On Monday, October 19, 2026, CELP’s Director of Outreach and Engagement and Professor of Teaching at Penn State Dickinson Law, will present, “Multisolving the Deluge: Building Community-led Solutions to Flooding Challenges” as part of the Earth Talks Seminar Series, “Flood Risk and Resilience in the Mid-Atlantic.”
Abstract:
Flooding is Pennsylvania’s top natural disaster, and impacting many other states as well. We are already seeing more frequent and more severe floods, both in floodplains and in areas distant from any rivers or streams, with predictions for more. In this talk, Lara Fowler will share her perspective on how communities can work together to address potential flooding impacts by exploring not just ways to manage flooding, but solving multiple challenges at the same time or “multisolving,” a term coined by Elizabeth Sawin. She will sketch out how to think about effective engagement and will highlight a number of projects that demonstrate a multisolving approach. This talk will provide plenty of time for Q&A and discussion. It is sponsored in part by EESI and PREPARE PA, Partners for a Resilient Pennsylvania.
Bio:
Lara Fowler is a professor of teaching with Penn State Dickinson Law, the director of outreach and engagement for Penn State’s Center for Energy Law and Policy, a leadership fellow for the Social Science Research Institute, director of outreach for PREPARE PA (Partners for a Resilient PA), and affiliate faculty with the School of International Affairs. She has held several roles at Penn State, including as Penn State’s chief sustainability officer from 2022-2025. Prior to joining Penn State in 2012, Lara worked for the Oregon Water Resources doing water policy, attended University of Washington for law school, and worked as an attorney, mediator, and facilitator on complex natural resource challenges such as addressing flooding impacts in Washington’s second largest river basin. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Sweden from 2019-2020 and currently serves as Board President for the Chesapeake Bay Journal, the jury chair for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, a nominator for the global Earthshot Prize, and on the board of COPA STEP (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science and Technology Policy Program).