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The Planet Texas 2050 Symposium: Resilience Research in Action is a two‑day gathering that brings together researchers, artists, students, community leaders, and practitioners to highlight the work of PT2050 teams and to explore how Texans are responding to climate challenges in creative and practical ways. Through engaging talks, panels, and interactive sessions, participants will learn about projects that connect climate science, technology, art, and community knowledge to real‑world issues—from flooding and infrastructure to storytelling, culture, and care. Designed for both campus and community audiences, the symposium offers space to share ideas, build connections, and imagine a more resilient future for Texas and beyond.
From Data to Decisions: How Climate Resilience Informs Conversation, Preparedness, and Community Resilience
Panel discussion with Patrick Bixler, Ph.D., Marc Coudert, Tim Keitt, Ph.D., Dev Niyogi, Ph.D., and Adam Rabinowitz, Ph.D. Moderated by Oscar Ovanger, Ph.D.
Panel discussion with Kasey Faust, Ph.D., Pawel Misztal, Ph.D., and Tomislav Urban. Moderated by Lydia Fletcher.
Panel discussion with Katie Dawson, Maggie Hansen, Katherine Lieberknecht, Ph.D., and Francisco Guajardo, Ph.D. Moderated by Khristián Méndez Aguirre, Ph.D.
Walker Zupan, College of Fine Arts
August Aalto, Jackson School of Geosciences
Brian Stokes, College of Natural Sciences
Yueying Ma, School of Architecture
Amanda Pfeil, City of Austin
Landscape Architecture Studio (Surya Kolla & Emily Pace, School of Architecture)
Community & Regional Planning Practicum (Marquis Bell, Rodrigo Dias Lima, Mireya Estrada, Sierra Foster, Max Horstman, Sarah Kim, Karen Sarkis, Jonathan Silverman, Drew Weber, School of Architecture)
From Data to Decisions: How Climate Research Informs Conservation, Preparedness, and Community Resilience
In this session, PT2050 researchers will highlight several interdisciplinary projects demonstrating how geospatial analytics and AI can inform equitable, place-based climate decision making at the intersection of environmental risk, infrastructure, and cultural and ecological assets. Projects to be discussed include a prototype dashboard that assesses flood and wildfire risk for cultural heritage resources across Texas and a project using satellite imagery, drone data, LiDAR, and AI to assess the composition and health of Austin’s urban tree canopy—critical information for flood planning, wildfire mitigation, and infrastructure maintenance.
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Patrick Bixler, Ph.D., LBJ School of Public Affairs
Marc Coudert, City of Austin
Tim Keitt, Ph.D., College of Natural Sciences
Dev Niyogi, Ph.D., Jackson School of Geosciences; Cockrell School of Engineering
Adam Rabinowitz, Ph.D., College of Liberal Arts
Moderated by Oscar Ovanger, Ph.D., Jackson School of Geosciences
This panel showcases applied research and tool development connecting climate science, data infrastructure, and stakeholder decision making. Panelists from the decision-support office at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) and multiple research teams will discuss case studies demonstrating the ways that advanced data management and analytical tools have aided and accelerated research across the PT2050 ecosystem. Specific projects to be discussed address a range of pressing resilience challenges across Texas and beyond. TACC team members will also preview the Decision-Support Office DataX Computational Institute, where participants can learn how to use these tools to advance their own research.
Kasey Faust, Ph.D., Cockrell School of Engineering
Pawel Misztal, Ph.D., Cockrell School of Engineering
Tomislav Urban, Texas Advanced Computing Center
Moderated by Lydia Fletcher, Texas Advanced Computing Center
Since its inception, one of PT2050’s core values has been the co-design of research, strategies, and solutions with impacted communities and other non-academic partners. This panel features representatives from four PT2050 research teams discussing the epistemological necessity for community-engaged research and a variety of methodologies their teams have adopted. The conversation will be built around storytelling prompted by the idea of pivoting–specific moments where researchers shifted their approach to better serve both the research and the relationships that drive it.
Katie Dawson, College of Fine Arts
Maggie Hansen, School of Architecture
Katherine Lieberknecht, Ph.D., School of Architecture
Francisco Guajardo, Ph.D., Museum of South Texas History
Moderated by: Khristián Méndez Aguirre, Ph.D., School of Architecture
Scholars and practitioners whose work bridges research and community organizing examine how to navigate academic and governmental institutions while building community‑rooted power. The conversation explores how scholarship can remain accountable to community priorities and how organizing practices can reshape what knowledge is produced—and for whom. Designed as both analysis and invitation, the session highlights current organizing efforts and outlines concrete pathways for students, scholars, and community members to join in transformative, community‑driven work.
Rodrigo Leal, School of Architecture; Jackson School of Geosciences
Laurel Mei-Singh, Ph.D., College of Liberal Arts
Brion Oaks, Texas Campaign for the Environment
Celine Rendon, Land Justice Community School
Moderated by Pavithra Vasudevan, Ph.D., College of Liberal Arts
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This panel is co-sponsored by the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice.
Since its inception in 2017, Planet Texas 2050 has established a collaborative network of researchers and partners, and an interdisciplinary research agenda spanning a range of focal areas. To help shape the research agenda of the next phase of our evolution, we will support projects by UT principal investigators that build on prior and existing work of PT2050, as well as those that propose new lines of inquiry that produce, or support development of, new models and strategies for community and ecosystem resilience. Join us for a networking lunch to learn more about the seed funding framework, timeline, and eligibility criteria—you might meet a new collaborator!
This session unpacks how artistic practice and storytelling activate new forms of environmental and legal action. Bringing together artists, legal advocates, and scholars, this panel explores how creative and narrative approaches mobilize environmental practice and community action. Weaving together embodied performance and visual art, storytelling and legal practice, place-based inquiry and archival research, panelists reveal how artistic practice can shift perceptions, influence decision-makers, and deepen relationships between people and the landscapes they inhabit. This session highlights the transformative potential of narrative in both community advocacy and pedagogy, offering pathways for reimagining law, policy, and our collective responsibilities to each other and to the natural world.
Rosemary Candelario, Ph.D., College of Fine Arts
Kelly Haragan, J.D., School of Law
Will Wilson, College of Fine Arts
Moderated by Karen Engle, J.D., School of Law
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This panel is co-sponsored by the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice.
How to Grow the Cow Pea (And 40 Ways of Preparing It): Artistic and Ecological Pedagogies in PracticeÂ
This panel brings together curators, artists, and researchers to discuss the collaborative process behind How to Grow the Cow Pea (And 40 Ways of Preparing It), an interdisciplinary exhibition premiering at UT’s Visual Arts Center in September. Panelists will discuss how research and artistic practices intersect through shared tools, methods, and forms of knowledge building. The VAC and PT2050 have partnered to co-commission four new works as part of the exhibition, created by artists in collaboration with UT scholars. The conversation will explore how exhibitions can move beyond representation toward material transformation, community engagement, and futures grounded in care, stewardship, and collective imagination.
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Ana Chatham, Ph.D., UT Health San Antonio
Melissa Fandos, College of Fine Arts
Tim Keitt, Ph.D., College of Natural Sciences
Erika Mei Chua Holum, Dock Arts Centre
Mark Menjivar, Artist; UT San Antonio
Email pt2050@austin.utexas.edu and include your name, the nature of your request (sign language interpreter, alternative formats, etc.), and the session(s) that you plan to attend.
Please provide advanced notice of at least two (2) weeks to ensure arrangements are in place. Last-minute requests cannot be guaranteed, though attempts will always be made to secure services.
Parking is available for persons with disabilities in on-campus garages. Additional details can be found here.
