Because of a warming climate, future winter Olympic Games will contend with declining snowpacks that may prevent the world’s best athletes from competing on the global stage. Host cities are strategizing how to reduce carbon emissions and protect their precious water resources.

Anticipating these challenges, a group of graduate students from Université Côte d'Azur in Nice, France, will travel to the University of Utah this week to participate in a climate solutions “hackathon” focused on addressing water resiliency.

France’s Région Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur will host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030, and Salt Lake City will host the games in 2034.

“Water resiliency is one of the defining challenges of our time. U researchers are tackling it head-on by exploring critical questions across water science, policy, engineering, and health sciences and addressing issues like water access, quality, and sustainability,” said Erin Rothwell, Vice President for Research at the U. “By working collaboratively with policymakers, organizations, and communities, we’re driving innovative solutions to ensure a sustainable water future—locally and globally—for generations to come.”

The U and Université Côte d'Azur have grown their strategic partnership since a successful Film & Media Arts learning abroad program that launched in 2017.  Last year, the universities kicked off a collaborative international research program geared toward sustainable and inclusive Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“It is truly inspiring to witness the flourishing bond between the University of Utah and Université Côte d'Azur, both in its purpose and its dynamic potential,” said President of Université Côte d’Azur, M. Jeanick Brisswalter.  “This collaboration exemplifies our shared commitment to addressing global challenges, particularly through the lens of the sustainable development goals. With our students participating in the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy international hackathon on climate change, focused on tackling water management, we will be looking forward to seeing their innovative contributions at the intersection of education, sustainability, and global action.”

The Climate Solutions Hackathon, organized annually by the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the U, provides an ideal venue for collaboration and creativity in addressing current and forecasted climate change-driven conditions.

Undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline are encouraged to team-up and develop proposals in a slide deck within 24 hours. They will pitch their projects to their peers on Saturday and meet again Monday, Feb. 3 for an awards reception event. Last year the hackathon focused on wildfire, and urban heat was the focus in 2023.

“The French Alps and the Wasatch range are both experiencing changes in hydrology, rates of snowmelt, and rising temperatures,” noted William Anderegg, director of the Wilkes Center. “The challenges facing water resilience and winter sports have no boundaries, and thus this collaboration to generate creative solutions is essential.”

 Schedule of hackathon activities:

• Friday, Jan. 31, 12:00 noon, the 24-hour hackathon begins. (Crocker Science Center, Room 206, 1390 Presidents' Cir, Salt Lake City, UT 84112)
• Saturday, Feb. 1, 10:30 p.m., the hackathon ends.
• Saturday, Feb. 1, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon, teams present their solutions to a panel of judges. (Crocker Science Center, Room 206)
• Monday, Feb. 3, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., reception and awards ceremony for all participants at Red Butte Gardens and Arboretum.

More information about the event is online here.

January 21, 2025
Above: Atmospheric instrumentation on the roof of the Browning Building, University of Utah.