIS
/
NCEI

3. Drought
• As of Dec. 2015, drought is impacting 77M people in the U.S.
• 97% of California’s $43B agricultural sector experienced severe,
extreme, or exceptional drought (3/15)
Population
• World population will increase by 1 billion people in 10 years
Energy
• EIA projects world energy consumption will increase 56% by 2040
Food
• How we will feed 9 Billion people by 2025
Why are we here?
Challenges

4. How do we do this?
Integrated solutions
& collaboration

5. Southern Arizona is faced with both significant
challenges at the FEW Nexus & unique opportunities
Arizona is the Living
Laboratory

6. What’s being done

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Academia, government & business members

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April 15–17, 2015 workshop among the first
of several NSF-sponsored discussions:
What’s being done - NSF/UA Workshop
1. Foster collaborations/build “networks
of experts” – organized responses and
perspectives to “situational scarcity”
2. Establish interdisciplinary, broad-based
approaches to scientific, technological,
societal challenges at the nexus of
energy, water, and food systems
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CHE-1539597. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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providing foundational knowledge that will
help direct future research and collaboration
between academia, industry & government
The workshop on the Food,
Energy & Water nexus resulted
in 5 specific themes

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1Situational scarcity
Food, energy, water and strategic
materials can and will be scarce in
localized regions & time periods
Optimal Results:
• Reductions in long-distance water transport
• Continued economic growth
What’s being done - 5 specific themes

11. 2New materials platforms & systems-
level technologies flexibly targeted:
• energy-efficient water reuse and purification
• distributed energy sources
• multi-analyte sensor platforms
Optimal Result:
• Safe and secure food, energy and water supplies
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3Smart data and decision-making
Measurement, analysis, & optimization
of chemical & physical parameters at
multiple scales. Models integrate
energy, water, and food systems
Optimal Results:
• Real-­‐time
responses
to
regional
scarcities
in
energy,
water,
and
food
to
assure
quality
of
life
• Tools
for
the
evaluation
of
new
technology
What’s being done - 5 specific themes

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4Policy Response & engagement
integration of new science/technology
with policy, decision-making, &
education; revitalization of local
community, workforce development
Optimal Results:
• Overcome
the
inertia
in
decision-­‐making
by
working
together
• Educate
the
public
and
decision-­‐makers
What’s being done - 5 specific themes

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5Regional Test Beds & Private
/ Public Partnerships
large enough to integrate new
technologies; small enough to make
credible & verifiable results possible
Optimal Results:
• Rapid
evaluation
of
new
technologies
• Speed
up
the
time
to
market
What’s being done - 5 specific themes

15. Why U of A

16. “Super” Land Grant University
• Medical & Law schools
• Public Health
• Colleges that work collaboratively to solve problems
- Agriculture
- Business
- Engineering
- Optics
- Science
- Social & Behavioral Science
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Why U of A

17. The daily living laboratory
The Yuma area produces about 90% of all the leafy
vegetables grown in the United States from
November – March. UA researchers work side-by-
side with Yuma officials to explore ways to enhance
agriculture in the area.

18. 19
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Why U of A - 6 ways we collaborate
1Biosphere 2
The Biosphere 2 is the world’s largest environment
laboratory. The Landscape Evolution Observatory, inside
B2, allows scientists to study how water moves through
controlled landscapes and how ecology and landscapes
co-evolve in one-million-kilogram experimental
structures.

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Why U of A - 6 ways we collaborate
2Solar Zone @ Tech Park
The Solar Zone at UA’s Tech Park is one of the nation's
premier research parks – a dynamic, interactive
community where innovators & business leaders meet
and technology giants work side by side. The park’s
campus encompasses 1,345 acres and 2 million square
feet of space for high-tech offices, R&D, and laboratory
facilities.

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Why U of A - 6 ways we collaborate
3WEST Center
Industry, academic and government researchers work
side-by-side at a plant scale facility located in the Pima
County Wastewater campus that helps to advance
sustainable water solutions – including research that can
one day lead to “toilet to tap” technology.

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Why U of A - 6 ways we collaborate
4BIO5
Hundreds of researchers from over 20 colleges and
departments across the UA work together at BIO5 to
perform innovative research that will improve health and
save lives. Working across disciplines to accelerate
commercial translation of research breakthroughs are the
core of BIO5’s mission.

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Why U of A - 6 ways we collaborate
5Institute of the Environment (IE)
IE coordinates and hosts interdisciplinary collaborative
research across colleges (300+ affiliated faculty) with a
commitment to connecting social, physical and applied
science to stakeholders. Focus areas include climate,
ecosystems, climate adaptation, environmental justice,
environmental health, tribal partnerships and the food,
water, energy nexus.

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Why U of A - 6 ways we collaborate
6Controlled Environment
Agriculture Center
Greenhouse technology helps the production of plants
and their products, such as vegetables and flowers,
inside structures such as greenhouses. Working with
County/State ag officers, researchers produce high value
crops at maximum productivity in an efficient and
environmentally friendly way. The center supports
education, research and extension/outreach.

24. Working together

25. Collaboration

26. Trans-disciplinary

27. Science Influencing Policy

28. Boundless Capacity
Formally
known
as
iPlant
Collaborative

29. Solutions for society

30. Thank you