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‘OneClimate’ a Call to Arms

Fusing ٺƵ’ Collective Strength in Climate Science

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Ben Houlton at podium addresses audience
Ben Houlton, director of the John Muir Institute of the Environment, addresses the audience at a OneClimate event on March 13 at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. (Gregory Urquiaga/ٺƵ photo)

Throughout ٺƵ’ history, the university has brought scientists across disciplines to work together on the challenge of growing food. Now, Ben Houlton, director of the , is focusing his efforts on helping the campus apply that same collaborative know-how toward the problem of climate change.

He’s calling the effort “OneClimate,” and it’s a call to arms across campus to help create solutions to climate change, something he considers one of the most pressing and challenging problems of our time. 

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” — John Muir

“The foundation of what it means to be a society is being tinkered with through the effects of climate change,” Houlton said March 13 during a private event organized by JMIE and the ٺƵ Office of Research at the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco. “The opportunity to help nucleate this faculty around this issue is an outgrowth of the interdisciplinary DNA of ٺƵ and the John Muir Institute of the Environment. It’s who we are.”  

Collective strength

More than 200 ٺƵ scientists and supporters gathered at the OneClimate event to showcase the university’s collective strength in climate science research in the areas of science, engineering, art and design.

two men, augmented reality
ٺƵ research scientist Oliver Kreylos, left, helps journalist Tim Maly use virtual reality to “fly” over the Aliso Canyon methane leak. (Gregory Urquiaga/ٺƵ photo)

A variety of faculty-created exhibits peppered the event space. Guests learned about and in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta. They ate oysters and learned about . They used virtual reality to experience — as ٺƵ scientists did in actual reality — flying over the 2015 natural gas leak at Aliso Canyon and watching the methane levels spike. They learned about , used an interactive quiz to test their climate science knowledge, and more.  

female scientist and others
ٺƵ PhD candidate Sara Boles shows a baby red abalone to guests and describes how climate change is affecting abalone at a March 13 OneClimate event at San Francisco’s Exploratorium. (Gregory Urquiaga/ٺƵ photo)

, an assistant professor in the ٺƵ Department of Design, illustrated to tangible and graceful effect the university’s connections through an art installation. It featured threads extending from its center and tying to points around a circle representing different ٺƵ departments, colleges and centers that focus on climate science and the environment.

“We’re all in this together,” Houlton said, speaking of both the local and global community. “Some people talk of winners and losers. There are no winners and losers in this game. When people in Somalia can’t grow food, nobody wins.”

Media Resources

Kat Kerlin, ٺƵ News and Media Relations, 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu

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Secondary Categories

University Environment Food & Agriculture Science & Technology Society, Arts & Culture

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