<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Dear all SPLS faculty members:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Karen asked me that I give a quick report to what SPLS Research Strategic Planning (RSP) Committee are doing. Some of the activities are in a short timeline and I am currently out of country traveling. So my apologies that I have to inform you via this brief email communication rather than more formal setting like our monthly faculty meeting.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b>Yuma trip. </b>Thank you for those who are able to participate the faculty Yuma trip. Special thanks for Kurt Nolte who generously hosted their participation in SW Ag Summit and Harvest Dinner. 12 faculty members could participate in this trip. On the second day we had a tour to YAC facilities, learning various projects and programs at YAC, and had a 2.5 hour long strategic planning meeting with YAC faculty members to strengthen the connection between YAC, MAC and Tucson. Ideas that were proposed include 1) building a more reliable communication infrastructure between YAC, MAC and campus. This infrastructure could be used for webinar, distance learning, and faculty meeting. 2) Promoting research collaborations. One idea was proposed by Rod Wing, to develop a phenotyping center (Green Super Crop center) connecting Tucson, Yuma and Maricopa, and well supported by the participants. A working group was formed with Rod Wing, Kart Nolte, Matt Jenks, and Chieri Kubota for further discussion. 3) Continuing this communication/interactions between YAC, MAC and Campus. We proposed that the next faculty trip would go to MAC (hosted by Sam Wang). RSP committee will work with Sam to plan such a trip in the near future. </span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b>New center proposal. </b>Responding to the recent call for proposal, RSP committee is currently building a 5-page proposal to submit to UA WEES program (www.wees.arizona.edu) to support establishing a new interdisciplinary research center that has been discussed in the RSP committee, based on our strategic plan (the goal #5). Barry Pryor is leading this proposal development together with RSP committee members and the center will focus on food/water, especially on crop improvement for the southwest US and for arid and semi-arid areas worldwide. The mission will include identifying traits valuable in plants for continued productivity in arid and semi-arid agroecosystems and move these into relevant agronomic crops; to enable plants to make the most efficient use of available water resource; to produce more food with less water. The new center would like to catalyze interdisciplinary collaborations across academic units. In next few days, Barry will be contacting various faculty members in our school as well as outside the school as we develop this proposal. We are working hard in a very short timeline (submission on March 25th) but the idea is to get this 3 year support to further develop the foundation of the new center. Once it is funded, I believe we will have more opportunity to have everyone participate in developing the center as an important research unit under SPLS. RSP committee is in communication with Karen S. and soon with Dean Burgess through Karen. </span></li></ul><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Best regards,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">Chieri</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span></div><div style="font-size: 14px; "><br></div><div style="font-size: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "></span></div></body></html>