Our Research: Climate Summit Posters

UC Davis is probing for climate change solutions on many fronts, offering hope for a greener, healthier tomorrow.

Hu Min from the China Sustainable Energy Program studies one of the UC Davis research posters in the lobby of the Mondavi Center during the Governors' Global Climate Summit 3.

The posters below, presented as PDFs, make this research accessible to everyone, regardless of whether you have a climate science background.

The posters debuted at the Governors' Global Climate Summit 3, held at UC Davis in November 2010.

Faculty, students and staff created the posters to showcase projects, programs, technologies and accomplishments in three broad areas:

• Energy
• Environmental sciences and stewardship
• Sustainable food and agriculture

Energy

• 

  Fueling with Renewable Energy

  Exploring ways for California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 using renewable energy, electric-drive vehicles and energy storage.

• 

  Modeling Nature’s Fuel Cell

  Using computers to model mitochondria — the natural fuel cells in our bodies — we hope to improve the design of artificial fuel cells.

• 

  Home Energy Conservation

  Getting the most out of Home Area Network Technology: How to discover what makes people conserve.

• 

  Ground Source Heat Pumps

  Using the Earth’s geothermal heat, we can heat and cool buildings while reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

• 

  Local Solutions, Global Results

  Designing and commercializing low-cost, clean and energy-efficient technologies to reduce poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.

• 

  Water, Energy and Ecosystems

  Assessing the vulnerability of the west slope of California’s Sierra Nevada to climate change and opportunities for adaptation

• 

  Shaping Careers in Energy

  UC Davis Extension’s energy programs give working professionals the knowledge to make a positive impact on climate change.

• 

  Lighting the Future

  The PIER Demonstrations program is a model for change through technology development and commercialization.

• 

  Harvesting Daylight

  Developing new technologies to maximize energy-efficient lighting for large retail buildings.

• 

  Bringing Daylight Indoors

  Collecting daylight for distribution to areas of a building where daylight typically is absent, reducing electricity consumption.

• 

  International Collaboration

  Scientists from Indonesia and U.S. preserve rainforest, develop new biofuels and discover new medicines with NIH-funded project.

• 

  Kids and Renewable Energy

  The RESOURCE program pairs UC Davis Ph.D. students with elementary school teachers to help create the next generation of climate change leaders.

• 

  Power From Plastics

  Lightweight, flexible, inexpensive solar panels made with conductive polymers can help access clean, renewable solar energy.

• 

  Recycling Carbon Dioxide

  Through the genetic modification of photosynthetic bacteria, carbon dioxide could be recycled into cleaner sources of fuel.

• 

  Managing Wind Energy

  The California Wind Energy Collaborative supports the development of sustainable and affordable wind generation capacity for California.

• 

  Road 'Diets'

  Local strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

• 

  Efficient Cooling in the West

  Supporting strategies that can significantly and cost-effectively reduce the impact of cooling systems on California’s electricity grid.

• 

  Better Rooftop Cooling Units

  The Western Cooling Challenge helps western states reduce greenhouse gases with high-efficiency rooftop cooling units.

Environmental sciences and stewardship

• 

  High Elevation Climate Change

  Evolution and migration may save wildflowers from extinction in warming mountain meadows.

• 

  Wastewater + Algae = Energy

  There are 1.8 million dairy cows in California. Using algae, we can treat dairy waste, produce energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• 

  The UC Davis Climate Action Plan

  The UC Davis Climate Action Plan is a roadmap towards a more sustainable future as UC Davis continues to develop.

• 

  Keeping Lake Tahoe Healthy

  Potential impact of climate change on water supply, the winter recreational sport industry and aquatic ecosystems at Lake Tahoe.

• 

  Agriculture and Climate Change

  Examining the role of agricultural management practices in the emission of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas.

• 

  How to Reduce GHG on Base

  Studying the personal transportation patterns of U.S. service members can help the Department of Defense reach climate change goals.

• 

  Climate Sentinel Stations

  Monitoring Earth’s atmosphere is crucial for early detection and better understanding of climate change.

• 

  Shaping Sustainability Careers

  UC Davis Extension’s sustainability programs give working professionals the knowledge to make a positive impact on climate change.

• 

  Salmon and Climate Change

  Climate change may cause the local extinction of Chinook salmon, but changes in water management may sustain salmon for decades longer.

• 

  Regional Focus, Global Impact

  San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science is an online scientific publication that provides a timely source of credible information on climate change and other critical California water issues.

• 

  Irrigation Management

  Efficient irrigation management practices are needed to meet the nation’s crop demands.

• 

  Carbon Storage

  Reducing atmospheric carbon and increasing resource and biodiversity value of natural habitats while building healthy, equitable communities.

• 

  Teaching Smart Gardening

  UC Davis Arboretum programs teach gardeners to plant sustainably to conserve water, support pollinators and reduce pollution.

• 

  Shellfish Affected by Ocean pH

  UC Davis’ Bodega Marine Laboratory studies changes in ocean chemistry that may threaten coastal shellfish in California.

• 

  Ag Strategies for Climate Change

  Local strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change in California: a case study from Yolo County.

• 

  Examining Water Scarcity

  California’s future climate will likely be warmer; researchers are investigating whether it will be wetter or drier and how the state can cope.

• 

  Heat and Farm Workers’ Health

  The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety looks at ways to reduce farm workers’ risk of heat related illnesses.

• 

  Extreme Air Pollution

  Climate change will cause air pollution events to become more extreme in Central California due to reduced wind speed.

• 

  China’s Water Needs

  China’s South-North Water Transfer Project could alleviate the water crisis in the North China Plain, but climate change could create problems.

• 

  Practicing Sustainable Design

  UC Davis students in the Sustainable Design studio course repurpose campus post-consumer waste and create saleable products.

• 

  Climate Science Outreach

  The John Muir Institute of the Environment communicates and translates climate science research beyond the university.

• 

  Green Technology Innovations

  The annual Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy is a springboard for moving green tech out of the lab and into the world.

• 

  Human Migration

  UC Davis’ Gifford Center for Population Studies seeks to understand the effects of environmental change on human mobility.

Sustainable food and agriculture

• 

  CO₂ Threatens Food Quality

  Rising CO₂ levels in the atmosphere inhibit nitrate assimilation into proteins in many crop plants, causing a decline in food quality.

• 

  Effects of Elevated CO₂ and O₃

  By understanding soil-plant-atmosphere interactions, global climate change and future plant nitrogen availability feedbacks are predictable.

• 

  Runoff and Climate Change

  Agricultural runoff in the San Joaquin Valley is significantly affected by changes in precipitation, temperature, and atmospheric CO₂ concentration.

• 

  Biochar and Climate Change

  What can the pyrolysis of agricultural wastes do to mitigate climate change?

• 

  Ozone and Soil Fertility

  Managing ozone is not only good for climate stability, but also for preserving soil and plant health.

• 

  Warming Threatens Tree Crops

  Better models of interactions between temperature and blossoming are necessary to create strategies for a resilient industry.

• 

  Climate, Cash and Cows

  Examining agriculture industry perspectives of climate change and the emissions trading scheme in New Zealand.

• 

  California Tomato Cropping

  Exploring the effect of improved agricultural techniques on N₂O emissions in California tomato cropping systems.