This month's 'Convo with Cantwell' looks at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference

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A discussion of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference will be the topic for the November "Convo with Cantwell," a monthly discussion hosted by Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell, senior vice president for research and innovation.

Panelists for the discussion, titled "COP26: What Happened and What it Means," include Andrew C. Comrie, professor and director of the School of Geography, Development and Environment, and Jennifer Verdolin, assistant professor of practice in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. Both traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the conference.

The discussion, billed as a fireside chat, will be held Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. Registration is now open. (Please note that registration is required for each monthly discussion.)

For those who missed it, last month's Convo featured a discussion on the future challenges of academic research computing. Panelists included Liesl Folks, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Barney Maccabe, director of the Computer Science and Mathematics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

One of the biggest challenges for the University, as pointed out by both Cantwell and Folks, is meeting the research computing needs of the many small organizations that make up the University. Meeting this challenge requires effective communications, training and accessible infrastructure as well as ensuring that computing tools and training are available to students.

Cantwell stressed that computing is ubiquitous, particularly in industry, so the University's pedagogy must prepare students for the workforce by giving undergraduates the access and tools they need to compete and succeed.

Maccabe discussed critical advances made in computing capabilities as well as the importance of virtual environments in enhancing security and managing protected information ­– particularly important in areas such as health care and national defense.

Folks gave an enthusiastic shoutout to University Libraries staff, saying they do the heroic work of staying on top of questions around organizing, collecting, searching and sharing data, as well as how we think about data.

The October discussion, and other previous discussions, are available on the RII website.

For additional information, contact the Office of Research, Innovation and Impact at research@arizona.edu.