Resilient Futures Podcast

After a decade working across the Southeast, Jordan Youngmann is seeing his hometown in upstate New York through fresh eyes–and his work is just warming up.

Pre-European colonization, forests looked very different: while many people think of this world as a "pristine" landscape, forest systems across North American were highly regulated by Indigenous groups. Today, these systems are largely fragmented by urban and agricultural spaces, but historically, they were managed by harnessing a force of nature: fire.

Many forest species are not only tolerant of burning, they're built for it. If these systems go too long without a cleansing fire, substances like dry leaf litter can build up, providing fuel to a much bigger fire.

As a wildlife biologist with the New York State Department of Wildlife Conservation, Youngmann is working to reintroduce prescribed fire for these ecosystems, helping protect the species that inhabit them. It's not just a path to conservation–it's a way for us to have a direct relationship with the land that supports us.

Jordan's Haiku:
Fire healing the land
old ways leading us forward
reciprocity

Links:
Jordan's bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-youngmann-49727b8b/
Savage State painting, Thomas Cole, 1834: https://explorethomascole.org/project/the-savage-state/
NYDEC Sustainability and Green Infrastructure Grant Proposals: https://dec.ny.gov/get-involved/grant-applications/wqip-program

This podcast comes to you from the University of Georgia, a campus that has stretched across the hills of Athens, Georgia since 1785. UGA is situated between the Upper and Middle Oconee Rivers, with tributary creeks flowing all across campus- even right under our football stadium!

This month, hosts Alysha and Todd are joined by fellow UGA colleague Zak Ruehman, Director of Engineering Services here at the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems. Zak's team recently wrapped up an exciting cross-campus collaboration: a flood risk assessment across UGA's campus that shows the places and buildings most at risk.

Keeping the Dawg Walk from becoming... a Doggie Paddle?

Zak's Haiku:
Preparation first
Absorb the punch gracefully
Ready to adapt
Links: 
Learn more about the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure's work: https://iris.uga.edu/

Patrick Keyser knows the grass may not always be greener--but there's still a lot to learn from it.

Since long before European colonization, grasslands have a rich history as one of North America's most diverse, resilient, and iconic landscapes. These  ecosystems are the epicenters of agriculture in the US, but native grass species are disappearing as introduced plants take over and land uses change. As a University of Tennessee professor and Director of the Center for Native Grasslands Management, Patrick spreads the gospel of grass.

This month, Patrick joins hosts Alysha and Todd to discuss the history of grasslands, explain the threats they're facing, and dispel some myths about whether you should add native grasses to your yard.

Links:
Patrick's book, Native Grass Forages for the Eastern US (get tips about implementing native grasses in your lawn!): https://nativegrasses.tennessee.edu/native-grass-forages/
Patrick's bio: https://utia.tennessee.edu/person/?id=6343
University of Tennessee Center for Native Grasslands Management: https://nativegrasses.tennessee.edu/

This month, Alysha Helmrich is our host and guest! This short episode discusses social-ecological-technological systems and sensemaking. She explores urban systems as SETS, positions SETS thinking for sensemaking, and identifies four modes of SETS to build requisite variety. To learn more, follow the links below!

Links:
Foundational reading on SETS: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2018EF000926
Main perspective discussed regarding SETS and sensemaking: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00120-1
SETS in Phoenix, AZ: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s43065-023-00085-6

Alysha's Haiku:
City not alone
Small decisions ripple wide
For the next design

In the face of immense global and national change, the world’s oldest engineering society is staying flexible.

The American Society for Civil Engineers President, Marsha Bomar, joins our host Alysha Helmrich to speak to the power of diverse perspectives in building the future’s infrastructure and the need for interdisciplinary teams in solving great challenges.

Alysha and Marsha also discuss the workforce shortage in the field of engineering, and how bright minds from all walks of life should consider stepping up to fill the gap. Finally, they cover the history of the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card, a data-driven report that the society delivers to each state on an annual basis, grading the state’s infrastructure on its current condition, future needs, operation and maintenance, public safety and resilience and innovation.

Tune in to learn more about ASCE’s bright, resilient future and ways to get involved!

Marsha's Haiku:
Trains race on steel tracks
Tires trace the open road
Water flows for life

Learn more about ASCE: https://www.asce.org/
Check out all the ways you can be a part of ASCE: https://www.asce.org/membership
Check out Cities of the Future in IMAX: https://www.asce.org/publications-and-news/civil-engineering-source/article/2024/02/16/a-cities-of-the-future-primer-everything-you-need-to-know-about-asces-new-movie
ASCE 2027: https://experience.asce.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23353598541&gbraid=0AAAAADhKo5K2trfb3rawiirtIdOXU3Pe4&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8p_v-oC0kgMV3DYIBR1xkTSnEAAYASAAEgJKpvD_BwE