Megan Mullin

Rebuilding after fire requires community voices—but designing meaningful engagement processes is no easy task. We offer some guidance in this new report.

Sending best wishes to him and to you. 💜

Here is the formal letter the NIH sent today to UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk.

“These projects are fully reinstated, and the letter dated July 31, 2025 is rescinded without conditions. Funds will be made available immediately and are no longer suspended, terminated, or restricted.”

You know things are rough when the AAUP's advice on how to use social media is just "set all your accounts to private."

Come work with Rachit!

Despicable. Thank you and your students for this work.

Law Firm Pressures Brown University to Erase Research on Anti-Wind Groups

My lab's been attacked by an anti-wind group and their lawyers. They threatened the science funding of my whole university, to shut me and my undergraduate research assistants up.

NYT just covered it. 1/n

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/c...

Our team @luskininnovation.bsky.social brings the research power of #UCLA to confront climate change while improving people's lives. #ResearchPowersProgress

Hydrology Paper of the Day @gregspierce.bsky.social @edithdeguzman.bsky.social @mullinmeg.bsky.social on understanding the sociohydrology of wildfires in the Los Angeles area: impacts of climate change and water systems underdesigned for firefighting; urban expansion; and the need for resilience.

UCLA pennant, photo: David Esquivel

I moved to CA in 1994 as a 2x college dropout, lured by a university upholding access and excellence all at once. I returned two years ago for the very same reason; I couldn't stay away.

Californians, our public higher ed system is an unmatched gem. Please join in the fight to protect it.

Well this is screwed up in all kinds of ways. UCLA is home to substantial medical and policy innovation, and one of the two best public universities in America, which will be devastated. As a proud Bruin for my postdoc (and lifelong UC devotee), I am livid. And donating to UCLA. giveto.ucla.edu

Outsized rates of rising productivity in enviro/geo/materials science are yet more evidence of slower starts (but ultimately high rewards!) in interdisciplinary work.

Conspiracy theories thwart rebuilding plan after L.A. County wildfires After a social media firestorm based on misinformation, a proposal to create a new housing authority to help rebuild after January's wildfires fails to pass in the state Legislature.

Glad to see @liamjdillon.com set the record straight on a conversation that has such importance for LA fire survivors.

And for instructors everywhere, click thru for a textbook example of how innocent use of AI can feed misinformation.

The Trump Administration Wants to Shrink the Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Management. Do States Have the Fiscal Capacity to Weather the Storm? Taking on more disaster management responsibilities would be toughest for states at high risk of disasters with low fiscal capacity, such as Louisiana and North Carolina.

Whether we call it 'reforming' or 'eliminating' FEMA, the Trump Administration intends to shrink the role of the federal government in disaster management. Do states have the fiscal capacity to take on additional responsibilities? New analysis and state-by-state data:

www.urban.org/urban-wire/t...

A Celebration of Cool In conjunction with the Roots of Cool exhibition, celebrate shade throughout Los Angeles at A Celebration of Cool! Roots of Cool explores the topic of shade equity as installations throughout […]

Thrilled that the author of this provocative option piece @samkbloch.bsky.social will be on a panel to kick off A Celebration of Cool @descansogardens.bsky.social on Aug 2 at 10am. Moderated by @awalkerinla.bsky.social and part of the Roots of Cool exhibit. www.descansogardens.org/event/a-cele...

“There’s a lot of reasons to despair right now, but if we change our radio frequency a little bit, we can connect to a whole different feeling. We can actually create the city we want, in the neighborhoods that we deserve.” @edithdeguzman.bsky.social Go see this show if you can!

Mapping Shade: A New Lens on Heat Equity | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation New tool pinpoints where shade is lacking across 360- plus U.S. cities and town

Want to know how the tree canopy in your neighborhood compares to elsewhere? Or how shade corresponds to social vulnerabilities? Check out the amazing interactive national shade maps created by Kelly's team & @americanforests.bsky.social.

Opinion | In a Hotter World, We Need to Get Over Our Fear of Shadows

For more on shade & where you can (& can't) find it, see this NYTimes piece that features the work of Luskin Center Assoc Director Kelly Turner & her team.

A new art show brings L.A. climate inequities to life at Descanso Gardens "Roots of Cool" is an all-women art show focused on the role trees (and the shade they provide) play in making urban life healthier.

Photo above from LATimes coverage of the amazing Descanso Gardens art installation on shade created & curated by @edithdeguzman.bsky.social & Jolly de Guzman.

In a warming world, shade saves lives.

What provides shade where you live? Trees, tall buildings, rainbows of umbrellas floating up above you?

So proud of my UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation colleagues for their work to advance shade equity -- and shade beauty too. @luskininnovation.bsky.social

from apnews.com/article/cali...

As climate change keeps pushing wildfire into our cities, how will we respond & prepare?

We worked with research leaders & LA fire survivors to inform a plan for rebuilding that prioritizes resilience & community-centered recovery.

But plans are just paper or pixels unless leaders take action.

L.A. needs new authority to oversee rebuilding after firestorms, panel says An independent panel is urging California lawmakers to create a new authority to oversee rebuilding after the firestorms in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

With strong guidance, government can streamline rebuilding "that makes these communities more fire-safe, more climate-resilient,” says @mullinmeg.bsky.social, who led the UCLA team & spoke w/ @ianjames.bsky.social @latimes.com @uclasustainablela.bsky.social @uclalawemmett.bsky.social bit.ly/40grypH

L.A. needs new authority to oversee rebuilding after firestorms, panel says An independent panel is urging California lawmakers to create a new authority to oversee rebuilding after the firestorms in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

@mullinmeg.bsky.social: “We can make it as easy as possible for people to rebuild, but to rebuild in a way that will leave them more protected going forward.” www.latimes.com/environment/... @luskininnovation.bsky.social

Big release! UCLA Research Informing Resilient Rebuilding & the Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action & Fire-Safe Recovery Policy Recommendations. Civic leaders, fire survivors & 40+ scholars led by @mullinmeg.bsky.social @uclasustainablela.bsky.social @uclalawemmett.bsky.social bit.ly/3SYRTov

Supporting a Safe and Resilient LA Recovery

Out today: the final Blue Ribbon Commission report on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery as well as the backdrop UCLA Research Context and Considerations Report

sustainablela.ucla.edu/ResilientLA

Redefining expectations for urban water supply systems to fight wildfires - Nature Water Three major implications stemming from the water supply narratives around the Los Angeles fires have emerged: the need for greater infrastructure resilience, considering the uneven costs of new expect...

Out now! A Comment in Nature Water discusses major implications for water supply after the Los Angeles Fires
@gregspierce.bsky.social l @edithdeguzman.bsky.social @mullinmeg.bsky.social
👇
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

No, University Endowments Can’t Replace Federal Science Funding How Endowments Actually Work

There are so many reasons university endowments can't make up for the dramatic cuts the Trump administration has planned for science.

Here are a few. Thanks to @donmoyn.bsky.social for the platform.

After Wildfire: Migration and Neighborhood Change Post Disaster | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Join us for an engaging talk by Kathryn McConnell on how communities transform in the aftermath of wildfire events.

Join us Feb 20, 2:15-3:30 PM, for "After Wildfire: Migration & Neighborhood Change Post Disaster" with Kathryn McConnell. Explore how communities adapt post-wildfires, focusing on resilience, displacement, & urban change. Register now: innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/event/after-... #UCLA #UCLALuskin

FANTASTIC

ICPSR at U Mich is coordinating the archiving of at-risk federal data (all of it?)

You can upload data you have & search for data you don’t have

www.datalumos.org/datalumos/