Programs and Projects Current

Programs & Projects

Udall Center Programs

Image
A mosaic of book covers that came to be as a result of the Udall Center Fellows Program.

Udall Center Fellows Program

Since 1990, over 160 UArizona faculty members from more than 40 departments have been relieved of their teaching duties for a full semester to focus on public policy research. This work has resulted in dozens of books, academic papers, and new sources of project funding for those selected to serve as Udall Center Fellows.

Learn More

 

 

Image
The first cohort of Mo's Policy Scholars pose on the Udall Center steps with their mentors. All have their arms in the air in celebration.

Mo's Policy Scholars

Each year, select Udall Center faculty and staff pair up with undergraduate juniors and seniors to provide those students with hands-on experience working on real UArizona research projects and programs.

Learn More

The Udall Center’s mandate is to engage in applied research and outreach on public-policy topics relating to economic development, environment, tribal governance, public health, public lands, and energy transitions. Our work extends to such themes as social justice, gender equity, human well-being and quality of life, Indigenous entrepreneurship, and energy and renewables, as well as applied public policy, writ large. Our real-world public-policy orientation also is evident in our sustained institutional efforts on national immigration policy and our globally-recognized study of international and interjurisdictional borders, most particularly, the US-Mexico border. Sustaining international collaboration and policy engagement remains a hallmark of our applied public-policy programs. Additionally, over the past few years, we have pivoted strongly to include public-health policy with research outputs addressing food systems, water access, and tribal public-health laws.

Since 1995 we have worked in close partnership with the Udall Foundation, a federal agency, via a congressionally-defined relationship that includes provisions for a permanent annual funding mechanism that has provided major financial support. The Foundation has been instrumental in supporting our programs and is the co-creator, with the University, of our Native Nations Institute. The Udall Center enjoys both strong financial and robust programmatic relationships with the Foundation.

The results of our work have been broadly disseminated via a strong record of peer-reviewed publications, a host of influential white papers, frequent well-attended public forums, and exposure in media. The breadth of our public-policy engagements, accompanied by the exceptional success we have achieved in securing external funding for our applied policy work, has permitted us the flexibility necessary to move into new, mission-relevant policy areas as local, regional, national, and international needs dictate.

 

Image
Mexican free-tailed bats leaving their roost in a tree in California at sunset.

EMIGRA -- Especies Migratorias y Gobernanza de sus Ambientes

This project, led by Udall Center Research Professor Laura López-Hoffman with support from Research Director Jonathan Derbridge, aims to quantify the benefits provided to human beings by migratory species in their various habitats and use the information to guide species-specific conservation efforts across international borders.

Learn More

 

 

Image
The NEPAccess team work together while sitting around a long table in a well-lit conference room.

NEPAccess

The NEPAccess project, led by Udall Center Research Professor Laura López-Hoffman with support from Research Director Emily McGovern, involves creating a knowledge-discovery platform for finding and analyzing decades of applied science and records of public participation in U.S. environmental decision-making processes.

Learn More

 

 

Image
Greg Barron-Gafford, Andrea Gerlak and another researcher discuss agrivoltaics in front of a solar array at Biosphere 2.

Agrivoltaics: Innovations at the nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems

Former Udall Center Fellow Greg Barron-Gafford is working with Udall Center Director Andrea Gerlak and others to study how growing crops under solar panels can help increase crop yields and reduce water usage through funding from the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Agriculture, among others.

Learn More

 

Image
Aerial image of downtown Tucson in daylight.

Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory (SW-IFL)

Researchers from UArizona, ASU and NAU are examining the threats to urban areas in the Copper State posed by extreme heat during this five-year project funded by the Department of Energy. Udall Center Faculty Research Associate Ladd Keith is leading the research team at UArizona.

Learn More

 

 

Image
The semi-transparent silhouette of a young woman in front of a bright sun and city skyline.

Global Heat Health Information Network (GHHIN)

GHHIN is a group of global climate, health, and heat experts that are taking a critical look at how communities can mitigate and manage the inevitable increase in extreme heat events. Udall Center Affiliate Faculty Researcher Ladd Keith is a member of the GHHIN Management Committee.

Learn More

 

 

Image
Middle school students work to build an ocotillo out of colorful Kinex toys during a visit to UArizona in September 2023.

Sunnyside Middle School STEM Peer Mentoring

Udall Center Assistant Professor Adriana Zuniga-Teran joined up with Lauffer Middle School STEM teacher Jackie Nichols and nonprofit CommunityShare to design and implement a multi-tiered peer mentoring program for the 2023-24 school year.

Learn More

 

 

Image
Adriana Zuniga-Teran, Natasha Pauli and others sit at a long table with a red curtain during a panel presentation.

Shades of Urban Greening

Led by Assistant Professor Adriana Zuniga-Teran with support from colleagues at UArizona, the University of Western Australia, Northern Arizona University, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Tucson Water and the Sonoran Environmental Research Institute, this project aims to evaluate the landscaping preferences of people in dryland urban areas and examine the social, design and environmental impacts of plant foliage color in those areas.

Learn More

 

 

Image
An aerial view of the Colorado River, a blue-green ribbon snakes through red canyons.

Colorado River Governance

Led by Udall Center Director Andrea Gerlak, a team of researchers and collaborating organizations are monitoring the health of the Colorado River and the policies governing how the river’s water resources are managed and distributed to international stakeholders.

Learn More

 

 

Image
A person walks through the rain on the UArizona campus while holding a black umbrella.

Green Infrastructure for Cities

Our research team is working to help cities better utilize the renewable natural resources at their disposal in order to build a more resilient and sustainable future for all. We partner with schools, faith organizations, governments and more in our research and outreach in this area.

Information page forthcoming.

Native Nations Institute

Image
A piece of Indigenous art from northwestern North America.

Research and Policy Analysis

In conversations with NNI researchers, Indigenous leaders and managers often identify two types of resources necessary for effective policymaking: 1) reliable, rigorous analyses that provide evidence about new approaches to governance and development, and 2) written accounts of Native nations' successes in various policy-making arenas. These concerns are at the heart of the Native Nations Institute's research and policy analysis.

Learn More

 

 

Image
NNI Executive Director Joan Timeche address a crowd. A slide projected behind her reads "What characteristics make a good leader?"

Tribal and Direct Services

NNI provides specialized services to Native nations, organizations, and communities requesting assistance with issues ranging from constitutional reform and institution-building to strategic planning and economic development on a fee-for-service basis. Services are also provided to non-native professionals and professional entities looking to learn how to better partner with Native nations and Indigenous Peoples.

Learn More

 

 

Image
Professor Rob Williams teaches a course during January in Tucson 2023.

Education and Professional Development

Through a collaboration with the James E. Rogers College of Law Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program, NNI’s Indigenous Governance Program provides professional development, leadership training, and graduate education for anyone interested in a deep, practical understanding of Indigenous governance, law & policy.

Learn more

 

 

 

Image
Strings of multi-colored beads cover the left side of the image over a dark-red background.

Digital Resources

Engage with a curated library of more than 1600 resources in NNI’s Indigenous Governance Database or view a comprehensive set of tools on tribal constitution making and remaking in the Constitutions Resource Center.

Learn more

 

 

Visit the Native Nations Institute website

Collaborative Policy Programs

Image
Professor Rob Williams and IGP Manager Tory Fodder pose for a photo in the UArizona Law School lobby.

Indigenous Governance Program (IGP)

In partnership with the James E. Rogers College of Law Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program

In addition to NNI’s annual flagship masters-level learning event, January in Tucson, the IGP also offers a Master of Professional Studies, a Graduate Certificate and a Legal Continuing Education Certificate in Indigenous Governance.

Learn More

 

 

Image
Saguaros dot a Sonoran Desert landscape at sunset.

Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS)

In partnership with the Arizona Institute for Resilience

CCASS brings together a wealth of expertise at the University of Arizona to support sound management choices in the context of climate change, linking science, information needs of managers, and decision-making.

Learn More

 

 

Image
A modern windmill sits on a grassy hilltop near the coast at sunset.

NADBank and CECnet Mailing Lists

The Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy manages the mailing lists for the North American Development Bank (NADBank; formerly Border Environment Cooperation Commission [BECC]) and the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC).

Click here for directions on how to subscribe to news updates from these organizations.