Affiliate Program
An Affiliate of the South Central CASC is a person whose professional activity, including research or education, contributes to the goals and mission of the Center and who is actively engaging with the Center throughout the year.
Benefits of becoming an affiliate:
Opportunities to network with a multi-disciplinary group of regional climate adaptation leaders with an invitation to the annual South Central CASC Science Workshop.
A listing on our website with a description of research interests.
Potential for your work to be featured on our website, our social media outlets, and/or our monthly newsletter.
Science Advisory Committee
The purpose of the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) is to provide input to the CASC staff on annual funding priorities and on funding decisions about the resulting research proposals to the Director. For a complete list of the South Central CASC Science Advisory Committee, click the link.
Our Consortium
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Consortium.png)
The work of the South Central CASC is accomplished through a collaborative partnership among USGS scientists, resource management agencies, and a consortium of academic institutions from across the region. The South Central CASC is hosted by, and physically housed at, the University of Oklahoma (OU), where space is provided for university, tribal, and federal employees.
Our consortium has broad expertise in the physical, biological, natural, and social sciences to address impacts of climate change on land, water, fish and wildlife, ocean, coastal, and cultural resources. The academic consortium also includes six additional member institutions:
University of Oklahoma
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Renee-1.jpg)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Renee McPherson, University Director & Associate Professor
Area of Expertise: Regional/applied climatology, land/air vegetation interactions, meso-scale meteorology, observing systems
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Martin1-2.jpeg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Elinor Martin, Associate Professor
Area of Expertise: Precipitation variability, climate variability and change, climate model analysis
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/MarkShafer-2.jpeg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Mark Shafer, Associate Professor, Associate State Climatologist, & Associate Director, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program
Area of Expertise: Science policy and climate services
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Emma.jpg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Emma Kuster, University Assistant Director
Area of Expertise: Climate science and adaptation, climate education and outreach, stakeholder engagement
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/High-Res.-Picture-Berrien.png)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Berrien Moore III, Dean, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences
Area of Expertise: Global carbon cycle, satellite remote sensing
Louisiana State University
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/DElia-Chris-LSU.jpg)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Chris D’Elia, Professor, School of the Coast and Environment
Area of Expertise: Nutrient dynamics of estuaries and coral reefs, science policy
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Dr.-Kristine-DeLong.png)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Kristine DeLong, Associate Professor
Area of Expertise: Paleo-oceanography and paleo-climatology, past ocean coral reconstruction, global circulation and sea surface temperature shifts, coastal research
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Rivera-Monroy-Bio-v2.png)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Victor Rivera-Monroy, Assistant Professor
Area of Expertise: Estuarine & coastal ecosystems, landscape/ecosystem models, coastal management and aquaculture
Texas Tech University
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/John-Zak.jpg)
Principal Investigator
Dr. John Zak, Professor & Interim Chair, Biological Sciences
Area of Expertise: Microbial ecology in arid & semi-arid landscapes
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Natasja-van-Gestel.jpeg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Natasja van Gestel, Assistant Professor
Area of Expertise: Carbon cycle modeling, impact of climate change on microbial communities, citizen science
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Uddameri0317.jpg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Venkatesh Uddameri, Professor
Area of Expertise: Climate change, water resource management, water energy nexus, groundwater modeling
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Katharine-Hayhoe-1.jpg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Associate Professor
Area of Expertise: Atmospheric science, global modeling, greenhouse gas emissions, regional climate impacts, policy
Chickasaw Nation
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Jennie_Mosley-.jpg)
Principal Investigator
Jennie Mosely, Director of Land Sustainability and Services
Area of Expertise: Native Land Management and Protection
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Cook-Headshoot-2019.jpg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Amelia Cook, Sustainability Science Manager and Tribal Liaison
Area of Expertise: Science Education, Tribal Engagement
Choctaw Nation
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Tye-Baker.png)
Principal Investigator
Tye Baker, Sr. Director of Environmental Science
Area of Expertise: Tribal professional capacity building, water resources
Oklahoma State University
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Jim-Ansley.jpg)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Jim Ansley, Department Head of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
Area of Expertise: Rangeland vegetation ecology, woody plant encroachment.
University of New Mexico
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/renia_ehrenfeucht.jpg)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Renia Ehrenfeucht, Department Chair & Professor of Community & Regional Planning
Area of Expertise: Urban studies, adaptation & planning, policy
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Tsinnajinnie_Lani_smaller-copy.jpg)
Co-Principal Investigator
Lani Tsinnajinnie, Assistant professor
Area of Expertise: Mountain and watershed hydrology, impacts of climate change on mountainous water resources, watershed management and planning, water management in Indigenous communities
![](https://southcentralclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Fleck-at-Morelos-picture.jpg)
Co-Principal Investigator
John Fleck, Director of UNM’s Water Resource Program
Area of Expertise: Water resource management, planning and adaptation, science communications