Featured Map
Spatial Footprint of the Transformation Network
This map shows the spatial footprint of Transformation Network, an innovative research project to which several GES faculty members contribute. Land cover in the Intermountain West is shown in the red, tan, and green shades. The colored polygons overlying the land cover data are the headwater basins where the research is focused. Major cities in the region are indicated with red stars, and the universities participating in the project are located with the graduation-hat symbols.
Several faculty members in Geography and Environmental Studies are partners in major research project to improve the resilience of landscapes across the western U.S. Professors Melinda Morgan, Marygold Walsh-Dilley, Yolanda Lin, and Benjamin Warner collaborate with other UNM researchers and colleagues at other institutions in Transformation Network (TN).
TN is a transdisciplinary research team representing diverse communities, sectors, disciplines, and backgrounds. The primary aim is to advance theory as well as applied knowledge of the dynamics, resilience, and trajectories of sustainable urban-rural systems. The researchers use these terms intentionally in convergent research that aims to tackle urgent problems of communities in the Intermountain West whose dependence upon headwaters puts them at risk in an increasingly arid climate.
TN is a partnership of researchers and stakeholders across the Intermountain West. The University of New Mexico (UNM) is the lead institution, with other participants including Colorado State University (CSU), the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University (NAU), Utah State University (USU) and Washington State University (WSU). Other partners include New Mexico State University (NMSU), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMT), as well as more than 50 partner organizations representing Tribal partners, governmental and non-governmental organizations, public utilities, conservation districts, irrigation districts, and municipalities. The TN is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Sustainable Regional Systems Program, which aims to support convergent research and education that will advance sustainable regional systems science, engineering, and education (NSF Grant Award #2115169).
For more information, contact Professor Melinda Morgan (mhbenson@unm.edu).
