To recognize the efforts of faculty who are working to support local and international communities, UCLA’s Office of Research & Creative Activities bestowed its inaugural Public Impact Research Awards on June 1.  

One of the award recipients was Alex Hall, a professor at the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Institute of the Environmental and Sustainability, and member of the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Faculty Advisory Cabinet. Hall was recognized for his work with Los Angeles water management agencies to help ensure the sustainability of water resources for the region. Additionally, Hall co-founded the Climate and Wildfire Institute to champion collaboration between scientists, stakeholders and policymakers in the use of quantitative data on wildfires to shape management efforts in the western United States. 

“We are in the midst of a sustainability crisis, and everyone must do their part to address it,” Hall said. “Nothing makes me happier than marshaling scientific resources to address some of the deepest sustainability challenges in California.” 

Dana Cuff, a professor of architecture and urban design at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, was also chosen to receive the award. Cuff is a member of the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge Faculty Advisory Cabinet and founding director of cityLAB — an award-winning research center that studies sustainable and inclusive architecture. Cuff’s work includes the creation of the BIHOME and BruinHub, which helped individuals support themselves through alternative housing. She also co-authored a 2016 bill to advance the implementation of backyard homes in suburbs, and is working on design and legislation for affordable housing to be co-located with public schools. 

“At one of the finest public universities in the world, cityLAB-UCLA and our students at architecture and urban design have the privileged platform to demonstrate how to build a socially just, sustainable future,” Cuff said. “I am committed to design research that brings those new possibilities to the public.” 

Learn more about Hall, Cuff, and other award recipients at UCLA Newsroom. 

Image Source: UCLA