Food, Water, & Energy Resources

Policy Retreat – Group 1December 16, 2010

TALA AWADA, NATURAL RESOURCES KIMBERLY ESPY, OFFICE OF RESEARCH & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTCARRIE WIESE, OFFICE OF PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT

Breakout Questions:

1. What key policy issues should be the focus for a large interdisciplinary policy research effort? That is, what can we do by organizing collectively and developing interdisciplinary approaches than we cannot do alone?

2. What unique strengths does UNL posses that position us to address to these questions? Where do we have competitive advantages that set us apart from other universities?

3. What gaps do we need to fill to enable us to realize this vision? How do we fill them? (e.g., with whom can we partner? Are there specific hiring needs to enhance competitiveness?)

Interdisciplinary Policy Research Focus Issues:

Multidimensional, landscape (horizontal) and system (vertical) approaches to research and policy

Patenting of life forms (GMO) and implications on food security, and increased dependence on a few multinational corporations/resource intensiveness required to maintain such a system, and implications on sustainability

Interdisciplinary Policy Research Focus Issues (Cont.):

Implications of health policies on economics and food policies (relationship between obesity and economic status)

Discuss policies that impact public perception of water security and consider impacts downstream

UNL’s unique strengths/advantages: Capitalize on existing long-term research at

UNL to aid in policy making decisions

– Closed loop system at Mead for ethanol production (involves research in the areas of algae, production, sustainable energy, etc.)

– Sustainable use of NE aquifer, what have we learned and how can we help with national policies.

– Carbon sequestration experiment at Mead – unique in the sense that it is one of the few dealing with Ag landscape and crops

UNL’s unique strengths/advantages:

We’re small enough to bring together groups that can work across the differences in discipline, and set a standard/paradigm that can be employed in other venues

We have great strengths in landscape analysis in all levels, and are already developing interdisciplinary teams on these issues

Nebraska also has great interdisciplinary strength due to not-so-deep pockets of the private supporters (enables national competitiveness)

Gaps & How to address them:

Bridge the city and east campus, and find ways to involve faculty from both campuses (we’re in a great time for improved interaction between the city campus and east campus, and we need to take advantage of the opportunities (esp. as demonstrated by College of Arts and Sciences comments)

We don’t all talk the same languages, so we need to bring teams together to be more synergistic

Being proactive in forming teams to address current and emerging issues relating to research and policy

Gaps & How to address them (Cont.)

Engage faculty from the various disciplines including biology, physical science, and especially the social and cultural sciences. e.g., involve economists, lawyers, experts in policy, business and finance

How can we compete nationally

We need to be clear about what the terms “food, water, and energy” entail

Early engagement of social scientists so they can impact the way the policies are disseminated and observe population’s response

Gaps & How to address them (Cont.)

Public education, since they are the stewards and the drivers for many of these policies

Ambassadors (group visits to departments) / recruitment of faculty / data base development lead by the Offi ce of Research (small group discussions, collaborators..)