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UCOWR

Universities Council on Water Resources

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Board Election Information

Call for Nominations for UCOWR Board of Directors

November 1, 2024

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

Last day to submit is Friday, December 13, 2024.

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, 2025 – June 30, 2026 are:

  • President, Lucas Gregory, Texas A&M University
  • President Elect, Sam Fernald, New Mexico State University
  • Past President, Jeffrey Peterson, University of Minnesota
  • Laura Bowling, Purdue University
  • Bridget Guerrero, West Texas A&M University
  • Erin Haacker, University of Nebraska
  • Ginger Paige, University of Wyoming
  • Kevin Wagner, University of Oklahoma

Email nominations to Elaine egroninger@siu.edu at the UCOWR home office no later than Friday, December 13, 2024.

The election will open early March 2025 and conclude April 2025.

New board members will take office at the end of our June 2025 Board of Directors Meeting.

Board of Directors Graduate Student Position

 Graduate Student Position 

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

This position provides 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 student position on the Board will follow the same timeline as the regular Board Nomination and Election process.
  • The election will open March 2025 and conclude April 2025.
  • New board members will take office at the end of our June 2025 Board of Directors meeting.
  • Deadline for Nominations: December 13, 2024

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 Elaine egroninger@siu.edu at the UCOWR home office no later than Friday, December 13, 2024. 

The election will open March 2025 and conclude April 2025.

New board members will take office at the end of our June 2025 Board of Directors meeting.

UCOWR National Water Webinar: Public Health Applications for Water Resources By Dr. Anna Gitter

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY and UNIVERSITIES COUNCIL ON WATER RESOURCES PRESENT

Public Health Applications for Water Resources
By Dr. Anna Gitter

Date: Tuesday, April 29th, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm central time
Location: Microsoft Teams Webinar

This virtual event is free and open to the public. Click here to reserve your spot today.

Dr. Anna Gitter is an Assistant Professor in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and affiliated faculty with the Center for Health Equity and the Southwest Center for Environmental and Occupational Health at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

Water management is an interdisciplinary field that requires expertise across diverse sectors, including policy, engineering, life sciences, and public health. Often, when we think of water and public health, drinking water quality or wastewater management comes to mind. This presentation will highlight the critical need for why water resources management should be developed with critical attention to the relationship between public health and water. A few specific examples, including recreational water quality, wastewater-based epidemiology, and tap water avoidance, will be discussed to showcase the value of evaluating “water” topics through a public health lens.

Come join the conversation!

View Webinar Flyer

Connect with UCOWR’s Network of Water Extension and Engagement Professionals

Extension and outreach programs play a critical role in addressing on-the-ground water resource issues at a range of scales, local to national. It is estimated that about a quarter of UCOWR’s membership holds responsibilities related to outreach education, and that number is growing. Click on the UCOWR Extension Flyer to learn more about connecting with UCOWR’s network of water extension and engagement professionals.

USGS National Water Availability Assessment webinar

Webinar: USGS National Water Availability Assessment

Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST

Location: Microsoft Teams Webinar

Join the USGS Water Resources Mission Area for a briefing on the National Water Availability Assessment, a pioneering scientific overview of water availability across the conterminous United States.

This new assessment is the first of its kind, offering new insights on where there is a potential imbalance between water supply and demand in the United States. The assessment uses state-of-the-art models to fill in gaps between monitoring sites and sampling events and integrates information on water quantity, quality and use for a more comprehensive understanding of water availability. The findings of the National Water Availability Assessment can be explored by reading the report, retrieving data from the user-friendly National Water Availability Assessment Data Companion, and touring the supplemental data visualization website.

During this virtual event, attendees will learn about the key findings of the Assessment and how to access the data, hear stories of USGS water availability science across the country, and have the opportunity to ask questions of the team behind this effort.

Direct link for registration: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/596e6c86-cc0f-4c9c-bd24-1b9a582bcb02@0693b5ba-4b18-4d7b-9341-f32f400a5494

Texas A&M AgriLife Research Assistant Professor in Sustainable Urban Water

The Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas Water Research Institute (TWRI) are seeking a highly motivated and visionary Assistant Professor in Sustainable Urban Water Management. The appointment is a 12-month based position with 75% research and 25% extension. The candidate is expected to lead at the forefront of innovation and technology, particularly in the realm of plant-water relationships, the use of alternative water resources for irrigation, the implementation of climate-based irrigation technologies, the development of blue-green infrastructure, and active engagement in citizen science initiatives.

This position has the potential to integrate with existing programs at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas, especially in turfgrass and urban landscape, ecological engineering, and controlled environment horticulture (CEH) programs as well as complement water research programs at other research and extension centers and departments. Furthermore, this role at the Dallas Center has the potential to emerge as a central hub for tackling urban water challenges in five major Texas metropolitan areas – Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin. Given that two-thirds of Texas’ population resides in these areas, maintaining a robust research and extension program under effective leadership while stressing the importance of active stakeholder and community engagement will be crucial for long-term sustainable urban water management in the state of Texas.

Applications due 4/18/2025.

Find out more and apply here.

Minnesota Water Resources Director

Minnesota is accepting applications for the Minnesota Water Resources Director. The director will provide strong intellectual leadership and guidance for the WRC, and will work to advance the Center’s research, extension, and education to the very forefront of Water Resource Centers worldwide, while maintaining a strong emphasis on water issues of importance to Minnesota. The director will be expected to work closely with non-profit and for-profit sectors, government, and other educational organizations, in shaping and fostering the outreach programs of the Center. This will include leading teams that translate scientific findings to application and practice, and articulate water science and policy findings in public forums as well as to industry and individuals. It is expected that the director will form an external advisory committee and will be responsible for developing comprehensive five-year strategic plans for the WRC.

The successful candidate must have the ability to provide innovative leadership and vision, management skills and insight, and adeptly manage relationships across a wide spectrum of institutions and intellectual disciplines.  Fostering an organizational and educational climate that promotes and celebrates interdisciplinary excellence is an important priority; thus, the candidate must have experience leading interdisciplinary research projects and facilitating collaboration across a wide range of disciplines, including the natural and social sciences, engineering, and policy. It is important that the candidate has a record of successful fundraising, including major research grants.

Find out more and apply here.

Ecohydrology of Grassland Systems Professor at Kansas State University

The Division of Biology at Kansas State University is inviting applications for a tenure-track, nine-month position as the Assistant/Associate Professor level. This position will focus broadly on ecohydrology of grassland systems. Potential areas of expertise could include riparian ecosystem function, linking groundwater to climate change mediated by biota, watershed ecosystems, or hydrology and biogeochemistry.

To learn more about the position and application requirements, please visit the position posting online.

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