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Dave White

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School of Community Resources & Development (CRD)
Deputy Director & Professor
Faculty, TEMPE Campus, Mailcode 5402
Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions
Deputy Director & Professor
Faculty, TEMPE Campus, Mailcode 5402
Sustainability Scientists and Scholars
Deputy Director & Professor
Faculty, TEMPE Campus, Mailcode 5402
School for the Future of Innovation in Society > Related Faculty
Professor
Faculty, TEMPE Campus, Mailcode 5402
Biography

Dave White joined Arizona State University in 2001. He is Deputy Director of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability in the Global Futures Laboratory, Director of the ASU Decision Center for a Desert City, and Professor in the School of Community Resources Development. White is internationally-recognized for his contributions to science in support of sustainability. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles advancing numerous fields including decision science, science and technology studies, sustainability science, and natural resources management. His work has also been covered in popular media including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio. 

Dr. White's research develops theory and methods to understand and enhance the positive societal impact of science for sustainability. He is committed use-inspired research with true global impact. White is an inaugural fellow of the PLuS Alliance, with joint appointments across ASU, Kings College London, and University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia. White was an inaugural fellow of the Global Security Initiative at ASU. He is a recipient of the President's Medal for Social Embeddedness from Arizona State University and the Celebrating Natural Resources Award from the University of Idaho. 

White is also a faculty affiliate in ASU's School of Sustainability, School of Public Affairs, School for the Future of Innovation and Society, Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, Center for Biodiversity Outcomes and Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems. .

Graduate Faculty: 

 

CV
Binary Data Curriculum Vitae
Education
  • Ph.D. Forestry, Virginia Tech
  • M.S. Resource Recreation and Tourism, University of Idaho 
  • B.A. History, George Mason University 
Videos
Research Website
https://sustainability.asu.edu/dcdc/
Google Scholar
Google Scholar Profile
Research Interests

The overarching goal of my scholarship is to create knowledge that advances scientific understanding of how people relate to the natural environment and also empowers individuals, communities, and institutions to make better decisions about natural resources.  The broader impact of my work lies in developing theory and methods for linking knowledge to action for sustainable resource management.

My research with the ASU Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) has developed and studied processes, outcomes, and institutional forms of boundary organizations for the co-production of knowledge and decisions; identified divergent perspectives between stakeholder groups at the science-policy nexus; and tested competing methods for gathering information on sensitive topics from decision makers.  This work has contributed to the development and refinement of new tools and techniques for collaborative environmental decision making such as the DCDC WaterSim model.

My research in the area of public understanding of science examines how individuals actively construct and strategically employ available cultural notions of science to explain the relations between citizens, science, and resource policy in democratic process.  This work unites framing analysis and discourse analysis to examine the meso-level discursive strategies used by policy actors to build support for their preferred outcomes, undermine the positions of competing actors, and depict the issues surrounding resource management.  The broader impact of this work comes from the implications for improving policy deliberations for collaborative environmental management.

I also conduct research is to further our understanding of human-environment interactions in America’s National Parks and other conservation areas.  In this work, I employ social-psychological theories and both quantitative and qualitative techniques to understand cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions of human experiences in natural and cultural landscapes.

Publications

Hondula, D. M., Sabo, J. L., Quay, R., Chester, M., Georgescu, M., Grimm, N. B., ... & White, D. (2019). Cities of the Southwest are testbeds for urban resilience. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 17(2), 79-80.https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.2005 

Sullivan, A., & White, D. D. (2019). An assessment of public perceptions of climate change risk in three western US cities. Weather, Climate, and Society, 11(2), 449-463. https://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/full/10.1175/WCAS-D-18-0068.1 

Sullivan, A., White, D. D., & Hanemann, M. (2019). Designing collaborative governance: Insights from the drought contingency planning process for the lower Colorado River basin. Environmental Science & Policy, 91, 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.10.011 

Rice, J., Stotts, R., Wutich, A., White, D., Maupin, J., & Brewis, A. (2018). Motivators for treated wastewater acceptance across developed and developing contexts. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2018.285 

White, D. D., Lawless, K. L., Vivoni, E. R., Mascaro, G., Pahle, R., Kumar, I., ... & Asfora, M. (2018). Co‐Producing interdisciplinary knowledge and action for sustainable water governance: Lessons from the development of a water resources decision support system in Pernambuco, Brazil. Global Challenges, 1800012. https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.201800012 

Bohn, T. J., Vivoni, E. R., Mascaro, G., & White, D. D. (2018). Land and water use changes in the US–Mexico border region, 1992–2011. Environmental Research Letters, 13(11), 114005. http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aae53e/meta  

du Bray, M., Wutich, A., Larson, K. L., White, D. D., Brewis, A. (2018). Anger and sadness: Gendered emotional responses to climate threats in four island nations. Cross-Cultural Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397118759252

White, D. D., Jones, J. L., Maciejewski, R., Aggarwal, R., & Mascaro, G. (2017). Stakeholder Analysis for the Food-Energy-Water Nexus in Phoenix, Arizona: Implications for Nexus Governance. Sustainability, 9(12), 2204. http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/12/2204

Werth, S., White, D., & Bliss, D. W. (2017). GRACE Detected Rise of Groundwater in the Sahelian Niger River Basin. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017JB014845/full 

du Bray, M. V., Wutich, A., Larson, K. L., White, D. D., & Brewis, A. (2017). Emotion, Coping, and Climate Change in Island Nations: Implications for Environmental Justice. Environmental Justice, 10(4), 102-107. http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/env.2016.0025

Sullivan, A., White, D. D., Larson, K. L., & Wutich, A. (2017). Towards Water Sensitive Cities in the Colorado River Basin: A Comparative Historical Analysis to Inform Future Urban Water Sustainability Transitions. Sustainability, 9(5), 761. http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/5/761/htm

Sullivan, A., York, A., White, D., Hall, S., & Yabiku, S. (2017). De jure versus de facto institutions: trust, information, and collective efforts to manage the invasive mile-a-minute weed (Mikania micrantha). International Journal of the Commons, 11(1). https://www.thecommonsjournal.org/articles/10.18352/ijc.676/print/

Gober, P., White, D. D., Quay, R., Sampson, D. A., & Kirkwood, C. W. (2017). Socio-hydrology modelling for an uncertain future, with examples from the USA and Canada. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 408(1), 183-199. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP408.2

Rice, J., Wutich, A., White, D. D., & Westerhoff, P. (2016). Comparing Actual De Facto Wastewater Reuse and its Public Acceptability: A Three City Case Study. Sustainable Cities and Society. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2016.06.007

Gober, P., Sampson, D. A., Quay, R., White, D. D., & Chow, W. T. (2016). Urban adaptation to mega-drought: Anticipatory water modeling, policy, and planning for the urban Southwest. Sustainable Cities and Society, 27, 497-504. doi:10.1016/j.scs.2016.05.001

Larson, K. L., Stotts, R., Wutich, A., Brewis, A., & White, D. (2016). Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Water Risks and Solutions Across Select Sites. Society & Natural Resources, 29(9), 1049-1064. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08941920.2015.1122132 

Moreno, H. A., Gupta, H. V., White, D. D., & Sampson, D. A. (2016). Modeling the distributed effects of forest thinning on the long-term water balance and streamflow extremes for a semi-arid basin in the southwestern US. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 20(3), 1241-1267. doi:10.5194/hess-20-1241-2016  

Sampson, D., Quay, R., & White, D. D. (2016). Anticipatory modeling for water supply sustainability in Phoenix, Arizona. Environmental Science & Policy, 55, 36-46. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2015.08.014

Mascaro, G., White, D. D., Westerhoff, P., and Bliss, N. (2015), Performance of the CORDEX-Africa regional climate simulations in representing the hydrological cycle of the Niger River basin, Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 120(24), 12425-12444. doi:10.1002/2015JD023905.

Larson, K. L., White, D. D., Gober, P., & Wutich, A. (2015). Decision-making under uncertainty for water sustainability and urban climate change adaptation. Sustainability, 7(11), 14761-14784. doi:10.3390/su71114761

Keeler, L. W., Wiek, A., White, D. D., & Sampson, D. A. (2015). Linking stakeholder survey, scenario analysis, and simulation modeling to explore the long-term impacts of regional water governance regimes. Environmental Science & Policy, 48, 237-249. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2015.01.006

White, D. D., Wutich, A. Y., Larson, K. L., & Lant, T. (2015). Water management decision makers’ evaluations of uncertainty in a decision support system: The case of WaterSim in the decision theater. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 58(4), 616-630. DOI:10.1080/09640568.2013.875892

White, D. D., Keeler, L., Wiek, A., & Larson, K. L. (2015). Envisioning the future of water governance: A survey of central Arizona water decision makers. Environmental Practice, 17(01), 25-35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1466046614000489

Bausch, J. C., Eakin, H., Smith-Heisters, S., York, A. M., White, D. D., Rubiños, C., & Aggarwal, R. M. (2015). Development pathways at the agriculture–urban interface: The case of Central Arizona. Agriculture and Human Values, 32(4), 743-759. DOI:10.1007/s10460-015-9589-8

Wutich, A., White, A. C., White, D. D., Larson, K.L., Brewis, A., & Roberts, C. (2014). Hard paths, soft paths or no paths? Cross-cultural perceptions of water solutions. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 18(1), 109-120. doi:10.5194/hess-18-109-2014

White, D. D. (2013). Framing water sustainability in an environmental decision support system. Society & Natural Resources, 26(11), 1365-1373. doi:10.1080/08941920.2013.788401

Taff, D., Newman, P., Pettebone, D., White, D. D., Lawson, S. R., Monz, C., & Vagias, W. M. (2013). Dimensions of alternative transportation experience in Yosemite and Rocky Mountain National Parks. Journal of Transport Geography, 30, 37-46. doi:10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2013.02.010

Childs, C., York, A. M., White, D. D., Schoon, M. L., & Bodner, G. S. (2013). Navigating a murky adaptive comanagement governance network: Agua Fria Watershed, Arizona, USA. Ecology and Society, 18(4):11. http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol18/iss4/art11/

Quay, R, Larson, K. L., & White, D. D. (2013). Enhancing water sustainability through university policy collaborations:  Experiences and lessons from researchers and decision-makers. Water Resources IMPACT, AWRA 15(2), 17-19.

White, D. D., Tschuor, S., & Byrne, B. (2012). Assessing and modeling visitors’ evaluations of park road conditions in Yosemite National Park. George Wright Forum, 29(3), 308–321.

Cutts, B. B., White, D. D., & Kinzig, A. P. (2011). Participatory geographic information systems for the co-production of science and policy in an emerging boundary organization. Environmental Science and Policy, 14(8), 977–985. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2011.05.012

Larson, K. L., Wutich, A., White, D. D., Muñoz-Erickson, T. A., & Harlan, S. L. (2011). Multifaceted perspectives on water risks and policies: A cultural domains approach in a southwestern city. Human Ecology Review, 18(1), 75-87. http://www.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her181/larson.pdf

Larson, K. L., Ibes, D. C., & White, D. D. (2011). Gendered perspectives about water risks and policy strategies:  A tripartite conceptual approach. Environment and Behavior, 43(3), 415-438. doi:10.1177/0013916510365253

White, D. D., Aquino, J. F., Budruk, M., & Golub, A. (2011) Visitors’ experiences of traditional and alternative transportation in Yosemite National Park. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 29(1), 38-57. http://js.sagamorepub.com/jpra/article/view/19  

White, D. D., Wutich, A., Larson, K. L., Lant, T., Gober, P., & Senneville, C. (2010). Credibility, salience, and legitimacy of boundary objects: Water managers’ assessment of a simulation model in an immersive decision theater. Science & Public Policy (SPP), 37(3), 219-232. doi:10.3152/030234210X497726

Wutich, A., Lant, T., White, D. D., Larson, K. L., & Gartin, M. (2010). Comparing focus group and individual responses on sensitive topics: A study of water decision-makers in a desert city. Field Methods, 22(1), 88-110. doi:10.1177/1525822X09349918

Larson, K. L., White, D. D., Gober, P., Harlan, S., and Wutich, A. (2009). Divergent perspectives on water resource sustainability in a public–policy–science context. Environmental Science and Policy, 12, 1012-1023. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2009.07.012

White, D. D., Virden, R. J., & van Riper, C. J. (2008). Effects of place identity, place dependence, and experience-use-history on perceptions of recreation impacts in a natural setting. Environmental Management, 42, 647-657. doi:10.1007/s00267-008-9143-1              

Youngs, Y. L., White, D. D., and Wodrich, J. A. (2008). Transportation systems as cultural landscapes in national parks: The case of Yosemite. Society & Natural Resources, 21(9), 797-811. doi:10.1080/08941920801942065

Budruk, M., White, D. D., Wodrich, J. A., and van Riper, C. J. (2008). Connecting visitors to people and place: Visitors’ perceptions of authenticity at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona. Journal of Heritage Tourism 3(3), 1-18. doi:10.1080/17438730802139004

White, D. D. (2008). A structural model of leisure constraints negotiation in outdoor recreation. Leisure Sciences, 30, 342-359. doi:10.1080/01490400802165131

Hall, T. E. and White, D. D. (2008). Representing recovery: Discourses of science and local control in the framing of U.S. Pacific Northwest salmon policy. Human Ecology Review 15(1), 32-45. http://ajph.humanecologyreview.org/pastissues/her151/hallandwhite.pdf

White, D. D., Corley, E. A., and White, M. S. (2008). Water managers’ perceptions of the science-policy interface in Phoenix, Arizona: Implications for an emerging boundary organization. Society & Natural Resources 21(3), 1-14. doi:10.1080/08941920701329678

White, D. D. (2007). An interpretive study of Yosemite National Park visitors’ perspectives toward alternative transportation in Yosemite Valley. Environmental Management, 39(1), 50-62. doi:10.1007/s00267-006-0061-9

Nyaupane, G., White, D. D., and Budruk, M. (2006). Motive-based tourist market segmentation: An application to Native American cultural heritage sites in Arizona, USA. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 1(2), 81-99. doi:10.2167/jht010.0

White, D. D., Waskey, M. T., Foti, P. E., and Brodehl, G. (2006). A comparative study of impacts to mountain bike trails in five common ecological regions of the southwest United States. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 24(2), 21-41. http://js.sagamorepub.com/jpra/article/view/1406  

White, D. D., and Hall, T. E. (2006). Public understanding of science in Pacific Northwest salmon recovery policy. Society & Natural Resources, 19(4), 305-320. doi:10.1080/08941920500519172

White, D. D., Virden, R. J., and Cahill, K. L. (2005). Visitor experiences in National Park Service cultural sites in Arizona: Implications for interpretive planning and management. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 23(3), 63-81. http://js.sagamorepub.com/jpra/article/view/1428

Caulkins, M. C., White, D. D., and Russell, K. C. (2006). The role of physical exercise in wilderness therapy for troubled adolescent women. Journal of Experiential Education 29(1), 18-37. doi:10.1177/105382590602900104

White, D. D., Hall, T. E., and Farrell, T. A. (2001). Influence of ecological impacts and other campsite characteristics on wilderness visitors’ campsite choices. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 19(2), 83-97.

Farrell, T. A., Hall, T. E., and White, D. D. (2001). Wilderness campers’ perception and evaluation of campsite impacts. Journal of Leisure Research, 33(3), 229-250. http://search.proquest.com/docview/201195302

Research Activity
Summer 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
CRD 494Special Topics
SOS 590Reading and Conference
CRD 598Special Topics
SOS 792Research
Spring 2019
Course NumberCourse Title
PUP 484Internship
HON 484Internship
SOS 484Internship
SOS 590Reading and Conference
SOS 591Seminar
GCU 593Applied Project
SOS 599Thesis
CRD 683Fieldwork
SOS 792Research
Fall 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
PRM 370Public Lands Management
SOS 591Seminar
SOS 592Research
SOS 599Thesis
CRD 690Reading and Conference
Summer 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
CRD 494Special Topics
SOS 590Reading and Conference
SOS 592Research
CRD 598Special Topics
SOS 792Research
Spring 2018
Course NumberCourse Title
SOS 492Honors Directed Study
SOS 592Research
SOS 596Capstone: Scientific Paper
CRD 683Fieldwork
Fall 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
SOS 592Research
CRD 599Thesis
CRD 799Dissertation
Summer 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
CRD 799Dissertation
Spring 2017
Course NumberCourse Title
SOS 492Honors Directed Study
PRM 493Honors Thesis
SOS 590Reading and Conference
CRD 592Research
CRD 683Fieldwork
CRD 799Dissertation
Fall 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
PRM 370Public Lands Management
CRD 599Thesis
Summer 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
CRD 792Research
CRD 799Dissertation
Spring 2016
Course NumberCourse Title
PRM 493Honors Thesis
CRD 592Research
CRD 599Thesis
CRD 683Fieldwork
CRD 792Research
CRD 799Dissertation
Fall 2015
Course NumberCourse Title
CRD 599Thesis
CRD 799Dissertation
Summer 2015
Course NumberCourse Title
CRD 792Research
CRD 799Dissertation
Spring 2015
Course NumberCourse Title
PRM 492Honors Directed Study
PRM 493Honors Thesis
PRM 499Individualized Instruction
CRD 592Research
CRD 599Thesis
CRD 683Fieldwork
CRD 792Research
CRD 799Dissertation
Fall 2014
Course NumberCourse Title
PRM 370Public Lands Management
SOS 591Seminar
CRD 599Thesis
CRD 799Dissertation
Service
  • Society & Natural Resources, Book Review Editor (2010 - Present)
  • Personnel Commitee, Member (2008 - Present)
  • Graduate Curriculum Committee, Member (2002 - Present)
  • International Association for Society and Natural Resources, IASNR Council (2014 - 2018)
  • Journal of Leisure Research, Associate Editor (2008 - 2013)
Expertise Areas
Water Resource Management
Environmental Policy
Sustainability
Climate Change
Parks and Recreation