Sarah Trainor

page last updated: 4 January 2013

Portrait of Sarah Trainor

Curriculum Vitae in PDF

Sarah Fleisher Trainor
Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy
Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning
Alaska Fire Science Consortium
University of Alaska, Fairbanks
3352 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709
(907) 474-7878 voice
sarah.trainor@alaska.edu

Professional Experience

  • Research Assistant Professor, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
    International Arctic Research Center (joint appointment with INE). 7/12 - present
    Institute of Northern Engineering (INE). 9/06 - present
    School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (joint appointment). 6/07 – 6/12
  • Director, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP), University of Alaska, Fairbanks (www.accap.uaf.edu). 10/11 – present.
    Funded by the NOAA Climate Program Office, ACCAP is one of eleven Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) Programs nation-wide. ACCP’s mission is to improve the link between climate science and society – not only through better communication of climate science, but also by partnering with stakeholder organizations so that scientific research is designed and conducted with a focus on the end-user and application.
  • Director, Alaska Fire Science Consortium, University of Alaska, Fairbanks (akfireconsortium.uaf.edu). 9/09 - present.
    The Alaska Fire Science Consortium is funded by the Joint Fire Sciences Program and is one of fourteen consortia nation-wide whose mission is to enhance the communication and application of fire science findings by developing a national network of regional science/management partnerships.
  • Stakeholder Liaison, Scenarios Network for Alaska & Arctic Planning (SNAP), University of Alaska, Fairbanks (www.snap.uaf.edu). 6/07 - present.
    SNAP is a collaborative network of the University of Alaska, state, federal, and local agencies, non-governmental organizations and industry partners with a mission to provide timely access to scenarios of future conditions in Alaska for more effective planning by decision-makers, communities, and industry.
  • Coordinator, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, University of Alaska, Fairbanks (www.accap.uaf.edu). 9/06 - 9/11.
  • Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. 10/03 - 9/06.
  • Associate Chair, Lecturer and Research Associate, Environmental Studies Program, The University of Chicago. 9/02 – 7/03.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Energy and Resources 2002. University of California, Berkeley: Berkeley, California
  • M.A. in Energy and Resources 1998. University of California, Berkeley: Berkeley, California
  • B.A. in Philosophy and Environmental Studies. Magna cum laude 1992. Mount Holyoke College: South Hadley, Massachusetts
  • International Honors Program: Global Ecology 1990-1991. Bard College: Annandale-on-Hudson, New York

Honors

  • Finalist, Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science (AAAS) 2011
  • Sustainability Award (Ecological Society of America) 2008
  • Phi Beta Kappa (inducted Mount Holyoke College) 1992
  • Sigma Xi, Scientific Honorary Society (inducted Mount Holyoke College) 1992

Research Interests

Communicating scientific information to inform planning and decision making in climate change adaptation and natural resource management. Human dimensions of global change in the arctic and northern latitudes. Interdisciplinary assessment of ecosystem services related to global change and mixed subsistence economies in rural Alaska. Vulnerability and adaptation of northern communities to climate change.

Funding Awards Granted

  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Preliminary Assessment for Vulnerability of Hydropower Production in Alaska to Climate Variability and Change: Best Practices for Communication and Application of Climate Science. PI: J. Cherry. Co-I: S.F. Trainor. 1 year. $75,002.
  • United States Department of Interior. 2012. Addressing Science and Planning Needs for Energy and Other Development Activities in Alaska. Special Project for the Interagency Working Group on Coordination of Domestic Energy Development and Permitting in Alaska. PI: S.F. Trainor, Co-I: T.S. Rupp. 1 year. $142,000.
  • Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research UAF. 2012. Quarterly Alaska Climate Seasonal Overview and Impacts. PI: S.F. Trainor, Co-I: J. Walsh. 1 year. $22,499.
  • Joint Fire Sciences Program. 2012. The Alaska Fire Science Consortium, Building Bridges Between Fire Scientists and Managers in Alaska. PI: S.F. Trainor. 3 years. $600,000.
  • Alaska Ocean Observing System, funding from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2012. Visualization Tools for the U.S. Arctic. PI: S.F.Trainor. Co-Is: J.Walsh, T.S. Rupp. 2-years. $125,000.
  • United States Geological Survey. 2011. Climate induced impacts and assessment in Alaska: partnership for National Climate Assessment, Alaska Region. PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-Is: J. Walsh, P. Loring. 1 year. $75,000
  • Alaska Ocean Observing System, funding from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2011. Sea Ice Atlas for Alaska. PI: J. Walsh, Co-I: S.F. Trainor. 2 years. $250,000
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Program Office, RISA Program. 2011. Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, Interactive Climate Science for Alaska. PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-Is: J.Walsh, T.S. Rupp, J. Mathis, P. Loring. 5 years. $3,500,000.
  • Joint Fire Sciences Program. 2011. Supplement Proposal: In a Time of Change: The Art of Fire, Promoting Collaboration between the Arts and Fire in Alaska, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-I: Mary Beth Leigh. 1 year. $22,220.
  • The Wilburforce Foundation. 2011. Climate Change Information, Analysis, and Capacity Building - Scenarios Network for Alaska, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-I: T.S. Rupp. 1 year. $60,000.
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Program Office, National Climate Assessment, 2010. Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) Regional Assessment Services: Assessing Stakeholder Capacity for Adaptation and Mitigation in Alaska, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-I: J. Walsh. 1 year. $330,000.
  • Joint Fire Sciences Program, 2010. Joint Fire Sciences Program Regional Consortia Evaluation. PI: L. Singletary. Co-Is: William Evans, S.F. Trainor, Toddi Steelman. 2 years. Joint Fire Science Program: Regional Consortia Evaluation. 2 years. $264,872.
  • Joint Fire Sciences Program 2010. Wildland Fire Science Delivery and Outreach in Alaska, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-I: T.S. Rupp. 2 years. $423,561.
  • The Wilburforce Foundation. 2009. Capacity Building in Climate Change Information and Application for the Alaska Arctic and Tongass National Forest, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-I: T.S. Rupp. 1 year. $59,998.
  • Joint Fire Sciences Program 2009. Wildland Fire Science Delivery and Outreach in Alaska, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-I: T.S. Rupp. 1 year. $159,000.
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Program Office, Coping with Drought Initiative, 2009. Evaluation of Fire Forecast Products to Enhance U.S. Drought Preparedness and Response, PI: Dan Furgeson Co-Is: T. Brown, G. Owen, P. Duffy, S.F. Trainor,. 1 year. $102,977.
  • U.S. Forest Service, 2009. Assessing the Impact of Climate Change in Alaska: Current Trends and Future Projections for Forests, PI: T.S. Rupp. Co-Is: T. Hollingsworth, S.F. Trainor, N. Fresco. 2-years. $80,000.
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Program Office, Coping with Drought Initiative, 2008. Improving Seasonal Fire Predications and Information Services in Alaska for Regional and National Fire Resource Planning, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-Is: P. Duffy, D. Ferguson. 2 years. $143,585.
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Program Office, Coping with Drought Initiative, 2008. Local and Indigenous Climate Knowledge Network: Addressing Drought Vulnerability and Adaptation, PI: S.F. Trainor. Co-Is: D. Ferguson, C. Anderson, G. Garfin. 1 year. $87,501.
  • UNFUNDED COLLABORATIONS:
  • National Science Foundation, 2012 (pending). Fostering climate-change adaptation in rural Alaska through boundary-spanning collaborations and knowledge-sharing networks. PI: F. S. Chapin, III. Co-Is: T. Brinkman, R. Bronen. Proposed member of the community engagement advisory group. ACCAP will collaborate with the Alaska Native Language Network (ANLN) to develop a cross-cultural learning network among Native communities and with communities and climate change scientists.
  • National Science Foundation, 2012 (pending). REU Site: Understanding Arctic as a System. PI: Vladimir Alexeev. Collaborate with team to mentor a summer student in science communication for policy and decision-making.
  • From Data to Knowledge in Climate Science, Adaptation, and Policy: A Case Study of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. Collaboration with S. Paquette, University of Maryland.

Professional Membership And Service

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Association of American Geographers

Publications

Journal Articles

  • Cochran, P., O. Huntington, C. Pungowiyi, S. Tom, F.S. Chapin III, H. P. Huntington, N. G. Maynard, S. F. Trainor. (In Review). "Indigenous Frameworks and Observations of Climate Change in Alaska." Climatic Change.
  • Hong, E., R. Perkins, S.F. Trainor. (In Review). Permafrost Settlement Hazard Related to Climate Warming in Alaska and Its Impact on Public Infrastructure. Arctic.
  • Kocher, S., E. Toman, S.F. Trainor, V. Wright, et al. (In Press, Expected Dec. 2012). Wildland Fire Science and Management in the U.S.: Spanning the Boundaries through the Regional Knowledge Exchange Network. Journal of Forestry.
  • Gamble, J.B, S. Trainor, N. Fresco (2011) Assisting Arctic Inhabitants in Responding to a Changing Climate. Rural Connections. Vo. 5, Issue 2, pp.40-44.
  • Díaz, S., F. Quétier, D. M. Cáceres, S. F. Trainor, N. Pérez-Harguindeguy, M. S. Bret-Harte, M. Peña-Claros, L. Poorter & B. Finnegan (2011) Linking functional diversity and social-actor strategies: a framework and tool for interdisciplinary analysis of ecosystem services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol. 108: No. 3, pp. 895-902.
  • J. Wolken, T.S. Rupp, T. Hollingsworth, S. F. Trainor, et. al. (2011) Evidence and implications of recent and projected climate change on Alaska’s forest ecosystems. Ecosphere. Vol. 2, Issue 11, art124.
  • S.F. Trainor, T.S Rupp, J. Barnes. (2010). Meeting Alaska’s Fire Science and Climate Information Needs for Forest Managers. Forest Wisdom. Issue 16. Fall/Winter 2011, pp. 4-5, 13.
  • S. F. Trainor, F. S. Chapin, III, A. D. McGuire, M. Calef, N. Fresco, M. Kwart, P. Duffy, A. L. Lovecraft, T. S. Rupp, L. DeWilde, O. Huntington, D. D. Natcher, 2009. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate-Related Fire Impacts in Rural and Urban Interior Alaska. Polar Research 28:100-118.
  • S. F. Trainor. 2008. Finding Common Ground: Moral Values and Cultural Identity in Early Conflict over the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Journal of Land, Resources, and Environmental Law. Volume 28: (2), 331-359.
  • F. S. Chapin III, S. F. Trainor, O. Huntington, A. L. Lovecraft, E. Zavaleta, D. C. Natcher, A. D. McGuire, J. Nelson, L. Ray, M. Calef, N. Fresco, H. Huntington, T. S. Rupp, L. DeWilde, R. Naylor, 2008. Increasing Wildfire in Alaska’s Boreal Forest: Causes, Consequences, and Pathways to Potential Solutions of a Wicked Problem, 58:531-540. Bioscience.
  • D.C. Natcher, O. Huntington, H. Huntington, F. S. Chapin III, S. Trainor and L. DeWilde, 2007. Notions of Time and Sentience: Methodological Considerations in Arctic Climate Change Research. Arctic Anthropology, Volume 44(2) : 115-129.
  • S. F. Trainor, F.S Chapin III, H.P. Huntington, G. Kofinas, D.C. Natcher. 2007. Arctic Climate Impacts: Environmental Injustice in Canada and the United States. Local Environments: International Journal of Justice and Sustainability. 12:6, 627-643.
  • Natcher, D. C., M. Calef, O. Huntington, S. Trainor, H. P. Huntington, L. DeWilde, S. Rupp and F. Stuart Chapin III 2007. Factors Contributing to the Cultural and Spatial Variability of Landscape Burning by Native Peoples of Interior Alaska. Ecology and Society 12 (1): 7. [online]URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol12/iss1/art7/
  • F. S. Chapin, III, A. L. Lovecraft, E. S. Zavaleta, J. Nelson, M. D. Robards, G. P. Kofinas, S. F. Trainor, G. Peterson, H. Huntington, R. L. Naylor, 2006. Policy Strategies to Address Sustainability of Alaskan Boreal Forests in Response to a Directionally Changing Climate. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103(45) (November 2006): 16637 – 16643.
  • H. P. Huntington, S. F. Trainor, D. C. Natcher, O. H. Huntington, L. DeWilde and F. Stuart Chapin III, 2006. The Significance of Context in Community-Based Research: Understanding Discussions about Wildfire in Huslia, Alaska. Ecology and Society 11 (1): 40. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art40/
  • F. S. Chapin, III, M. Robards, H. P. Huntington, J. F. Johnstone, S. F. Trainor, G. P. Kofinas, R. W. Ruess, N. Fresco, D. C. Natcher, T. N. Hollingsworth, and R. L. Naylor. Directional Changes in Ecological Communities and Social-Ecological Systems: A Framework for Prediction Based on Alaskan Examples, 2006. American Naturalist, 168 (S6): S36-S49.
  • S. F. Trainor, 2006. Realms of Value: Conflicting Natural Resource Values and Incommensurability. Environmental Values, 15: 3-29.
  • S. F. Trainor and R. B. Norgaard. (1999). Recreation Fees in the Context of Wilderness Values, Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration, 17 (3): 101-116.

Book Chapters

  • S.F. Trainor (2012). Confronting Climate Change: Leadership and Action in the Face of Scientific Uncertainty. Chapter in Environmental Leadership: A Reference Handbook. D. R. Gallagher, Editor. Sage Publications.
  • S. F. Trainor (In Press). Deeper Sense of Place for Indigenous and Western Science Partners in Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation in Alaska. In A Deeper Sense of Place: Stories and Journeys of Indigenous-Academic Collaboration, eds. J. Johnson & S. Larsen. Corvallis: Oregon State University Press.
  • S. F. Trainor, A. Godduhn, L. K. Duffy, F. S. Chapin III, D. C. Natcher, G. Kofinas, H. P. Huntington, (2009). Environmental Injustice in the Canadian Far North: Persistent Organic Pollutants and Arctic Climate Impacts. Chapter 8 in Concepts of Environmental Justice in Canada, U.B.C. Press. J. Agyeman, R. Haluza-Delay, P. Cole and P. O’Riley, Eds, pp. 144-162.
  • R. B. Norgaard, A. J. Scholz, and S. F. Trainor. (2001). “Values, Valuation, and Valuing Processes.” In Economic Growth and Valuation of the Environment, edited by Ekko van Ierland, Jan van der Straaten and Herman R. J. Vollebergh. Cheltenham, UK, Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 151-169.

Technical Reports

  • F.S. Chapin, III, Trainor, S.F. Contributing Lead Authors, Alaska and the Arctic Chapter. (Expected 2013) United States Global Change Research Program, National Climate Assessment 2013.
  • S.F. Trainor, Contributing Author. (Expected Spring 2013). Ecosystem Services, Existence Values. Huntington, H.P. Lead Author; The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment. The Arctic Council.
  • C.J. Markon, Trainor, S.F., Chapin, F.S., III, (2012) The United States National Climate Assessment—Alaska Technical Regional Report: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1379.
  • T. Brinkman, P. Duffy, S.F. Trainor, T.S. Rupp. Tongass Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Workshop Report. Report from workshop in Juneau, AK. May 2-3, 2012.
  • L. Krutikov, and S.F. Trainor, Andreassen, N., K. Itchoa. 2011. Snow, Ice and Permafrost Hazards: Research Needs and Opportunities. Report from June 2011 Workshop. Anchorage, AK: Cryosphere Hazards in Alaska.
  • J. E. Cherry, S. Walker, N. Fresco, S. F. Trainor, A. Tidwell. Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Hydropower In Southeast Alaska: Planning for a Robust Energy Future. November, 2010. Available on-line at: http://ine.uaf.edu/accap/documents/seak_report_final.pdf.
  • D. Atkinson. M. Black, J. Cherry, B. Connor, A. Elconin, J. B. Gamble, A. Holman, L. Hopkins, J. L. Hulsey, M. Lee, G. Magee, R. Pawlowski, R. Perkins, T. S. Rupp,W. Schnabel, S. F. Trainor, S. Weaver, R. Weis, D.White, X. Zhang. Decision-making for at-risk communities in a changing Climate. Prepared by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. Jan. 2010. Available on-line at: http://www.uaf.edu/accap/documents/DecisionMakingForCommunitiesAtRisk.pdf.
  • S. F. Trainor, Editor and Contributor. Interior Issues Council Climate Change Task Force Preliminary Vulnerability Assessment Report. January 10, 2010.
  • Contributor. A RISA community vision for future Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) efforts to match advances in climate impacts science with the needs of resource managers and planners. L.W. Binder and C. Simpson, Co-editors. July 2009.
  • S.F. Trainor, J.E. Walsh, G. Yu. 2009. Towards Predicting the Impact of Climate Change on Tourism: An Hourly Tourism Climate Index. Alaska Park Science, Proceedings of the Arctic Alaska Park Science Symposium Volume 8 (2): 106-109.

University Teaching

  • Ethics & Society (PS 300), Adjunct Faculty. Spring 2005. Political Science Department, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  • Environmental Philosophy and Ethics (ENST 280), Lecturer. Spring 2003. Environmental Studies Program, The University of Chicago
  • Environmental Policy and Decision-Making (ENST 247), Lecturer. Spring 2003 Environmental Studies Program, The University of Chicago
  • Environmental Philosophy and Ethics (ESPM 161), Graduate Student Instructor. Fall 200, Fall 1996 Environmental Science Policy and Management; University of California, Berkeley
  • Masters Seminar (ER 292), Graduate Student Instructor. Fall 2000 Energy and Resources Group; University of California, Berkeley
  • American Environmental and Cultural History (ESPM 160), Graduate Student Instructor. Fall 1999, Fall 1998. Environmental Science Policy and Management; University of California, Berkeley
  • Racism, Poverty and Environmental Justice (PHIL 77), Spring 1999. Teaching Assistant/ Service Learning Internship Coordinator, Ethics and Society Program; Stanford University