Moving the Needle: Women In Water Awards Its Third Scholarship to Lauren Bartels, UN-Reno

Picture at the 2017 NWRA meeting where the WiW concept took hold. Brenda Burman, the newly-installed Reclamation Commissioner, is at the podium on the right. She is the first woman in that position. That's why you see all those smiles.

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The Women In Water Scholarship Fund is a relatively young 501(c)(3) organization (c. 2018) founded by Cheryl Zittle, Christine Arbogast and others with a noble goal (I won't tell you what it is). It just awarded its third scholarship ($5000) to Ms. Lauren Bartels of the University of Nevada-Reno's Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences. I am partial to the UNR program as I taught in it from 1976 - 1989.

Here is Lauren's statement upon learning of her success:

As I embark on my second and final year as a master’s student in the Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno, I could not be more thankful to receive the 2021-2022 Women in Water Scholarship. All my thanks go to the incredible women behind this award who recognize the need to broaden and diversify the field of water resources management and promote an integrated systems approach. 

 

Receiving this award allows me to pursue professional development opportunities over this next year. I believe one of the most beneficial aspects of graduate school is having the ability to connect and engage with researchers within and outside your discipline. There is always something new to learn, and much of the learning evolves from interactions with others. Sharing your research also opens avenues for collaboration and introduces new lines of thinking, both of which can considerably enhance your research.

 

Given that my research combines aspects of hydrogeology, engineering, and policy, I will present my findings at an interdisciplinary set of conferences hosted by local water professionals, political science associations, geoscience associations, and engineering groups. I hope to apply the knowledge I gain from diverse groups of individuals to implement sustainable water management practices and further encourage women to pursue careers in this field. As I continue to piece together my life puzzle, I will remain grateful for the support of the Women in Water Scholarship Fund.

 

I encourage you to donate to this excellent organization. Why? From the website:

When you contribute to the Women in Water Scholarship Fund, you're helping young women pursue fulfilling careers developing, managing and conserving this finite resource. We are an organization of volunteers and our only administrative costs are those necessary to process your donation.

Here is what Christine Arbogast recently said:

When I first "joined" the western water community in 1985, water leadership was provided by directors of water district boards, district general managers, and water lawyers. Nearly all were men." said Women in Water scholarship fund President, Christine Arbogast.

The face of the community has changed considerably since then. In all walks of the western water world, women are in high-profile, leadership positions which help influence the water policy so critical to the semi-arid West.

Tanya Trujillo has been confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the Biden Administration.

Brenda Burman was the first female Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation and Camille Camlimlum Touton has been nominated to serve as her successor.

Cheryl Zittle of the Salt River Project was the first female president of the National Water Resources Association, and Christine Arbogast now serves as President.

April Snell is the executive director of the Oregon Water Resources Association.

Leslie James leads the Colorado River Electric Distributors' Association.

The Texas Water Conservation Association is led by Stacey Steinbach.

The nine-member Colorado Water Conservation Board has five female members, and its executive director is Becky Mitchell.

And the list of talented engineers, lawyers, governmental affairs directors, managers and board members goes on and on.

I would add Pat Mulroy, Sharon B. Megdal (Director of the Arizona Water Resources Research Center and a former elected BoD member of the Central Arizona Project) and Arlene Dietz (first woman president of the American Water Resources Association - thanks, Ken Reid) to the above list. 

Things are changing, although we still have a ways to go. WiW will help show us the way.

And don't forget - we still need to increase the diversity in the water world. 

Enjoy!

"My hope is that someday, when asked how she got into western water, a young woman will say 'Christine inspired me.'" - Christine Arbogast

Comments

[Ken Reid]

Michael, what about considering Arlene Dietz? She was the first women elected president of the American Water Resources Association.