STILLWATER, Okla. (May 18, 2026) —
Oklahoma faces many environmental problems. These include less fresh water, extreme weather patterns, lower soil health and dealing with wastewater from oil and gas development. These problems are complex and connected.
A new report titled “Oklahoma’s Wicked Problems: A Framework for Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Land Use, and Infrastructure” shares new ways to solve these problems. Almost 100 researchers from across the state worked on the project. The project is called “Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Carbon, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma,” known as S3OK.
Researchers call these issues “wicked problems” because they are complex and do not have permanent answers. This research focused on Oklahoma, but the Framework can also help other states that face similar problems.
“The Framework itself does not prescribe fixed answers,” said Maggie Leόn-Corwin, a research scientist on the S³OK project. “Instead, it presents an outline of the S³OK approach: an adaptive, incremental approach designed to hold up across shifting political, economic and environmental conditions.”
One thing that makes S³OK different is how it included perspectives from the public and from practitioners. Instead of doing research first and sharing it later, the team regularly included insights from the public, industry leaders and scientific experts. They relied on three statewide groups:
— M‑SISNet Public Panel – A survey of roughley 2,000 Oklahoma households to learn what people care about and what solutions they support
— Opinion Leader Advisory Network – Over 70 leaders from government, business and nonprofits who gave advice on policy ideas
— Extended Peer Science Advisory Network – Nearly 100 scientists who reviewed and shared expert knowledge
This helped ensure the research focused on solutions that people need and support. The project’s findings, detailed in more than 202 published peer-reviewed journal articles, include:
— Building the first database of cold-air outbreaks for the Central U.S.
— Recovering rare earth elements, like lanthanum, from water using modified silica particles
— Cleaning ‘produced water’ from the oil and gas industry with advanced membrane distillation
— Finding new ways to purify wastewater through small wetland systems called mesocosms
— Improving emergency planning for the power grid by mapping wildfire risks and other hazards
The Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Carbon, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma (S3OK) project is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Langston University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the University of Tulsa, East Central University and the Noble Research Institute. Funding was provided by a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation and generous $4 million support from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, administered through the Oklahoma Established Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research (OK EPSCoR).
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“Oklahoma’s Wicked Problems: A Framework for Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Land Use, & Infrastructure” is available at https://shareok.org//handle/11244/342367
This material is based on work supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant No. OIA-1946093. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation or Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.