WHAT WE DO

Dr. Tamara Wall is a research professor at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, NV and co-leads the Climate Center Group at DRI. Additionally, Dr. Wall is the deputy director of the Western Regional Climate Center. Dr. Wall has worked extensively with stakeholders in California, Nevada and other regions of the West in co-produced climate science projects for the last nine years. Her research focuses on qualitative and quantitative social science research in climate information use by stakeholders, evaluating co-produced climate science, understanding the process of climate information dissemination and utilization for climate resiliency and adaptation in natural resource management agencies, and public and agency use of fire weather forecasts and fire behavior/fire danger information. Recent work has focused on developing expertise in applying change theory and frameworks to better support mixed research/practitioner teams address the evolving dynamics between research, social processes, and climate change adaptation actions.

John Abatzoglou is a climatologist and faculty at the University of California, Merced. John’s research is focused on climate science and impacts in the American West. As part of CNAP John will focus on agricultural and water climate adaptation efforts for communities in the San Joaquin Valley as well as on improving climate fluency of community college students in central California.

Tarik Benmarhnia is an Associate Professor of Environmental Epidemiology at UCSD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. With his team, they use epidemiologic and causal inference methods to investigate how the environment and extreme weather events impact population health and environmental justice. As part of CNAP, Tarik Benmarhnia will focus on quantifying the health impacts associated with extreme heat and wildfire smoke and contribute to Southern Nevada Heat Resilience Lab (SNHRL).

Emma Frances Bloomfield is an environmental communication researcher at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who studies technical and public discourse about climate change. Her first book, Communication Strategies for Engaging Climate Skeptics: Religion and the Environment (Routledge, 2019), examined the intersection of Christianity and climate change in the United States. As part of CNAP, Bloomfield will assist in designing the Heat Lab’s messaging and work on the Adaptive Mind project.

Ariel Choinard is the Lead for the Southern Nevada Heat Resilience Lab and the Project Coordinator for the California Nevada Adaptations Program. She has a Master’s Degree in Urban Sustainability from AULA. She focuses on heat impacts, community engagement and heat adaptation.

Tom Corringham is a research economist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. His research is focused on understanding the economic impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. At CNAP he studies catastrophic floods, wildfires, water resources, agriculture, public health, and economics. A current project examines agricultural, water, and climate adaptation efforts in the San Joaquin Valley and seeks to improve the understanding and use of climate projections and information in community college courses in the Central Valley.

Lori Fulton is a visual science translator focused on developing visual media, such as infographics, diagrams, story boards and other messaging media, as well as reports for the California Nevada Adaptation Program (CNAP). Lori has 35+ years working in the graphic design industry and 13+ years designing scientific materials. As part of CNAP, she will focus on developing visual media materials, communicating science and research results to non-scientific communities.

Alexander (Sasha) Gershunov is a meteorologist and climatologist at Scripps. Sasha’s research focuses on interrelated aspects of weather, climate and society. His professional interests include understanding the links between regional weather extremes and large-scale climate variability and change. Sasha will contribute work on coastal flooding events, as well as expertise across other projects as needed.  

Derek Kauneckis is a policy analyst at the Desert Research Institute with research focused on resilience, adaptation planning, and innovation ecosystems. His work examines how information is used in local policy processes, the interface with emerging technologies, and incorporating decision sciences into policy design. As a member of the CNAP team, Derek will work on connecting research to implementation activities, building collaborative partnerships, and developing the Southern Nevada Urban Heat Lab.

Dan McEvoy is the Regional Climatologist for the Western Regional Climate Center and is a faculty member with the Desert Research Institute’s Division of Atmospheric Science. He holds a PhD in atmospheric science from the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. McEvoy primarily works on hydroclimatolgy research and data applications in the western US with a focus on drought monitoring, climate-wildfire connections, and subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction.

Josué Medellín-Azuara is an Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Merced. He is also an Associate Director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, and an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. His areas of expertise include the development of large-scale hydro-economic models for water supply, the economics of agricultural, environmental and urban water uses, adaptation to climate change, integrated water management, and consumptive water use. As part of CNAP Josué will focus on agricultural, climate, and groundwater relations in the San Joaquin Valley.

Susi Moser is an independent scholar and consultant whose work focuses on adaptation to climate change, science-policy interactions, climate change communication, and psycho-social resilience in the face of the traumatic and transformative challenges associated with climate change. As part of the CNAP project she is leading the work on the Adaptive Mind, which will deliver trainings for California and Nevada-based climate professionals – broadly writ – to build their skills and capacities to navigate the constant, often traumatic, and increasingly transformative changes that come with the climate crisis.

Jim Selgrath is a scientist previously involved in large animal reproductive manipulation and genetic engineering.  He has since become the owner/manager of his family’s cattle ranch and teaches agriculture business and animal science at Bakersfield College.  His role in the CNAP community will be to develop course materials for entering college students that interprets and explains data collected for dissemination.

Tina Anderson Smith evaluates, designs, and facilitates efforts to change complex systems at community, organizational, state and national levels.  She is an independent consultant who specializes in “realist” and developmental evaluation approaches, as well as systems thinking and adaptive learning. As part of CNAP, Tina will focus on continuous learning through evaluation and will support others in using emerging insights to make strategic decisions and maximize impact.

Yeongkwon Son is an environmental health scientist at the Desert Research Institute. His research here focuses on assessment of personal exposure to environmental pollutants and their potential adverse health impact. As part of CNAP, Son will assess compound heat and wildfire smoke risks under different ventilation methods in Northern Nevada and California to provide multidisciplinary mitigation approaches.

Kristin VanderMolen is an environmental anthropologist at the Desert Research Institute. Her research is focused on climate impacts and adaptation, hazard risk communication, and information and health equity. As part of CNAP, Kristin will collaborate on an interdisciplinary project that aims to help mitigate negative health outcomes in Northern Nevada and California households exposed to the compound events of heat and wildfire smoke.

Jorge Valero-Fandino is a PhD student at the University of California, Merced. His areas of expertise include hydraulics, surface and groundwater hydrology, simulation of aqueducts and sewer systems, watershed management, GIS, and geostatistics. As part of CNAP Jorge will focus on agricultural, climate, and groundwater relations in the Kern region.