Explore Arizona State University Heat Research in the New PBS Series Resolve to Solve
Extreme heat is a silent and pervasive threat that claims more lives in a typical year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. Yet, it rarely commands the same immediate media attention or public urgency as other weather-related disasters. A new national television production aims to change that narrative by highlighting the critical work being done at Arizona State University. The new PBS series, Resolve to Solve, hosted by veteran science journalist Miles O’Brien, spotlights ASU researchers who are developing practical, life-saving strategies to combat urban heat. By focusing on actionable solutions rather than just outlining the problems, this series provides a vital blueprint for cities across the USA and around the world.
The Silent Killer: Understanding Extreme Heat in the USA
In the United States, extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related fatalities. Unlike a hurricane that makes landfall with dramatic force, heat builds slowly and invisibly, exacting a devastating toll on the most vulnerable populations. The danger is compounded by the urban heat island effect, where sprawling concrete, asphalt, and lack of tree cover cause city temperatures to spike significantly higher than surrounding rural areas.
What makes extreme heat particularly insidious is its disproportionate impact on marginalized communities. Low-income neighborhoods often have less tree canopy, more heat-absorbing infrastructure, and a higher percentage of residents who lack adequate access to air conditioning. As energy costs rise, many individuals face the impossible choice between paying for utilities and other basic necessities, forcing them to turn off their cooling systems during the most dangerous times of the year. Addressing this public health crisis requires a nuanced understanding of both microclimates and socioeconomic factors.
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Inside the PBS Series Resolve to Solve with Miles O’Brien
Premiering on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. starting August 19, Resolve to Solve is the first national series produced by Arizona PBS. The show follows Miles O’Brien across four continents as he meets with scientists, engineers, and innovators who are tackling some of the planet’s most daunting environmental challenges. O’Brien frames the series as a departure from traditional doom-and-gloom climate reporting, aiming for a tone he describes as “Anthony Bourdain meets Sir David Attenborough.”
The series deliberately shifts the focus toward solutions-based journalism. While other episodes explore ambitious projects like building a giant sea curtain in Antarctica to protect ice sheets from warm ocean waters, the episode featuring Arizona State University brings the focus back to the immediate, tangible realities of urban living. O’Brien notes that the media has historically failed to adequately tell the story of extreme heat, making it a priority to highlight the researchers who are actively mitigating this specific threat.
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Arizona State University as a Global Heat Laboratory
Miles O’Brien refers to Metro Phoenix as “probably the most important heat laboratory in the world.” This designation is well-earned. As a major metropolitan area situated in the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix experiences some of the most extreme and prolonged heat events on the planet. For researchers at Arizona State University, this harsh environment is not just a place to live; it is an unparalleled testing ground for heat mitigation strategies that can be scaled and adapted globally.
ASU’s approach to heat research is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together experts in sustainability, urban planning, geography, and public health. Rather than treating heat as a single-variable problem, these researchers examine how built environments, social inequities, and human physiology intersect. The goal is to answer critical questions: Who is most vulnerable to heat exposure? Why do certain neighborhoods fare better than others during heat waves? What infrastructure interventions actually work to cool a community?
Jenni Vanos and the Pursuit of Outdoor Livability
One of the featured researchers in Resolve to Solve is Jenni Vanos, an associate professor in the School of Sustainability and a senior scientist with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. Vanos’s work focuses heavily on the practical applications of heat research, particularly regarding how children experience extreme temperatures in outdoor environments.
Her interest in the human impacts of heat is deeply personal. As a former captain of her college track team, Vanos experienced heat exhaustion firsthand while training in high temperatures. This experience drove her to pursue a career dedicated to understanding how heat impacts the human body and how outdoor spaces can be designed to minimize those impacts. In the PBS series, viewers see her work helping cities and schools design heat-safe outdoor spaces where kids can exercise and play without the risk of burns or heat-related illness. She emphasizes that the goal of her research extends beyond preventing death; it is about preserving daily quality of life. Can people walk their dogs? Can children play outside? Can workers perform their jobs safely? Her research seeks to increase basic livability in a warming world.
Ariane Middel, MaRTy, and the Science of Cool Routes
Also featured in the series is Ariane Middel, an associate professor in The GAME School and the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU. Middel tackles the physics of urban heat through innovative technology. She is the mastermind behind MaRTy, a mobile, human-sized instrument station that measures human thermal exposure. Unlike standard weather stations that only measure ambient air temperature, MaRTy uses a 6-directional method to measure mean radiant temperature—the total amount of heat radiation hitting a person from all directions, including the sun and hot surfaces like asphalt.
By pushing MaRTy through city streets, Middel and her team can create highly localized, block-by-block thermal maps of urban environments. This data is instrumental in testing the actual cooling effects of various mitigation strategies. For example, Middel has used MaRTy to evaluate the effectiveness of reflective pavement coatings, which can significantly reduce surface temperatures. Furthermore, her research supports the development of the “Cool Routes” app, a practical tool that maps the shadiest, coolest walking routes for pedestrians. This kind of technology directly empowers residents to navigate their cities safely during extreme heat events.
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David Sailor and David Hondula: Bridging Research and City Policy
Effective heat mitigation requires not only innovative research but also the political will and administrative infrastructure to implement solutions at scale. Resolve to Solve also highlights the work of David Sailor, a professor and director of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU, and David Hondula, who leads the city of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation while serving as an associate professor at ASU.
Sailor’s research focuses on the intersection of urban design, building energy use, and climate. His work helps quantify how different building materials, green infrastructure, and urban geometries affect local temperatures. Hondula represents the critical translation of academic research into municipal action. Under his leadership, Phoenix has developed comprehensive strategies to protect residents during heat season, including opening cooling centers, distributing water, and planting thousands of trees in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods. Their combined presence in the series illustrates the necessary feedback loop between academic institutions like Arizona State University and local government agencies.
Shifting the Media Narrative from Problems to Solutions
A central theme of the Resolve to Solve PBS series is the critique of modern journalism’s tendency to focus disproportionately on catastrophic problems without adequately exploring potential solutions. This constant barrage of negative news can lead to eco-anxiety and public apathy, leaving people feeling helpless against massive global challenges like climate change.
O’Brien argues that this approach does a disservice to both the public and the scientific community. By highlighting the optimists and innovators—like the ASU researchers featured in the heat episode—the series demonstrates that society already possesses many of the tools needed to address these crises. The challenge lies in deploying them effectively, funding them adequately, and scaling them to meet the magnitude of the problem. Solutions-focused journalism provides a more accurate picture of reality, one that includes human ingenuity and resilience alongside the stark facts of a warming planet.
Explore our related articles for further reading on climate action and sustainability.
What This Means for the Future of Climate Adaptation
The insights provided by Arizona State University researchers offer valuable lessons for urban planners, policymakers, and community leaders across the USA. As global temperatures continue to rise, adapting our built environment is no longer optional; it is an immediate public health necessity. The strategies emerging from Phoenix’s heat laboratory are highly relevant to other cities experiencing worsening heat waves, from Dallas to Detroit.
Key takeaways for communities looking to improve their heat resilience include investing in high-quality shade infrastructure, rethinking the materials used for playgrounds and pavements, leveraging data and mobile sensing technology to pinpoint the hottest micro-areas, and ensuring that mitigation efforts are explicitly designed to protect the most economically vulnerable residents. Furthermore, the success of ASU’s model demonstrates the value of universities acting as collaborative partners with local government, providing the empirical data needed to make informed policy decisions.
The upcoming Resolve to Solve series provides an accessible and engaging entry point into these complex topics. By humanizing the scientists and clearly explaining their methodologies, the show makes a compelling case for increased investment in heat research and urban adaptation. Viewers will come away with a clearer understanding of why extreme heat is such a critical threat and, more importantly, what can actually be done about it.
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Watch Resolve to Solve on PBS
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 19, at 9 p.m. to catch the premiere of Resolve to Solve with Miles O’Brien on your local PBS station. For those who prefer to watch on their own schedule, half-hour versions of the episodes will be available on the PBS YouTube channel and the PBS app. The series represents a significant milestone for Arizona PBS as its first national production, and it stands as a testament to the critical importance of the heat research being conducted at Arizona State University. Do not miss the opportunity to see how science is actively working to make our cities safer and more livable in the face of a warming climate.
