WaterWired

Benefits & Challenges: Virginia Tech Unveils A New Undergraduate Degree in Water Resources, Policy & Management

At the recently-concluded 2018 AWRA Annual Conference in Baltimore Karl Williard of SIU convened and moderated a panel on Benefits and Challenges of Delivering Interdisciplinary Graduate and Undergraduate Education in Water Resources. Besides Karl the panelists were Sharon B. Megdal of the University of Arizona, Stephen Schoenholtz of Virginia Tech and yours truly.

Here is a description of the panel:

The science and policy of water resources involves many disciplines including hydrology, hydrogeology, engineering, chemistry, economics, law, and sociology and effective management of water resources commonly requires complex, interdisciplinary solutions.  Accordingly, in the past two decades, academia has responded to the need for training future water professionals by creating interdisciplinary water resources and hydrology graduate and more recently undergraduate education programs.  The federal government has also responded to this need by encouraging the training of interdisciplinary scientists through funding programs such as the National Science Foundation’s Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (NSF IGERT).  True interdisciplinary education and training is difficult to accomplish.  For example, universities need to rely on faculty who themselves were trained predominantly in disciplinary environments to lead and develop these education programs.  Successful interdisciplinary training requires new and novel approaches to education.  The panel discussion will highlight some of the successes and challenges associated with training the next generation of interdisciplinary water professionals from the perspective of well-established and relatively new education programs. 

Karl gave an overview of this important topic and Sharon and I recounted our experiences and thoughts on the topic. Stephen provided something different: a presentation on Virgina Tech's innovative new undergraduate degree, the first and only one of its kind in the USA: 

Download AWRA2018_Schoenholtz

Here is the blurb from the degree program's website: 

 Few undergraduate degree programs provide integrated training in water science, policy, and management; yet, professionals are required to have interdisciplinary expertise in these areas to solve critical problems facing society today and in the future. Water: Resources, Policy, and Management, administered by the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, is an interdisciplinary program and the first its kind in Virginia and is unique to any other undergraduate program anywhere in the U.S. The new degree program offers a strong interdisciplinary approach to water science, policy and management, while complementing existing undergraduate degree programs at Virginia Tech.

 I am generally skeptical of undergraduate degrees in 'water resources' simply because I think that the study of water resources is best done at the graduate level after receiving an undergraduate degree in a fundamental discipline related to some aspect of water (e.g., geology, civil/environmental/ecological engineering, economics, ecology, chemistry, political science, and many more). That said, I wish Stephen and Virginia Tech much luck with their innovative, groundbreaking degree program.

Perhaps a new educatonal paradigm is in the making. 

"The purpose of education is not to make men carpenters, but to make carpenters men." -- W.E.B. Du Bois

CRS Report: 'Internships, Fellowships, and Other Work Experience Opportunities in the Federal Government'

This recent (1 November 2018) CRS report by Christina Miracle Bailey, Jennifer E. Manning and Kathleen E. Marchsteiner might prove useful to students, young professionals and others: Internships, Fellowships, and Other Work Experience Opportunities in the Federal Government.

Download CRS_Internships_Fellowships_Fed_Govt_1Nov2018

Summary

While there are many opportunities in the federal government for internships, fellowships, and other work experience, there is no comprehensive source to assist in locating these opportunities. This report describes internet resources for prominent and popular opportunities for internship, fellowship, and work experience programs within the federal government. The report is intended as a selective guide for students of all levels: high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate. It provides information on legislative, executive, and judicial branch opportunities and links to several aggregators of jobs data. The introduction provides a number of insights to assist applicants on understanding terminology, timing applications, and expectations for types of work involved.

Great information.

Enjoy!

"By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hiurs a day." - Robert Frost

From UCL Press - New Open-Access Book: 'Citizen Science - Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy'

UCL Press is performing a great public service by offering an open-access (as a PDF) book, Citizen Science - Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy edited by Susanne Hecker, Muki Haklay, Anne Bowser, Zen Makuch, Johannes Vogel and Aletta Bonn. 

Download Citizen_Science

You can also purchase the book in hardcover or paper.

Here is the blurb on the book's website:

Citizen science, the active participation of the public in scientific research projects, is a rapidly expanding field in open science and open innovation. It provides an integrated model of public knowledge production and engagement with science. As a growing worldwide phenomenon, it is invigorated by evolving new technologies that connect people easily and effectively with the scientific community. Catalysed by citizens’ wishes to be actively involved in scientific processes, as a result of recent societal trends, it also offers contributions to the rise in tertiary education. In addition, citizen science provides a valuable tool for citizens to play a more active role in sustainable development.

Citizen Science: Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy identifies and explains the role of citizen science within innovation in science and society, and as a vibrant and productive science-policy interface. The scope of this volume is global, geared towards identifying solutions and lessons to be applied across science, practice and policy. The chapters consider the role of citizen science in the context of the wider agenda of open science and open innovation, and discusses progress towards responsible research and innovation, two of the most critical aspects of science today.

 Check out the ToC:

1 Innovation in open science, society and policy – setting the agenda for citizen science
Susanne Hecker, Muki Haklay, Anne Bowser, Zen Makuch, Johannes Vogel and Aletta Bonn

PART I Innovation in citizen science – setting the scene
2 Ten principles of citizen science
Lucy Danielle Robinson, Jade Lauren Cawthray, Sarah Elizabeth West, Aletta Bonn and Janice Ansine 3 Scientific impacts and innovations of citizen science
Jennifer L. Shirk and Rick Bonney
4 Participatory citizen science
Muki Haklay
5 Technology infrastructure for citizen science
Peter Brenton, Stephanie von Gavel, Ella Vogel and Marie-Elise Lecoq
6 Evaluating citizen science: Towards an open framework
Barbara Kieslinger, Teresa Schäfer, Florian Heigl, Daniel Dörler, Anett Richter and Aletta Bonn

PART II Innovation in science with and for society
7 Watching or being watched: Enhancing productive discussion between the citizen sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities
Dana Mahr, Claudia Göbel, Alan Irwin and Katrin Vohland
8 The value of indigenous and local knowledge as citizen science
Finn Danielsen, Neil D. Burgess, Indiana Coronado, Martin Enghoff, Sune Holt, Per M. Jensen, Michael K. Poulsen and Ricardo M. Rueda
9 Citizen engagement and collective intelligence for participatory digital social innovation
Jasminko Novak, Mathias Becker, François Grey and Rosy Mondardini
10 Creative collaboration in citizen science and the evolution of ThinkCamps
Margaret Gold and Erinma Ochu
11 Integrating citizen science into university
Daniel Wyler and Muki Haklay

PART IIA Case studies
12 Citizen science on the Chinese mainland
Chunming Li
13 The European citizen science landscape – a snapshot
Susanne Hecker, Lisa Garbe and Aletta Bonn
14 Stakeholder engagement in water quality research: A case study based on the Citclops and MONOCLE projects
Luigi Ceccaroni and Jaume Piera
15 Global mosquito alert
John R.B. Palmer, Martin Brocklehurst, Elizabeth Tyson, Anne Bowser, Eleonore Pauwels and Frederic Bartumeus

PART III Innovation at the science-policy interface
16 Citizen science for policy formulation and implementation
Susana Nascimento, Jose Miguel Rubio Iglesias, Roger Owen, Sven Schade and Lea Shanley
17 Citizen science and Responsible Research and Innovation
Melanie Smallman
18 Conservation outcomes of citizen science
Heidi L. Ballard, Tina B. Phillips and Lucy Robinson 

19 Capacity building in citizen science
Anett Richter, Daniel Dörler, Susanne Hecker, Florian Heigl, Lisa Pettibone, Fermin Serrano Sanz, Katrin Vohland and Aletta Bonn
20 Citizen science in environmental protection agencies
Roger P. Owen and Alison J. Parker

PART IV Innovation in technology and environmental monitoring
21 Citizen science technologies and new opportunities for participation
Suvodeep Mazumdar, Luigi Ceccaroni, Jaume Piera, Franz Hölker, Arne J. Berre, Robert Arlinghaus and Anne Bowser
22 Maximising the impact and reuse of citizen science data
Jamie Williams, Colin Chapman, Didier Guy Leibovici, Grégoire Loïs, Andreas Matheus, Alessandro Oggioni, Sven Schade, Linda See and Paul Pieter Lodewijk van Genuchten
23 Enhancing national environmental monitoring through local citizen science
Hester Volten, Jeroen Devilee, Arnoud Apituley, Linda Carton, Michel Grothe, Christoph Keller, Frank Kresin, Anne LandZandstra, Erik Noordijk, Edith van Putten, Jeroen Rietjens, Frans Snik, Erik Tielemans, Jan Vonk, Marita Voogt and Joost Wesseling
24 Citizen science to monitor light pollution – a useful tool for studying human impacts on the environment
Sibylle Schroer, Christopher C.M. Kyba, Roy van Grunsven, Irene Celino, Oscar Corcho and Franz Hölker

PART V Innovation in science communication and education
25 Science for everybody? Bridging the socio-economic gap in urban biodiversity monitoring 369 Taru Peltola and Isabelle Arpin
26 Learning and developing science capital through citizen science
Richard Edwards, Sarah Kirn, Thomas Hillman, Laure Kloetzer, Katherine Mathieson, Diarmuid McDonnell and Tina Phillips
27 Children and citizen science
Karen E. Makuch and Miriam R. Aczel
28 Turning students into citizen scientists
John Harlin, Laure Kloetzer, Dan Patton, Chris Leonhard and Leysin American School high school students
29 Citizen science and the role of natural history museums
Andrea Sforzi, John Tweddle, Johannes Vogel, Grégoire Lois, Wolfgang Wägele, Poppy Lakeman-Fraser, Zen Makuch and Katrin Vohland
30 Stories can change the world – citizen science communication in practice
Susanne Hecker, Monique Luckas, Miriam Brandt, Heidy Kikillus, Ilona Marenbach, Bernard Schiele, Andrea Sieber, Arnold J.H. van Vliet, Ulrich Walz and Wolfgang Wende

Conclusions
31 Citizen science to foster innovation in open science, society and policy
Aletta Bonn, Susanne Hecker, Anne Bowser, Zen Makuch, Johannes Vogel and Muki Haklay

I'm in!

Enjoy!

"It is well for people who think to change their minds occasionally in order to keep them clean. For those who do not think, it is best at least to rearrange their prejudices once in a while." - Luther Burbank

Report from TAMU Law School Students: 'Flooding Events Post Hurricane Harvey - Potential Liability for Dam and Reservoir Operators and Recommendations Moving Forward'

Gabriel Eckstein, friend, Professor extraordinaire and Director of the Texas A&M Law School's Program in Natural Resources Systems, and Howard S. Slobodin, General Counsel of the Trinity River Authority of Texas, supervised TAMU law students David Ayala, Ashley Graves, Colton Lauer, Henrik Strand, Chad Taylor, Kyle Weldon, and Ryan Wood in the writing of the report:'Flooding Events Post Hurricane Harvey: Potential Liability for Dam and Reservoir Operators and Recommendations Moving Forward'.

Download Flooding Events Post Hurricane Harvey

 Here is the blurb that Gabriel sent around with his email:

A new report from Texas A&M University School of Law considers what liability dam and reservoir operators might face in light of the massive flooding that occurred in the Houston area following Hurricane Harvey: Flooding Events Post Hurricane Harvey: Potential Liability and Dam and Reservoir Operators and Recommendations Moving Forward.

Developed in the context of a capstone course, the student-written report reviews current dam and reservoir operations in Texas and examines relevant legal issues—such as inverse condemnation, sovereign immunity, water law, land use, tort liability, and others—that might arise in claims related to actions taken by dam operators in response to storm and flooding events. It also offers best practices recommendations for dam operations, including flooding notifications and building community relations, as a means to engage and educate the public, and thereby reduce the potential for disputes and litigation.

The full report can be accessed at www.law.tamu.edu/flooding..

Here is the Executive Summary:

When Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast as a category 4 hurricane on August 25, 2017, it resulted in $125 billion in damage, rivaling only Hurricane Katrina in the amount of damage caused. It also resulted in the deaths of 88 people and destroyed or damaged 135,000 homes. Much of that devastation was the result of flooding. The storm dumped over 27 trillion gallons of rain over Texas in a matter of days. Some parts of Houston received over 50 inches of rainfall.

The potential liability that dam and reservoir operators may face for decisions they make during storm and flooding events has now become a major concern for Texas citizens and its elected officials. Law suits have now been instituted against the federal government for its operation of two flood control reservoirs, as well as against the San Jacinto River Authority for its operation of a water supply reservoir. Moreover, the issues and concerns have been placed on the agenda of a number of committees preparing for the 2019 Texas legislative session.

This report reviews current dam and reservoir operations in Texas and examines the potential liability that such operators may face for actions and decisions taken in response to storm and flooding events. In Section III, the report reviews dam gate operations and differentiates between water supply reservoirs and flood control reservoirs. It also considers pre-release options and explains why such actions are disfavored and not recommended.

In Section IV, the report evaluates liabilities and defenses applicable to dam and reservoir operators. It explains how governmental immunity can limit the exposure of state and federally-run facilities to claims seeking monetary damages. It also discusses how such entities could be subject to claims of inverse condemnation, which generally are not subject to governmental immunity, under Texas law as well as under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In addition, the Section discusses negligence and nuisance claims and concludes that plaintiffs asserting either or both of these claims will have difficulty presenting successful arguments for flooding-related damage and harm against operators who act reasonably in the face of storm-related precipitation.

Finally, Section V offers recommendations that dam and reservoir operators might pursue in order to engage and educate the public and thereby reduce the potential for disputes and litigation. Specifically, the report highlights the need for expanded community outreach efforts to engage with municipalities, private land owners, and the business community in flood-prone neighborhoods both below and above a dam. It also recommends implementation of proactive flood notification procedures as a way of reaching and alerting as many people as possible of potential and imminent flooding events. Finally, the report proposes implementation of a dispute prevention and minimization mechanism and offers recommendations for the design and execution of such a program.

The report is the work product of students enrolled in the Natural Resources Systems Capstone Seminar at Texas A&M University School of Law under the supervision of Gabriel Eckstein, Professor of Law and Director of the TAMU Law Program in Natural Resources Systems, and Howard S. Slobodin, Adjunct Professor of Law and General Counsel of the Trinity River Authority of Texas.

Great experience for the students and an important publication.

Enjoy!

"No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood." - E. L. Kersten

GAO Report: 'K-12 Education - Lead Testing of School Drinking Water Would Benefit from Improved Federal Guidance'

The GAO weighs in on the schools and lead in drinking water issue with the July 2018 report: K-12 Education: Lead Testing of School Drinking Water Would Benefit from Improved Federal Guidance.

Click on the graphics to enlarge them.

Download GAO_Lead_Testing_Highlights_July2018

Download GAO_Lead_Testing_July2018

 Highlights
We surveyed school districts across the country on testing for lead in drinking water in 2017. Based on our nationally generalizable survey, we estimate that:

41% of districts, serving 12 million students, had not tested for lead in the 12 months before completing our survey.

43% of districts, serving 35 million students, tested for lead. Of those, 37% found elevated levels and reduced or eliminated exposure.

16% did not know if they had tested.

At least 8 states require schools to test for lead, and many others assist with voluntary testing.

We made 7 recommendations to promote testing and improve guidance for school districts.

What GAO Found
An estimated 43 percent of school districts, serving 35 million students, tested for lead in school drinking water in 2016 or 2017, according to GAO's nationwide survey of school districts. An estimated 41 percent of school districts, serving 12 million students, had not tested for lead. GAO's survey showed that, among school districts that did test, an estimated 37 percent found elevated lead (lead at levels above their selected threshold for taking remedial action.) (See figure.) All school districts that found elevated lead in drinking water reported taking steps to reduce or eliminate exposure to lead, including replacing water fountains, installing filters or new fixtures, or providing bottled water.

Note: GAO's survey was administered from July to October 2017 and asked school districts to report information based on the 12 months prior to their completing the survey. Testing estimates have a plus or minus 7 percent margin of error; elevated lead estimates have a plus or minus 10 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. Elevated lead refers to levels of lead above the school district's threshold for taking remedial action.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at least 8 states have requirements that schools test for lead in drinking water as of 2017, and at least 13 additional states supported school districts' voluntary efforts with funding or in-kind support for testing and remediation. In addition, the five states GAO visited provided examples of technical assistance to support testing in schools.

EPA provides guidance and other resources to states and school districts regarding testing and remediating lead in drinking water, and the Department of Education (Education) provides some of this information on its websites. School district officials that used EPA's written guidance said they generally found it helpful. Although EPA guidance emphasizes the importance of addressing elevated lead levels, GAO found that some aspects of the guidance, such as the threshold for taking remedial action, were potentially misleading and unclear, which can put school districts at risk of making uninformed decisions. In addition, many school districts reported a lack of familiarity with EPA's guidance, and their familiarity varied by region of the country. Education and EPA do not regularly collaborate to support state and school district efforts on lead in drinking water, despite agreeing to do so in a 2005 memorandum of understanding. Such collaboration could encourage testing and ensure that more school districts will have the necessary information to limit student and staff exposure to lead.

Why GAO Did This Study
No federal law requires testing of drinking water for lead in schools that receive water from public water systems, although these systems are regulated by the EPA. Lead can leach into water from plumbing materials inside a school. The discovery of toxic levels of lead in water in Flint, Michigan, in 2015 has renewed awareness about the danger lead exposure poses to public health, especially for children.

GAO was asked to review school practices for lead testing and remediation. This report examines the extent to which (1) school districts are testing for, finding, and remediating lead in drinking water; (2) states are supporting these efforts; and (3) federal agencies are supporting state and school district efforts. GAO administered a web-based survey to a stratified, random sample of 549 school districts, the results of which are generalizable to all school districts. GAO visited or interviewed officials with 17 school districts with experience in lead testing, spread among 5 states, selected for geographic variation. GAO also interviewed federal and state officials and reviewed relevant laws and documents.

What GAO Recommends
GAO is making seven recommendations, including that EPA update its guidance on how schools should determine lead levels requiring action and for EPA and Education to collaborate to further disseminate guidance and encourage testing for lead. EPA and Education agreed with the recommendations.

1) Recommendation: The Assistant Administrator for Water of EPA's Office of Water should promote further efforts to communicate the importance of testing for lead in school drinking water to address what has been a varied approach by regional offices. For example, the Assistant Administrator could direct those offices with limited involvement to build on the recent efforts of several regional offices to provide technical assistance and guidance, and other forms of support. (Recommendation 1)

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

2) Recommendation: The Assistant Administrator for Water of EPA's Office of Water should provide interim or updated guidance to help schools choose an action level for lead remediation and more clearly explain that the action level currently described in the 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools: Revised Technical Guidance is not a health-based standard. (Recommendation 2)

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

3) Recommendation: The Assistant Administrator for Water of EPA's Office of Water should, following the agency's revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), consider whether to develop a health-based level, to include in its guidance for school districts, that incorporates available scientific modeling regarding vulnerable population exposures and is consistent with the LCR. (Recommendation 3)

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

4) Recommendation: The Assistant Administrator for Water of EPA's Office of Water should provide information to states and school districts concerning schedules for testing school drinking water for lead, actions to take if lead is found in the drinking water, and costs of testing and remediation. (Recommendation 4)

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

5) Recommendation: The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education should improve the usability of Education's websites to ensure that the states and school districts can more easily find and access federal guidance to address lead in school drinking water, by taking actions such as clarifying which links contain guidance; highlighting new or important guidance; improving their websites' search function; and categorizing guidance. (Recommendation 5)

Agency Affected: Department of Education

6) Recommendation: The Assistant Administrator for Water of EPA's Office of Water and the Director of the Office of Children's Health Protection should collaborate with Education to encourage testing for lead in school drinking water. This effort could include further dissemination of EPA guidance related to lead testing and remediation in schools or sending letters to states to encourage testing in all school districts that have not yet done so. (Recommendation 6)

Agency Affected: Environmental Protection Agency

7) Recommendation: The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education should collaborate with EPA to encourage testing for lead in school drinking water. This effort could include disseminating EPA guidance related to lead testing and remediation in schools or sending letters to states to encourage testing in all school districts that have not yet done so. (Recommendation 7)

Agency Affected: Department of Education

Enjoy! 

"There are two things which cannot be taken out of water: one is salt and the other is politics." – J. Turley