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October 30th through November 7th marked the first annual Urban Stage on
Avenue J in Downtown Lubbock. The event was organized by David A.
Driskill, associate professor in the
College of Architecture at Texas Tech, as well as TTU’s UrbanTech. The goal of the Avenue J redesign, including the blocks between Broadway and Main
Street, is to show the community the potential for positive improvements in
Downtown Lubbock. Urban Stage integrates food, music, and aesthetics to encourage socialization and a walkable and/or bike-able environment connecting the art and theater district with the Depot district.
This event allowed Texas Tech architecture students to design a variety of temporary patios, light and seating installations, green spaces, etc., accompanied by a series of events to bring the community downtown. Major focus points for these installations were orientation relative to the sun and common weather, as well as surface cover to increase comfort. At the end of the event, all installations were taken down, but the goal is to gradually increase funding and participation from year to year and eventually allow for permanent installations to improve downtown.
All installations abided by the zoning bylaws of downtown. The vast majority of downtown is commercially-zoned, but there seems to be interest in the community to rezone, allowing for residential buildings and increasing walkability.
Throughout the week, researchers from Tech, including the CSC, were taking micrometeorological measurements about thermal comfort, human physiology, and walkability, as well as the benefits of increased usage of green spaces. Bike surveys were also taken by Healthy Lubbock to improve the area for bike riders.
Find UrbanTech at: http://www.tturbantech.org
http://www.facebook.com/TTUUrbanTech
Born   and   raised   in   India,   Dr.
Sharmistha   Swain   received   her   PhD   in
Geography   with   a   specialization   in
Geospatial   Sciences   from   the   University   of   Nebraska-­‐Lincoln.   She   worked   as   a   research   assistant   for   the   National
Drought   Mitigation   Center   following   her
PhD   and   joined   the   Climate   Science
Center   at   Texas   Tech   University   as   a   post-­‐doctoral  research  scientist.
Her  research  interests  lie  in  the  area  of   applied   climate   science,   climate   variability,   and   change   with   a   focus   on   use   of   remote   sensing   techniques   to   improve  the  understanding  of  impacts  of   climate   change.   Some   of   her   current   projects   focusing   on   our   South-­‐Central   regions   include:   identifying   local   and   large-­‐scale   forcing   of   drought,   and   analyzing   the   impacts   of   climate   change   on   vegetation   primary   productivity   and   wetland   connectivity.   Dr.   Swain   has   published   several   peer   reviewed   journal   articles  that  reflect  her  research  interests   in  climate  change.  In  her  spare  time  she   likes   to   spend   time   with   her   family   and   to  travel  and  explore  new  places.
Featured  Publication:  Hayhoe,  Katharine,  Stoner,  Anne,  Gelca,  Rodica.  “Climate  Change  Projections  and
Indicators  for  Delaware.”   ATMOS  Research  and  Consulting.
(2013):  1-­‐56.   http://goo.gl/aBUFW3

College  of  Architecture
Texas  Tech  University
“Autochthonous  Design”
Biological  Science
“Interactions  between  Microbes,
Climate,  Cotton  and  our  Ecosystems”
Lubbock  is  now  considered  on  multiple   lists  ranking  US  cities:  12 th  best  midsize   city  to  launch  a  business,  6 th  most   dangerous,  and  8 th  most  artery  clogging.
Current  zoning  restrictions  create  literal   divides  between  areas  and  only  make   these  conditions  more  extreme.  Divides   between  housing  and  commercial   development,  stifling  connectivity  while   living  “above”  nature.  Avenue  J  is  the   major  north-­‐south  road  connecting   different  districts  of  Lubbock.  For  this   reason,  it  is  the  focus  of  urban  redesign   and  rezoning  in  Lubbock  by  usage  of  color,   xeriscaping,  and  water  harvesting.
It  is  important  to  understand  the  effects  of   climate  change  and  human  activity  on  fungi   because  81-­‐96%  of  the  carbon  in  our   atmosphere  is  consumed  and  recycled  by   fungi  and  bacteria.  Dr.  Zak  began  work  in
1993  with  the  Pine  Canyon  Watershed
Program  examining  the  effect  on  fungi  of   increasing  precipitation  in  a  given  area  by
25%.  They  found  that  the  differences  are   more  intense  during  the  summer,  and  that   additional  human  impact  causes  substantial   soil  temperature  variability.  This  variability   has  direct  consequences  for  ecosystems,   and  the  magnitude  of  these  effects  is   caused  by  the  daily  temperature  range.
Coming  up  on  December  2nd:
Tim  Dallas  –   Electrical  and  Computer  Engineering
Sara  Spurgeon  –   English
Warren  Conway  –   Endowed  Chair  in  Wildlife  Management,  Natural  Resources
Management
•
Dr.  Hayhoe  named  to  Foreign  Policy  magazine’s  list  of  100  Leading  Global
Thinkers  under  the  category  “The  Naturals”:   http://goo.gl/bJQu00
•
Shanna  Padgham  presented  on  Recycling  in  Higher  Education  at  the
College  and  University  Recycling  Coalition  Annual  Meeting  in  Portland
Department  of  Political  Science
Texas  Tech  University
“Energy  Policy  and  Climate  Change”
The  four  primary  conditions  that  shape   energy  policy:  energy  markets,  energy   technology,  energy  law  &  regulation,  and   political  willpower.  Dr.  Forbis  stated  that   changing  our  dependency  from  fossil  fuels   to  renewables  will  require  complete  non-­‐ partisan  ideological  and  social  paradigm   shifts.  Going  forward,  we  also  must   examine  the  impacts  of  policy  decisions   on  reducing  dependencies  on  fossil  fuels   and  climate  change,  while  still  maintaining   a  supply  of  energy  that  will  allow  for   stable  pricing.  Solutions  include   infrastructure  changes,  additions  of   organic  communities,  and  landscaping.
The  high-­‐resolution  climate  projections   generated  by  the  TTU  CSC  are  now  online  as   part  of  the  USGS  GeoData  Portal.  They  can  be   used  to  make  interactive  climate  maps  of  a   host  of  variables  (shown:  days  per  year  with   maximum  temperatures  above  90°F)     http://goo.gl/OF49Ep
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