Kauneckis to present at national American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting

Sat., Feb. 13, 2016 - Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs Associate Professor Derek Kauneckis will be a featured presenter at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting on Global Science Engagement in Washington, D.C. on Climate, Water and the American Farmer. Kauneckis is an expert on climate change adaptation and the intersection of science and policy and will present his conference paper titled Water Supplies, Human Decisions and Policy Institutions.

Water resources in the western United States have been critically affected by climate change, and Kauneckis’ presentation will focus on improving climate resilience for Native communities in the American west. Native communities are especially vulnerable to adaptation issues in the changing environment, and Kauneckis argues that finding resilient solutions for adapting to new conditions should be a major focus point for policymakers as they consider local economies, climate extremes and water rights.

Kauneckis is an affiliated research faculty member at the Desert Research Institute and focuses on climate adaptation, local governance of natural resources and strengthening community resilience. He teaches courses in public finance, sustainability assessment, innovation and the science policy, public policy analysis and climate change mitigation and adaptation policy. His work has been supported by Fulbright, the National Science Foundation, National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

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