The Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon State Fire Marshal have convened a workgroup to discuss solutions for sustainable wildfire mitigation and suppression funding to address the growing wildfire crisis.The Oregon Legislature tasked the two agencies with establishing the workgroup through House Bill 5701 in the 2024 legislative session.My role is to connect the committee to research initiatives being carried out by universities, companies and nonprofits.

Working in University of British Columbia's Research and Innovation office, I helped build research partnerships with academic institutions, corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits across British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, as part of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor initiative. Focus areas include urban analytic/smart cities (https://www.cascadiadata.org/); wildfires (https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/cascadiawildfireandurbansmoke/home); and accessibility for people with disabilities. I also held a 4.5-year, half-time Visiting Professor position in UBC’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, subsequently converted to an ongoing role as Adjunct Professor of Geology.

Provide advice to early-stage companies addressing natural resource and climate challenges.

I currently serve on the National Advisory Board of KB Home, the 5th largest homebuilder in the U.S. KB has made great strides to incorporate sustainability principles into their homes, all of which are Energy Star and Water Sense compliant. They issue an annual Sustainability Report (http://www.kbhome.com/swf/document.pdf) and were recognized as the "greenest" commercial home builders in the U.S. by Calvert Investments over a several-year period.

Emeritus faculty member in Arizona State's unique School of Earth and Space Exploration, which I helped to form out of the former Department of Geological Sciences and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. My research interests in Sustainability overlap with Earth Sciences through natural hazards, renewable energy, and remote sensing. I have been active in various geoscience advisory roles, including serving on the Board of Advisors of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and as a representative on the U.S. National Committee for the International Union for Geological Sciences through the National Research Council.

The Center for Environmental Science Applications (CESA) promotes research that reconciles the needs of society with those of nature through projects involving urban systems, climate change, and sustainable technologies. CESA seeks solutions to sustainability challenges by linking ideas, people and resources, and leveraging collaborations among faculty of Arizona State University, Portland State University and global partners.

As a Foundation Professor and one of the founding faculty members in ASU's School of Sustainability, I worked on systems-level problems of urban sustainability, renewable energy, conservation biology, and natural hazards. I also developed and co-taught (with Sandy Askland from ASU's College of Law) courses on law and sustainability.

Reporting to Arizona State University's President Michael Crow, the Director of the Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS) coordinates all of ASU's sustainability initiatives and programs, including research/discovery, education, public outreach, and business practices.GIOS (http://sustainability.asu.edu) is a comprehensive research organization drawing on programs from across ASU with major emphases on rapid urbanization, water management, renewable energy, and the integration of science and policy.GIOS includes the world's first degree-granting School of Sustainability (http://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu). The School offers Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. degrees. ASU's (and the nation's) first graduate degree in Sustainability was conferred in December 2008.GIOS also includes the Decision Theater (http://dt.asu.edu), a visualization facility that bridges the university's science and technology expertise with the policy needs of the community, nation, and world.

Reporting to Arizona State University's President Michael Crow, the University Sustainability Officer (USO) works with the University Treasurer and other administrators to make sure that Arizona State University's business practices conform to the principles of sustainability. This includes oversight of energy consumption, water conservation, food services, purchasing, commuting, and recycling.

As a faculty member in the Geology Department (which later became the Department of Geological Sciences and then the School of Earth and Space Exploration), I have taught a number of different courses including volcanology, field geology, geological fluid mechanics, legal aspects of geology, and mineralogy. My geological research involved the application of physics, engineering, chemistry, and mathematics to problems in volcanology, planetary geology, sedimentology, and structural geology.

Responsible for all aspects of Arizona State University's research portfolio, including administration, economic development, program design, publicity, publications, and international collaborations, as well as oversight for interdisiciplinary institutes and centers dealing with biodesign, sustainability, religion and conflict, computer science and engineering, and renewable energy. Reported to University President Michael Crow and served in his cabinet as one of his chief strategists and advisors.

Oversaw the administration of research, including strategic initiatives, regulatory compliance, research publications, and technology transfer. Reported to University Provost Milton Glick and served as a member of his Deans' Council. Met goal set by President Lattie Coor of doubling university's external funding in five years (from $75M to $150M).

Served as Chairman of the Geology Department at Arizona State University from 1995-1997, Interim Chairman from 1990-1991, and Associate Chairman from 1993-1995. Led what was then the most research-active department at ASU, and oversaw the recruitment of five faculty hires at both junior and senior levels.

Working in the Planetary Geology Group headed by Ron Greeley, I made theoretical models and conducted laboratory simulations of impact cratering and lava flow processes, in order to interpret structures observed in images of other planetary bodies. The impact cratering experiments were carried out at the Vertical Gun Facility at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.

I chaired a committee of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on "The Social-Ecological Consequences of Future Wildfire in the West." We organized and then held a major conference in Irvine California in June 2024 (https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-social-ecological-consequences-of-future-wildfire-in-the-west-a-workshop). This work was sponsored by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The Digital City Testbed Center (DCTC) was one of PSU's two university research centers established in October 2018. DCTC created a network of academic, corporate and nonprofit campuses in the Cascadia region of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia where neighboring cities can test urban technological and policy innovation before these are deployed in neighborhoods and business districts. The five campus testbeds were those of PSU, UBC, Portland International Airport, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and the University of Washington. Areas of particular emphasis included accessibility for people with limited mobility, sight or hearing; public education about smart, resilient cities; ways technology can help make cities more resilient to climate change; and the use of digital technology to monitor the health of urban tree canopies.In 2023, the DCTC shifted its primary focus to natural and anthropomorphic hazards in cities, with a particular emphasis on wildfire, urban smoke and excess heat. We are also continuing to promote the use of new technologies to make cities more energy efficient, especially reservoir thermal energy storage applications of geothermal energy.

I served on the advisory board of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater Maryland. SERC focuses on terrestrial, estuarine and coastal ecosystems. PSU's Environmental Science and Management Department has been a collaborator with SERC's invasive species program. PSU's Earth, Environment and Society doctoral program also collaborates with SERC, primarily through senior scientist Greg Ruiz.

I was a member of OMSI's Property Development Committee, which helped to plan a 3M square foot mixed-use development on the land surrounding the museum, along the east bank of the Willamette River. One of the most exciting projects is the Center for Tribal Nations, being developed by several tribal groups in the Pacific Northwest. The development also seeks to be a showcase for sustainability, including closed-loop water, electricity, and wastewater systems.

I served on the Board of Trustees of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the leading scientific outreach institution in Oregon. I'm currently a member of OMSI's Property Development Committee, which is helping to plan a 3M square foot mixed-use development on the land surrounding the museum, along the east bank of the Willamette River.

I served on the Board of Trustees for the Oregon Chapter of The Nature Conservancy for ten years. In 2021 I co-founded (and still help lead) TNC's Trustee Scientist Network, which brings together scientists who serve on boards of trustees of state and country chapters from across the Conservancy. In quarterly meetings, we discuss different ways we can use our skills to help TNC staff fulfill their mission.

I was Director of the interdisciplinary PhD program for Portland State University's Geology, Geography, and Environmental Science and Management departments. We're currently revamping the program to focus on partnerships with outside science organizations, along with adding emphases on policy and emerging technologies.

I served as one of two dozen external members of the Advisory Board for the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. I was a member of the Science Committee and the Governance Committee. The Board meets twice a year in Washington, D.C. I’m still helping with the Museum’s conservation-oriented “Red Siskin Initiative,” which aims to restore an endangered South American finch, part of the Smithsonian's "Conservation Commons" initiative.

I led Portland State University's participation in several "smart city" and sustainability initiatives, in collaboration with the City of Portland and PSU's Institute for Sustainable Solutions. These included our participation in the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Smart City Challenge," where Portland was one of seven finalist cities out of 78 original applicants.

As part of the President's Executive Committee, I oversaw research administration, interdisciplinary project development, and management of external research partnerships for Portland State University. My major accomplishment was creating, with my staff, a first-class research administrative infrastructure to serve the faculty of PSU. I also led a multi-university data science initiative, involving Oregon State, Oregon Health and Science University, and University of Oregon. We obtained $2.2M from the Oregon legislature, part of which was used to hire Battelle Technology Partnership Practice to prepare a technology roadmap for Oregon (http://battellereportoregon.org). My staff and I also launched a quarterly research magazine, highlighting PSU faculty accomplishments. PSU currently has around $70M of annual research expenditures. Its strongest partnerships are with the Oregon Health and Science University, Intel Corporation, the City of Portland, and Portland General Electric.

I served as Director of Portland State's urban-oriented Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS), which also reported to my office as Vice President for Research and Strategic Partnerships. I worked closely with Assistant Director Fletcher Beaudoin and other staff, and led the search for a new Director, Robert Liberty, who took over in early 2016. ISS plays a major convening role for sustainability-related initiatives in Metro Portland.

I served on the Board of Oregon BEST (Built Environment and Sustainable Materials), one of Oregon's three Signature Research Centers. BEST is an independent nonprofit established by the Oregon Legislature, which builds on Oregon’s reputation as an international leader in cleantech innovation.

I represented Portland State University and higher education on the Board of Directors of Greater Portland Inc., a public and private sector economic development organization for the Greater Portland Metro region.

I served on the Board of Trustees for the Arizona Chapter of The Nature Conservancy from 2008 to 2013. I headed the Conservation and Public Policy committee. I am currently working with TNC's World Office to develop a network of Trustee scientists and am an advisor to the Oregon Chapter.

Served as one of Arizona State University's two board members for the Organization for Tropical Studies (www.ots.ac.cr)(OTS). OTS is a consortium of 63 universities and research institutes from the U.S., Latin America, and Australia that run research stations and offer courses on tropical biology and policy in Costa Rica.

I carried out laboratory simulations and numerical modeling of lava flow processes under controlled conditions. We applied these results to the interpretation of natural hazards, and the emplacement of lava flows in extra-terrestrial and submarine environments. During this period we also conducted field work at Merapi Volcano in Indonesia and Mount Unzen, Japan.

I ran the NSF's program focused on what rocks can tell us about the earth and its processes. This includes volcanoes, ore deposits, the planet's deep structure, and meteorites. I oversaw the review of 180 research proposals and an annual budget of $14M.

I carried out laboratory simulations and numerical modeling of lava flow processes.

As a Post-doc in the Applied Mathematics Department, I conducted field and theory-based studies of deformation in shallow marine sediments. With Ze'ev Reches, I did field work in the West Bank north of Jericho and in the Negev near Maktesh Ramon. Our results were published in the journal "Sedimentology" in 1983.