Sanders to Advise Research Project on Impacts of Okla. Weather Unpredictability

Representative Mike Sanders of Kingfisher has been selected to advise a fiveyear, $24 million research project that aims to address the impacts of Oklahoma’s diverse and unpredictable weather. Sanders joins more than 20 other state leaders from government, industry and the private sector to serve in this role.

The research project, which began July 1, 2020, is titled “Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Carbon, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma (S3OK).” It is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Through the S3OK grant, a team of more than 40 researchers from institutions across the state is working to find science-based answers to problems facing Oklahomans, including flooding, drought, and the rapid, unpredictable weather swings in between. However, successful solutions to these issues may only be found through collaboration among the science community and state leaders from many sectors, as well as buyin from the affected public.

Through his participation in the Opinion Leader Advisory Network (OLAN), Rep. Sanders and his colleagues will provide researchers with the critical insight required to determine how these wicked challenges and research-based solutions may affect communities across Oklahoma.

“The OLAN’s input will enable the research team to focus their scientific work in a way that will provide the most benefit to the state,” explained Kevin Wagner, EPSCoR project director. “By collaborating with this diverse group of opinion leaders, our project is positioned to push the boundaries of conventional thinking and approaches to find new, creative solutions to some of our state’s most challenging problems,” he said.

Rep. Sanders’ background in government, private industry, and agriculture provides a depth and diversity of knowledge that will serve the project well.

Sanders represented the citizens of House District 59 for twelve years, with the last four years as House Majority Leader. He left office in 2020. Two U.S. presidents, Bush and Trump, presented him with White House Appointments, and he has served the United State Department of Agriculture in numerous high-level advisory capacities. He is President and CEO of Sanders Strategy and Consulting Group. Mike and his wife Nellie have two sons, Davis and Walker.

The OLAN is expected to include more than 70 distinguished members when the research project is concluded in 2025.

For more information about Oklahoma NSF EPSCoR, visit www.okepscor.org.