The Wilkes Center

The Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy

Above: U President Taylor Randall with donor Clay Wilkes at the announcement of new center.

The geography that makes Utah unique—red rock deserts, greatest snow on Earth, cities amidst natural beauty—also makes us vulnerable to one of the biggest challenges of our time: climate change.

Climate change can drive or exacerbate severe drought, wildfires, air pollution, water scarcity, and disappearing snowpack. Luckily, the University of Utah has a deep pool of experts who use the campus location as a living laboratory to address these immense challenges.

A generous $20 million gift from Clay and Marie Wilkes will leverage the U’s location and interdisciplinary knowledge to create the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy. William (Bill) Anderegg, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, is the inaugural director of the Wilkes Center, which will be housed in the College of Science. Eventually, the Center will move to the new Applied Science Building currently under construction south of the Crocker Science Center in the soonto-be-retrofitted and augmented Stewart Building.

William "Bill" Anderegg

“One example that we’re getting off the ground quite quickly is the Great Salt Lake Strike Team,” says Anderegg of the Center and its myriad partners at the U, governmental and other higher education partners, “it’s a short-term, focused team to synthesize key areas about the threatened Great Salt Lake and what can be done about it, and to provide that information to the legislators before the next legislative session.”

Peter Trapa, Dean of the College of Science, which recently merged with the College of Mines & Earth Sciences, another critical partner in this venture says, “We envision that the Wilkes Center will distinguish itself as a partner, or in some cases, the go-to place for scientific information to advise decision-makers, especially in certain domains around air, fire, and water. The Wilkes Center will leverage Utah’s unique geography and its positioning on the front edge of climate change.”