In this five-year project, Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) seeks to advance understanding of how socio-ecological systems can adapt sustainably to increased climate variability caused by a changing climate. This knowledge will be used to empower managers to effectively adapt socio-ecological systems to climate variability and educate Oklahomans about the expected consequences of regional environmental change. Three interlinked research focus areas are proposed to examine complex human, climate, and natural resource systems. These are: a socio-ecological observatory network; a socio-ecological forecasting system, and a decision support system. Each of the three components is linked with feedback loops, providing integration among the constituent parts. The major participants in this proposal are: Oklahoma State University (OSU), the University of Oklahoma (OU), the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation (SRNF), and the University of Tulsa (TU). OSU and OU are the state?s public Ph.D. granting institutions serving 23,500 and 22,600 students respectively , TU is a Ph.D. granting private institution serving approximately 4,000 students and SRNF is an independent non-profit institute that moves science and innovation from the laboratory to agricultural producers. The project also involves additional collaborations with Langston University (LU), a historically black university that serves 3,000 students, four tribal colleges, state and federal agencies/laboratories, and K-12 schools.
Intellectual Merit Oklahoma has been subject to many climate-related events that have caused significant economic hardship and damage. The proposed activities enable Oklahoma to examine socio-ecological feedback loops, to study the connections between different scales of analysis (e.g., community, landscape), and to consider whether proposed solutions for sustainability can be applied at levels where effective social or ecological changes can occur. Research activities support the development of decision support systems that provide information for stakeholders regarding their vulnerability and options to respond to an increasingly variable and changing climate. The majority of activities are focused on drought, complementing existing State activities within the areas of hydrology, ecology, and meteorological sciences.
Broader Impacts Oklahoma EPSCoR develops research and education activities to engage a wide number of constituents. STEM activities are directed at providing research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, STEM activity kits for girls through the girl scouts of America, and summer internships among other activities. Some of these activities specifically recruite females, Native Americans, and other minorities, while K-12 activities focus on rural populations. Education pedagogy specialists will assist K-12 teachers in translating thematic science content into classroom lessons that are shared virtually across the state. The Oklahoma EPSCoR website and social media are used to provide a clearinghouse for information such as climate-related brochures, videos, and classroom resources, event information, and funding opportunities. The activities particularly focus on engaging Native Americans in both research and education. Tribal liaisons (federal, state, and tribal employees) and anthropologists will be engaged to ensure that research questions are inclusive of the views and needs of tribal environmental specialists. The activities strengthen areas noted to be important within the State?s Science and Technology Plan such as workforce training and development in the areas of agriculture, climate change and social sciences.
