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2023 Student Conference Presentation Award Winners

We are pleased to announce the student Poster and Oral Presentation Awards from the 2023 UCOWR/NIWR Annual Water Resources Conference in Fort Collins, CO. All recipients received a monetary award. Congratulations!

Student Oral Presentation Award Recipients

1st place: Brittany Isidore, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Brittany Isidore is both an Agroecology Master’s student and a Ph.D. student in Environment and Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While pursuing these degrees Brittany has developed a deep passion for transforming agroecosystems through transdisciplinary research and evaluation. As part of the Natural Resources Institute’s Evaluation Unit at the University of Wisconsin- Madison’s Division of Extension, alongside her colleague Amber Mase, Brittany was able to support an evaluation of an EPA funded project ‘Farmer-to-Farmer’ aimed to reduce nutrient pollution in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River Basins and shrink the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico through building the capacity for leadership in watershed management.

 

2nd place: Justin Bowen, University of Wyoming
Justin is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wyoming studying under Dr. Ginger Paige. His main focus is studying how decision support systems can be developed to manage surface water resources. He is currently putting his work to practice in the Popo Agie and Clear Creek watersheds in Wyoming. After finishing his Ph.D. in a year or so, he plans on continuing the research and development of decision support systems in collaboration with local to federal scale agencies in finding solutions to their water resource problems.

 

3rd place: Lacy Barnette, University of South Carolina
Lacy just completed her Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina’s Soil Health Lab. She previously earned her B.S. in Math and Science Education from Winthrop University and her Masters of Earth and Environmental Resource Management also from University of South Carolina.  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, stakeholder engagement, applied agriculture research, and soil health.  Lacy will join Clemson Extension to continue her agriculture outreach work.

 

Student Poster Presentation Award Recipients

1st place: Carson Roberts, Mississippi State University
Carson is a Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. candidate at Mississippi State University, working under the direction of Dr. Drew Gholson. He received a master’s degree in plant science from Utah State University and a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Brigham Young University – Idaho. Carson has a passion for using agricultural research to solve problems that plague farmers and the environment. His current research is focused on improving water use efficiency, profitability, and soil conservation in cotton production systems. Carson plans to graduate with a Ph.D. in agronomy in May 2024.

 

2nd place: Cassandra Bonfil, University of California – Davis
Cassandra Bonfil is a second year hydrologic sciences Ph.D. student at the University of California, Davis under the guidance of Dr. Isaya Kisekka. Cassandra’s research interests include groundwater and vadose zone contaminant fate and transport. Her research is focused on detecting and monitoring soil nitrate under irrigated cropping systems to support nutrient management decisions that optimize crop production while reducing the risk of nitrate leaching to groundwater.

 

 

3rd place: Nichole Angell, University of Minnesota
Nichole is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota working for the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC). She received her bachelor’s degree in aquatic and Fisheries Science from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Upstate New York and moved to Minnesota to follow her passion for freshwater ecology. Nichole’s thesis work focuses on understanding the cost-effectiveness of aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention practices completed by boaters and trained watercraft inspectors. Results will better inform and guide future AIS management and decision making.

Dr. Mallika Nocco Webinar

Irrigation and Conservation in a Changing Climate

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

12 noon Central Time

Join the meeting on Zoom – click here.

 

Dr. Mallika Nocco

Assistant Professor, Soil-Plant-Water Relations & Irrigation Management

Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources

University of California, Davis

 

Dr. Mallika Nocco will present a webinar for UCOWR members and the Southern Illinois University community on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 12 noon CT.

Irrigation and Conservation in a Changing Climate:

The United States are producing fruits, nuts, and vegetables under increasingly extreme temperature, precipitation, and aridity with weather whiplash occurring in California. In the face of worsening droughts, California policies promote soil health practices to improve drought and flood resilience by improving soil physical characteristics (e.g., infiltration). Policies also incentivize infrastructure to enhance irrigation and energy efficiency as well as maximize flood capture and recharge. Our work focuses on improving real-time, high-resolution monitoring of soil-plant-water relations using tools like unmanned aerial vehicles—especially for high-value, decadal agroecosystems. We engage with diverse groups of people, who can greatly benefit from extension support to interpret information and help make decisions during and in preparation for droughts, heatwaves, and floods. This webinar presents water and soil management strategies, mechanisms, and extension support that may increase specialty crop system resilience under drought, heat waves, and floods in a changing climate.

Mallika Nocco is an Assistant Cooperative Extension Professor in Soil-Plant-Water Relations & Irrigation Management in the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources at UC Davis. Her areas of expertise are in agrohydrology, irrigation, soil-plant-water conservation, crop water use physiology, soil hydrologic health, and thermal/multispectral aerial imagery for crop water stress evaluation. Mallika is a 2014 EPA STAR Fellow and 2017 David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow who is passionate about policy-relevant science and communication. She works with growers, policymakers, and water districts to develop irrigation management strategies that balance farm livelihoods, soil health, and water conservation. She is the co-host of the Water Talk Podcast (https://www.watertalkpodcast.com) and director of the Conservation Irrigation Lab (https://www.irrigationlab.com). Contact: Mallika Nocco, manocco@ucdavis.edu, @mallika_nocco on Twitter.

Career Opportunity at East Carolina University: Community and Program Coordinator

The ECU Water Resources Center seeks to hire a full-time Community and Program Coordinator.

The Community and Program Coordinator will take a lead role in implementing programs within the ECU Water Resources Center. About 50% of the position will be focused on program coordination for the Coastal Community and Environmental Data Scholars National Research Traineeship program. The NRT coordinator will be responsible for a broad range of activities in this graduate education program, including student engagement and records management, partnering with faculty on curricular design and program implementation, student recruitment, and outreach development (e.g., seminars, internships, partnerships, etc.). The remaining 50% of the position will focus on the management of projects in support of the Center’s community engagement and relationship development activities. These activities include building partnerships within and external to ECU, coordinating stakeholders to support the development and implementation of Center programs, project planning and assessment of outcomes, leadership and coordination of student programs across the Center, and supervision of student participants and employees. The Coordinator will be responsible for organizing community building events within and external to the University, including the annual Tar River Community Science Festival. The position is located in Greenville, NC. Travel is required in the performance of duties. Annual salary is expected to be in the range of $50,000-60,000.

Learn more about the position and apply here: https://ecu.peopleadmin.com/postings/60782

Questions about the position should be directed to Stephen Moysey (moyseys18@ecu.edu), Director of the Water Resources Center.

2 Job Opportunities: Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations (WAI)

The Workforce 4 Water program (W4W) program aims to assist in addressing the critical need in Hawai‘i for additional wastewater professionals. W4W is seeking a Curriculum Developer/Instructor and a Recruitment Specialist. These positions are critical for the islands to reach their goal of converting cesspools to more advanced forms of treatment by 2050. 

1.) Curriculum Developer / Instructor

2.) Recruitment Specialist

Click here: More Information and Apply

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