Hawes Research Group · University of Wyoming
Human-Environmental
Systems Lab
Sustainability · Resilience · Justice
Welcome to research for communities
The Human-Environmental Systems Research Group studies sustainability, resilience, and justice in coupled natural-human systems. We are based at the University of Wyoming, where lab PI Jake Hawes is jointly appointed in the School of Computing and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Our work draws on computing, geography, and engineering to understand how built, natural, and social systems interact — and how thoughtful design and policy can promote more equitable and resilient outcomes. Meet the team →
Research Areas
Resilience
Community & Infrastructure Resilience
How communities and physical systems respond to hazards, supply chain disruption, and climate change
Smart Communities
Smart Rural Places
Digital tools, AI, and smart systems applied to rural communities and small towns
Sustainability
Sustainable Economy & Environment
Urban food systems, circular economy, indoor farming, and sustainable land markets
Methods
Computing for Sustainability Research
AI, machine learning, and decision-support tools for environmental and social research
Justice
Equitable Communities
Who bears the costs and captures the benefits of environmental change and infrastructure investment
News & Updates
- May 2026 — What would it actually take to scale up urban farming?
A recurring tension in debates about urban agriculture is the question of scale. Advocates argue that urban farming could play a meaningf... - April 2026 — What does 'circular' actually mean when we're talking about cities?
Circular economy has achieved near-universal approval as an idea while remaining frustratingly difficult to define. Everyone — industries... - March 2025 — The case for investing in urban farming at the federal level
Cities across the country are home to farms and gardens producing food, building community, and greening urban landscapes. And yet federa... - July 2024 — What do we actually know about what urban agriculture does?
A few years back, colleagues and I set out on the FEW-meter project — a multi-country effort to systematically measure what actually goes... - March 2024 — Does urban farming actually reduce carbon emissions?
One of the questions I get asked most often — at conferences, after talks, from journalists — is whether urban agriculture is actually go...