Spotlight Stories highlight UCOWR delegates or member institutions that exemplify leadership in education, research, or public service in water resources. If you know of a UCOWR member deserving of a Spotlight Story, email UCOWR at ucowr@siu.edu.
; "Dr. Ximing Cai")
Dr. Ximing Cai
Ximing Cai, Ph.D. Ben Chie Yen Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Dr. Ximing Cai, UCOWR’s 2024 Warren A. Hall recipient, is recognized nationally and internationally for his groundbreaking work addressing complex water resources management challenges through systems approaches employing human and natural sciences and engineering. Dr. Ana P. […]
; "1964-2024: UCOWR then and now.")
1964-2024: UCOWR then and now.
The original logo for the UCOWR organization featured the oil lamp, representing wisdom/knowledge. The present-day UCOWR logo was first introduced in the Pensacola FL 2016 Conference program. The Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) grew out of a burgeoning national and international interest in hydrology and water resources research and management during the […]
; "August 2022: Dr. Doug Parker")
August 2022: Dr. Doug Parker
Dr. Doug Parker recently retired from his positions as the Director of the California Institute for Water Resources, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. He coordinated water-related research, extension, and education efforts across the 10 UC campuses, the UC ANR system, and other academic institutions within California. Prior to joining the University of California, Doug worked […]
; "November 2020 Spotlight")
November 2020 Spotlight
Dr. Lucas Gregory – The Texas Water Resources Institute at Texas A&M University Texas is a state of diverse landscapes and climates where the majority of land is privately owned and the population is increasingly urbanized. This presents challenges when discussing water and land resource management. The Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) team is […]
; "July 2020 Spotlight")
July 2020 Spotlight
Based at the University of Wisconsin, The North Central Region Water Network (NCRWN) received an Education and Public Service Award at the UCOWR/NIWR 2019 Annual Water Conference for their substantive work in bringing water resources researchers and practitioners together. Extension professionals and diversely specialized stakeholders from 12 north central states form a dynamic network to […]
; "April 2020 The WRC at University of Minnesota")
April 2020 The WRC at University of Minnesota
The Water Resources Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Building and maintaining connections between individual people and organizations is crucial to all varieties of work, a truth underlined by recent global challenges. The Water Resources Center (WRC) at the University of Minnesota (UMN) promotes relationships across many scales of activity and between a diverse range […]
; "January 2020: Dr. Kofi Akamani")
January 2020: Dr. Kofi Akamani
Dr. Kofi Akamani, Assistant Professor in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is a genuine example of the old adage “a gentleman and a scholar.” His gracious demeanor and diplomatic conversational style underline a great passion for fostering partnership across disciplines, as evidenced through his research work in Human Dimensions in Natural […]
; "April 2019: Dr. Darren Lerner")
April 2019: Dr. Darren Lerner
UCOWR is pleased to focus our spotlight on Dr. Darren Lerner, who was recently elected to our Board of Directors. He currently serves as both the Director of the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) and the interim Director of the University of Hawaiʻi Water Resources Research Center (WRRC). Dr. Lerner […]
; "December 2018: Dr. Reagan Waskom")
December 2018: Dr. Reagan Waskom
Dr. Reagan Waskom, Director of Colorado Water Institute (CWI) and Chair of the Colorado State University Water Center, is deeply invested in the water resources challenges faced by states in the western U.S. The CWI holds a unique place at Colorado State University, as it coordinates water programs across the whole CSU system, directly answering […]
; "September 2018: Dr. Natalie Carroll")
September 2018: Dr. Natalie Carroll
As educators and students begin a new academic year, we focus on a standout educator in our UCOWR community, Dr. Natalie Carroll. Serving as Professor of Extension Education in the Department of Agricultural Sciences and Communication and Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Purdue University, Dr. Carroll has dedicated her career to promoting high […]
; "March 2018: Dr. Karletta Chief")
March 2018: Dr. Karletta Chief
Dr. Karletta Chief – Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson Dr. Karletta Chief integrates her research and scholarly achievements with her background as a member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation in broadening the understanding of climate change, mining, and water management and policy challenges facing […]
; "October 2017: Dr. Jerry Kauffman")
October 2017: Dr. Jerry Kauffman
Delaware is the second smallest state in the United States, but holds a wealth of water resources. The state lies on a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware River estuary, with 25 miles of ocean coastline, and 840 square miles of bay. Inland freshwater resources are substantial as well; the freshwater resources […]
; "May 2017: Dr. Nicole Wilkinson")
May 2017: Dr. Nicole Wilkinson
The NC WRRI of the University of North Carolina System, based at North Carolina State University, is one of the 54 institutes of NIWR located in the U.S. and its territories. Advised by NIWR and funded with federally appropriated monies through USGS, as well as state funding administered through NC State University, NC WRRI works […]
; "September 2016: Dr. Sharon Megdal")
September 2016: Dr. Sharon Megdal
Bridging the Gap Dr. Megdal, Director of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona, believes in the value of academia to inform action. “My guiding principal in all my work is to bridge academic research and theory to practical, real world problem-solving.” Perhaps because she experienced first-hand the issues facing water resource […]
; "May 2016: Kate Berry & Laurel Saito")
May 2016: Kate Berry & Laurel Saito
A remarkable conference on world water issues has taken place at the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) campus every year since 2004, unique in that it is planned, executed, and presented almost entirely by students. Laurel Saito, faculty in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science and the Graduate Program of Hydrological Sciences, and […]
; "March 2016: Virginia Tech")
March 2016: Virginia Tech
A new undergraduate degree offered at Virginia Tech, Water: Resources, Policy and Management, is perhaps the first of its kind in the United States. There are a number of interdisciplinary graduate degrees and certifications in water available at universities around the country, but undergraduate programs in water have typically focused on a single discipline. Water-resources work […]
; "December 2015: Omar Youssef")
December 2015: Omar Youssef
Omar Youssef, a University of Arizona Ph.D. student in Arid Lands Resource Sciences (ALRS) exemplifies the professional qualities UCOWR strives to support. He currently serves as Adjunct Lecturer for the U.A. School of Architecture (CAPLA) and is the President for the U.S. Green Building Council U.A. Student Group, one of the most active USGB groups in […]
; "September 2015: Elizabeth Koebele")
September 2015: Elizabeth Koebele
Elizabeth Koebele, a PhD candidate in Environmental Studies at University of Colorado in Boulder, shares her story: “UCOWR has…supported my graduate studies and allowed me to share my share my scholarship with the broader scholarly community… [While working on my master’s research in 2013,] Dr. Doug Kenney, a member of the UCOWR Board of Directors… encouraged […]
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Member Institutions
