Connie Woodhouse

I am a Professor in the School of Geography and Development, with joint appointments in the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and Geosciences, and faculty affiliations with Institute of the Environment, the Global Change Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, and the Arid Lands Resource Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program. Most of my research focuses on understanding the hydroclimate of the past to inform current environmental and societal concerns, with a focus on major watersheds in western North America.  While dendroclimatology is at the heart of my work, it inevitably extends to include the investigation and understanding of the current controls on hydroclimate.  A strong component is the connection between the scientific aspects of my work and the challenges of managing natural resources (especially water) in the face of changing demands, climate extremes, and climate change impacts.  A transdisciplinary approach to research has become a primary theme, including not only an interdisciplinary approach, but integrating the perspectives of potential users of scientific information – not as an afterthought, but as a part of the process of shaping a science agenda.  Finally, my research considers how we, as scientists, should take responsibility for our role in addressing  societal problems, and our role in educating the next generation of scientists in ways to promote the integration of science into decision making across a broad spectrum of users and decisions. Related to this, with a set of colleagues, I am in the process of developing a set of online professional development courses, the Transdisciplinary Environmental Science for Society (TESS) program.

For more information, visit my web page.