The University of Texas at Austin’s Bridging Barriers research grand challenges have demonstrated the value and impact made possible by interdisciplinary collaboration.

Every year, more people are being exposed to dangerous heat, with the elderly, outdoor workers and low-income communities often facing the gravest risks. To confront this escalating challenge, a diverse coalition of multidisciplinary teams at Planet Texas 2050 has launched several innovative projects.

ICYMI: Five Key Takeaways from the 2024 Planet Texas 2050 Symposium

Extreme heat poses significant challenges to communities across Texas, impacting public health, infrastructure, and ecosystems. On February 28, the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin hosted a panel discussion as part of the ongoing Planet Texas 2050 initiative, exploring interdisciplinary approaches to address the complexities of extreme heat in the state.

The University of Texas at Austin is welcomed visitors to campus for the solar eclipse on April 8. In addition to the distribution of free eclipse glasses, live music and events around campus, a unique comprehensive visual installation at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences was on display.

According to researchers from Yale, feelings of distress over living through climate change have soared in recent years. Last summer, many Central Texas farmers said they felt depressed over the shifts in weather in our area.

Pooja Tilvawala, the closing keynote speaker at this year’s Planet Texas 2050 Symposium, has emerged as a formidable leader and voice for young people around the world who are passionate about taking meaningful climate action. As the founder and director of Youth Climate Collaborative (YCC), she steers a global hub that offers tools and programs designed to empower young individuals and communities to find solutions rather than simply identifying the problems.

SETx-UIFL or Southeast Texas Urban Integrated Field Laboratory, is taking a bottomup and topdown approach through which they codevelop data and decisionmaking frameworks with stakeholders to aid community led development of equitable climate change adaptation strategies. Southeast Texas, as many areas across the Gulf Region and United States, is subject to acute on chronic stressor, where short extreme events, such as flooding, act in addition to chronic issues such as air pollution and heat.

The launch celebration for the opening of a new exhibition, "Looking to the Future: Youth Perspectives on the Environment" is scheduled for Wednesday, November 15th, at 6 p.m. at the Pharr Memorial Library in Pharr, Texas. The thought-provoking photovoice exhibit is presented by the Coalition for Youth, Health, and the Environment, in collaboration with Texas Children in Nature (TCiNN) and The University of Texas at Austin's Planet Texas 2050 (PT2050) grand challenge.

The winners of the inaugural Planet Texas 2050 + Humanities Institute Faculty Learning Community awards have been announced. Despite planning to select only five awardees for the inaugural cohort, the organizers received dozens of impressive applications, compelling program leaders to select six recipients for the full award as well as funding ten additional microgrants. The awards are the result of a recent open call that Planet Texas 2050 issued in partnership with the Humanities Institute to seed new collaborations with researchers from arts, design, and humanities.