Members of the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NC CASC) participated in CU Boulder’s inaugural Sustainability Research Summit, held October 8-9, 2026. The two-day event brought together researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas, strengthen collaborations, and explore solutions to environmental and societal challenges. NC CASC attendees included Heather Yocum, Jane Wolken, Hailey Robe, and Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña.

Heather Yocum, NC CASC’s Co-Director and Lead Social Scientist, organized a session titled Climate Adaptation Science: Advancing Sustainability at the Nexus of the Climate, Ecological, and Social Sciences, highlighting the center’s interdisciplinary research and its annual Rapid Climate Assessment Program (RCAP) graduate student program. RCAP students Tyler McIntosh, Elizabeth Woolner, Em Wright, and Kelsey Warren presented research on drought metrics, low-tech climate adaptation strategies, woody plant encroachment in prairie ecosystems, and decision-support tools for sagebrush landscapes. Their work demonstrated how collaborative research can help address the practical challenges facing natural resource managers. Ulyana Horodyskyj Peña, NC CASC’s Communications Lead, discussed approaches to communicating scientific research beyond academia, drawing on her work with RCAP students. She emphasized the importance of connecting scientific findings to people’s lives and helping them understand how research can inform the decisions they face.

Yocum also participated in Actionable Science: Connecting Sustainability Research with People and Decisions, a panel organized by Benét Duncan of Western Water Assessment. The discussion explored successes, challenges, and lessons learned in developing sustainability research in partnership with the people and organizations who use it. Both sessions highlighted NC CASC’s commitment to collaborative, actionable science that connects research with real-world climate adaptation needs.