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UCOWR

Universities Council on Water Resources

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Board of Directors Graduate Student Position

NEW Graduate Student Position 

The UCOWR Board seeks graduate student input. Nominate a talented student today!

A recently created position voted in by the UCOWR Board of Directors will give graduate students a voice in UCOWR planning and governance. Particularly, the student member will add a valuable perspective toward promoting greater student involvement in our annual conference. Nominations for this new student position on the Board will follow the same timeline as the regular Board Nomination and Election process.
  • The election will open March 2023 and conclude April 2023.
  • New board members will take office at the end of our Annual Water Resource Conference in Fort Collins, CO, June 13-15, 2023.
  • Deadline for Nominations: December 16, 2022

What is expected of the Graduate Student Board Member?

  • Complete a one-year term on the UCOWR Board of Directors
  • Serve as a voting member of the Board
  • Attend annual conference and quarterly Board meetings (3 teleconference, 1 in-person at conference)
  • Help to plan annual UCOWR/NIWR conference, particularly special sessions, student activities/events and field trips
  • Serve on an award committee
  • Actively participate in ongoing Board activities as appropriate (See Roles and Responsibilities of Board of Directors.)

What is the nomination process for a Graduate Student Board Member?

1) Graduate student candidates must be from and be nominated by a delegate from a UCOWR member institution.
2) Students seeking nomination must submit to their nominating delegate:
  • brief letter of intent
  • copy of recent CV
3) UCOWR Delegates, please email graduate student nomination materials to the UCOWR home office at ucowr@siu.edu

Email nominations to the UCOWR home office at ucowr@siu.edu no later than Friday, December 16, 2022.

The election will open March 2023 and conclude April 2023.

New board members will take office at the end of our Annual Water Resource Conference in Fort Collins, CO, June 13-15, 2023.

Board Election Information

Call for Nominations for UCOWR Board of Directors

November 1, 2022

Nominate a colleague or yourself  for one of  three open positions.

Last day to submit is Friday, December 16, 2022.

Help lead UCOWR and the water resources profession into the future! Service on the Board of Directors of UCOWR is a fantastic leadership opportunity as you help guide, direct, and cast a vision for the organization. The opportunity to work with other water resource leaders in UCOWR allows you to be part of the decision making process on the national level, driving the strategic goals of the organization. This is an exciting time to join the leadership of UCOWR and help us map our ambitious future.

How can this service opportunity help my professional development?

You will:

  • Develop valuable skills in non-profit governance, conference program planning, strategic planning, and guiding a peer-reviewed journal
  • Expand your network of contacts
  • Achieve recognition from your employer, community, peers
  • Develop leadership experience
  • Serve with and for a highly engaged water resources community across the nation

What does a UCOWR Board Member do?

Members of the Board of Directors work closely with the UCOWR home office at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where a small dedicated staff takes care of managing UCOWR day-to-day operations. Board of Directors members each serve a three-year term. Members may seek election for a second term, and some continue their Board service in role of President. The specific roles and responsibilities fulfilled by individuals on the UCOWR Board are detailed here: Roles and Responsibilities of Board of Directors.

Who can be nominated?

Candidates must be a delegate of a current UCOWR member institution. Not sure of the member status of your institution?  You can check here: UCOWR Directory.

Only one delegate from any member institution may serve on the Board at any given time. Thus, nominated individuals cannot be from a member institution that is already represented by our continuing Board members. Members of the Board of Directors continuing their terms for July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 are:

  • President: Jerry Kauffman, University of Delaware
  • President-Elect: Jeffrey Peterson, University of Minnesota
  • Past President: Bridget Guerrero, West Texas A&M University
  • Kofi Akamani, Southern Illinois University
  • Laura Bowling, Purdue University
  • Lucas Gregory, Texas A&M University
  • Andrea Ludwig, University of Tennessee
  • Michael O’Driscoll, East Carolina University
  • Julie Padowski, Washington State University

Email nominations to the UCOWR home office at ucowr@siu.edu no later than Friday, December 16, 2022.

The election will open March 2023 and conclude April 2023.

New board members will take office at the end of our Annual Water Resource Conference in Fort Collins, CO, June 13-15, 2023.

Student Award Winners Announced!

We are pleased to announce the student Poster and Oral Presentation Awards from the 2022 UCOWR/NIWR Annual Water Resources Conference in Greenville, SC. All recipients received a monetary award. Congratulations!

Student Poster Presentation Award Recipients

1st place: Holly Wren, University of Arkansas
Holly graduated with her bachelor’s degree in environmental, soil and water sciences, and then began her career as a Stormwater and Floodplain Program Coordinator, completed a graduate certification in geospatial technologies, and became a certified floodplain manager. Holly recently earned her Master’s degree   in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from the University of Arkansas, where her research focused on the ability of cereal straws to inhibit harmful algal species. With her ongoing commitment to water resources and environmental stewardship, Holly has plans to continue her work in watersheds across Northwest Arkansas.

 

2nd place: Emily Jordan, Clemson University
Emily is a Graduate Research Assistant at Clemson University, starting her second year of graduate school. Emily’s mentor is Dr. Debabrata Sahoo who has taught her how to perform nutrient injections in low-order streams in urban and agricultural areas in Greenville and Pendleton, SC. Their research goal is to determine if restoration projects improve water quality by measuring nutrient uptake lengths, with the hope that these results will help in stream monitoring actions and develop nutrient criteria for streams in SC.

 

3rd place: Lacy Barnette, University of South Carolina
Lacy is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of South Carolina’s Soil Health Lab. As part of the Arnold School of Public Health, she is passionate about combining her knowledge of environmental science and background in education for accurate and effective science communication. She is committed to applying scientific research beyond the laboratory. Her research interests include, science communication, applied agriculture research, water quality, and sustainable athletic fields.

 

 

Student Oral Presentation Award Recipients

1st place: Michael Ramos, Texas A&M University Kingsville
Michael Ramos is a recent graduate of the chemical engineering program at Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK). He has most recently worked as a part of the CREST-SWU research program at TAMUK, conducting research on the groundwater availability model of the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer in South Texas. His other research work includes generating soil moisture maps on behalf of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s RE2AD program at TAMUK, implementing and monitoring oyster reef restoration at Goose Island State Park in Rockport, Texas with Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, and comparing Peng-Robinson and Soave-Redlich-Kwong equations of state for submission to TAMUK’s undergraduate research journal.

 

2nd place: Gillian Palino, University of Tennessee – Knoxville
Gillian Palino is a third-year civil and environmental engineering PhD graduate student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville under the guidance of Dr. Jon Hathaway. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Soil and Water Science. Her thesis project focuses on the application of regenerative stormwater conveyances as a method of improving hydrologic performance and water quality of urban stormwater. Her research interests include GIS and modeling techniques to better understand surface water hydrology.

 

3rd place: Rishav Karanjit, Clemson University
Rishav, originally from Nepal, is a master’s student studying computer science at Clemson University. His interest lies in the integration of software engineering and machine learning. He works on machine learning algorithms development for flood applications. Currently, he is working on an NSF-funded project focusing on South Carolina flooding issues. He enjoys traveling, cooking, and listening to music.

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