Projects

quantifying the effects of soil microbes on california annual plant community dynamics

Quantifying the effects of soil microbes on California annual plant community dynamics

Awardee: Gaurav S. Kandlikar, PhD candidate and NSF Graduate Research fellow in Dr. Nathan Kraft’s plant community ecology group. Gaurav is deeply fascinated by the origins and consequences of diversity, and in his research he uses a combination of ecological theory, field experiments, and molecular techniques to study the ecological processes that help maintain plant species diversity, especially in southern California grasslands.

renewable energy: 2019-2020 focus

Renewable Energy: 2019-2020 Focus

Policymakers are pushing to not just increase integration of renewable energy, but to transform our energy systems into systems dominated by renewables at local, state, and national levels. LA’s Green…

air quality close to busy roadways

Air Quality Close to Busy Roadways

Heavily traveled roads present a unique challenge for air quality. Routine air quality measurement data (either from government sources or networks like Purple Air) can’t tell you if pollution from…

the circular economy: reduce, reuse and recycle

The Circular Economy: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

The circular economy has come to the foreground as a promising means through which to achieve sustainable development. Despite the wealth of literature and action plans centered around the circular…

california ecosystem futures: the future of california drought, fire, and forest dieback

California Ecosystem Futures: The Future of California Drought, Fire, and Forest Dieback

The Center for Climate Science is using climate, vegetation, and fire observations and models to answer critical questions for California's future: Under climate change, what will happen to forests? How will fire risk change? How will climate, forest, and fire changes interact with and exacerbate one another — and what can we do to prepare?