January 20, 2021
As 2021 begins, Carol Barford, the director of the Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), is preparing for another busy year. As director of SAGE, Barford supports the ten core faculty and several staff members and students at SAGE who examine the connections between natural resources, technology, policy, human health, security, and changes in the global environment. While SAGE research spans many disciplines, Barford says all of their work ties back to the physical environment and its impact on humans.
“All of our research is connected, but it is also really diverse,” Barford said. “Because I’m a biogeochemist [who studies reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment], I see connections through fluxes of matter and energy, but whatever lens you use, you’ll find common threads.”
Barford shared that whether it is changes in air pollution, land use, nutrient cycles, or food production, research by all SAGE members is connected by its roots in the physical environment and the impacts of human activity. For example, Barford, who completed her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at Harvard University, has a background in carbon and nitrogen cycling and is currently working on research related to agriculture, food, and environmental quality. Meanwhile, 2017-2021 Gaylord Nelson Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies & Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Tracey Holloway works at the intersection of air quality, energy, climate, and public health. Associate professor of Geography Holly Gibbs focuses on understanding the effects of land use change around the world, particularly as it relates to tropical deforestation in Brazil and cropland expansion in the United States, while Chris Kucharik, professor of Agronomy and Environmental Studies, studies biogeochemical cycling and land management. Likewise, professor of Public Affairs Greg Nemet focuses on improving analysis of the global energy system, and Director of the Global Health Institute Jonathan Patz seeks to understand the health effects of global environmental change.
“I really am proud of the diversity of topics and the diversity of people at SAGE. We have faculty, staff and students from all over the world and a very strong cohort of women,” Barford said. “In fact, we just welcomed three new members: Grace Bulltail, Zuzana Burivalova, and Morgan Edwards. The three of them are doing things that no one at SAGE was doing when it started. And yet, their work ties into SAGE’s core goals.”
In particular, Nelson Institute assistant professor of Native American Environment, Health, and Community Grace Bulltail works to understand the intersection of watershed management and tribal sovereignty and joins colleagues in the School of Nursing and the School of Human Ecology in new efforts to collaborate with tribal communities and sovereign Native Nations on a variety of initiatives.
Assistant professor of Environmental Studies and Forest & Wildlife Ecology Zuzana Burivalova works to preserve biodiversity in tropical forests by studying soundscape, which is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. Using new tools such as bioacoustic recorders and collaborating with a team of statisticians, computer scientists, and engineers, Burivalova captures these sounds and then analyzes them to learn how species are impacted by human use of forests.
Meanwhile, assistant professor of Public Affairs Morgan Edwards is the newest member of SAGE but is already being recognized for her work to understand energy use and policy and the role that plays in climate change.
“SAGE is at an exciting stage,” Barford said. “Our members are strongly committed to their research and the things about the world that they hope they can improve, safeguard, or change. They’re ready to learn and adapt techniques to move forward on the research questions. I’m proud that research at SAGE is relatively question-driven.”
In addition to answering environmental questions through basic and applied research, SAGE core faculty are also contributing to the campus community and students through teaching and outreach.
“The main way that students participate at SAGE is by working on research projects with the faculty,” Barford said. “This is their training as scientists – everything from computation, to how to engage with stakeholders, how to write a proposal, how to interview, how to look for a job. It used to be about just the science, but more and more being a student at SAGE also means professional development. One of my goals is to make that a SAGE function, in addition to the faculty advisors.”
To further these teaching and outreach goals, all SAGE faculty engage with a variety of programs on and off campus. For example, SAGE member and associate professor of Environmental Studies Annemarie Schneider serves as program chair for the Nelson Institute Environmental Observation and Informatics (EOI) professional Master’s program. Through her research and expertise in geostatistical analysis and urban studies, she supports efforts to teach students about environmental conservation, remote sensing, and GIS informatics. SAGE member and associate professor of Forest Ecology & Environmental Studies Mutlu Ozdogan has also aided the Nelson Institute professional programs while using his remote sensing knowledge to study land use as well as better understand satellite observations through algorithm and model development. Additionally, Tracey Holloway is a leader in connecting advanced models and data with real-world decision-making and has led NASA’s national Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team (HAQAST) since 2016. She also serves as the Engagement Lead for the Nelson Institute Energy Analysis and Policy (EAP) graduate certificate program.
SAGE is also home to the Weston Roundtable, a weekly public lecture series hosted by Barford and made possible by a generous donation from UW-Madison alumnus Roy F. Weston. The lecture promotes understanding of sustainability science, engineering, and policy, through interactive lectures.
“One mode of contribution to campus and to greater Madison is the Weston Roundtable,” Barford said. “It happens every week during fall and spring terms, and a lot of different communities participate. It’s gratifying that we can interact with all of those communities.”
While SAGE is currently producing important research and contributing to campus outreach, Barford says she would like to see SAGE do even more in the future.
“We would love to have a center-wide research project at SAGE,” Barford said. “We’ve tried to get funding for that and have come close. But really, as SAGE director, my number one goal is to support the principal investigators and their research programs without getting in the way. Everyone is really busy and has other affiliations on campus, so it is a tricky balance to create value without creating a load at the same time. But, we like working together and our diverse expertise makes that easier. It keeps things fresh. SAGE is a very congenial environment.”