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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">Dear Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">The University of Arizona’s Senior Vice President for Research Tom?s Diaz de la Rubia and Provost Patricia Prelock have identified Five “<a href="https://research.arizona.edu/strategic-research-initiatives?_gl=1*1lgcojx*_gcl_au*MTM0ODgyMDkzMS4xNzY0MDEzOTM5*_ga*ODI5MDYxMzExLjE3NjQwMTM5NDA.*_ga_7PV3540XS3*czE3NjQ5NzA3NjAkbzI2JGcxJHQxNzY0OTcwNzg1JGozNSRsMCRoMTE1MDUxNjMyOA..">Strategic
Research Initiatives</a>” that will guide investments in the UA’s research mission over at least the next five years. As some of you may be aware, the UA has been organizing “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Strategic
Forecasting</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">” sessions for each of the five initiatives, and these sessions and associated working groups have been facilitated by an external consulting team named
<a href="https://www.thinkenomics.com/">Thinkenomics</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">The Thinkenomics team has already facilitated strategic forecasting sessions pertaining to the first four pillars (</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Fusion,
Critical Minerals, AI and Health</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">, and
</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Space and National Security</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">), and they have also facilitated two groups within the fifth initiative, entitled “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Environmental
Systems, Arid Lands Agriculture and Water</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">”, wherein one group focused on “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Environment and Health</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">”
and the other on “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Water</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">”.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">This email pertains to an upcoming “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">kickoff</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">”
for a third forecasting process within the fifth initiative “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Environmental Systems, Arid Lands Agriculture and Water</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">”,
which will focus on “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Arid Lands Agriculture</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">”. While the upcoming process will come to identify particular areas
that we will emphasize for UA going forward, at this point, we define this term broadly to include all forms of Agricultural Ecosystems in the Southwest (irrigated agriculture, rangelands, livestock production systems, forestry, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">The “</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">kickoff</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">” workshop for the
“</span><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#0F4761">Arid Lands Agriculture</span></i><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">”</span><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"> theme will take place
on Monday, March 2 from 8 am -12 noon. This workshop will provide essential input to set the stage for a smaller working group to focus on developing a written document outlining UA’s strategic direction in this arena. Therefore, we would like to have an engaged
group of research faculty from CALES and other colleges who have an interest in the future of this field. Please participate to have your voice heard.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">It will be best to be present in-person, as the hybrid version of these workshops does not enable engagement remotely to the same extent as in-person participation does. We understand
that some of you are based off campus, but we encourage you to make the trip to Tucson for this meeting, as it will establish a vision for working group activities in this area.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">If you are interested in participating in this kickoff session on March 2, please send an email directly to
<a href="mailto:chorover@arizona.edu">chorover@arizona.edu</a>, so that we can get a head count of participants and add you to the list.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">Don’t reply to this email listserv</span></u><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"> but rather send your email of interest directly to
<a href="mailto:chorover@arizona.edu">chorover@arizona.edu</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><br>
Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761">Jon Chorover and Stephanie Slinski<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria Math",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">-----------------------------------</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">Jon Chorover<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">Associate Dean for Research<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences (CALES)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">Professor, Department of Environmental Science<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">University of Arizona<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">Tucson, AZ 85721<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">Phone: (520) 626-5635<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">Email: <a href="mailto:chorover@arizona.edu"><span style="color:#0F4761">chorover@arizona.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">I am on ancestral lands of the
</span></i><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761">Tohono O'odham and
<span style="background:white">Pascua Yaqui</span>.</span></i><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Cambria",serif;color:#0F4761"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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