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Dear Friends & Colleagues,
Sunny summer has arrived, and so has CUAHSI with June's news!
In this month's edition, we are highlighting the 2019 CUAHSI Conference on Hydroinformatics. Remember, the deadline to submit a poster abstract is June 15! Conference and submission details can be found below.
There are still spots open for several training workshops scheduled for this summer. Keep reading to find out more about how to register.
CUAHSI is hiring! We are searching for a candidate to fill the postdoctoral research associate position in Flood Resilience. for more info and to apply, visit here.
As most of you already know, CUAHSI has bid adieu to Liza Brazil, our former Product Manager. Liza has written a goodbye letter to all of us, and you can read it below in the Data Down Low section!
A big congratulations to David Tarboton! David was named Lab Director for the Utah Water Research Lab at Utah State University. Read the complete announcement here.
Finally, Jerad Bales gives us some insight as to how water has been weaponized over the centuries and what can be done to possibly mitigate the issue. |
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A Message from the Executive Director
Dear Friends of Water Science:
Earlier this year, the Journal of Hydrology had a special issue on Water Diplomacy. That issue, my recent experience with the Mekong River Commission, through which five nations seek to cooperate on water data and river management, and recent news reports about the use of water as a weapon both by nations and rogue groups highlights global water risks, as well as possible pathways to solutions.
In the Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis observes that “What we call Man’s power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instruments,” which indeed is true as water is weaponized. The Pacific Institute maintains a chronological list of conflicts related to water, whether water is being used as a weapon, as a trigger for conflict, or water resources are a victim of conflict, with the first recorded event occurring in 3,000 BCE. In 2018, 18 events of violence and water were identified; of those events, 11 of the violent events were triggered by water conflict, which seems to be consistent with recent reporting: water more often is a trigger for conflict or a casualty of conflict than used as a weapon.
These observations are consistent with the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risks Reports. In recent reports, water crises, mass migration, failure of climate-change adaptation and mitigations, and natural disasters all have been among the most likely events and the most impactful events on the global economy. Climate change is about water; mass migration often is triggered by water or food crises, and most natural disasters involve water directly (e.g. floods, droughts) or indirectly (e.g. earthquakes and water infrastructure).
On the other hand, we have observed how an agreement on water and water-data sharing between Israel and Jordan, for example, has helped stabilize relations between those nations, and although rivals in other arenas, Pakistan and India have maintained a fairly robust water-sharing agreement in the Indus River Basin. Through support from the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (of which the U.S. is no longer a member) and others, Oregon State University maintains a database of international water treaties for the period 1820 – 2007, with the database currently being updated to 2017. The UN Food and Agricultural Organization, which estimates that there have been more than 3,600 water treaties developed in the last 3,000 years, also maintains a water treaty database, but I find it to be a bit more difficult to use.
So, a few observations from this short summary: (1) I believe it is important that future scientists (and current ones) be trained in history, including the history of science, and exposed to water policy and diplomacy. (2) Climate change and warming temperatures are increasingly important factors in triggering water conflict; the scientific role in helping understand, communicate, and mitigate water scarcity, likewise, is increasingly critical.
All the best,
Jerad
Submit an Abstract for a Poster Presentation!
We have a program to announce!
The Conference Program has been released! Check out the program to see a complete list of the scheduled Poster Presentations, sessions, lightening talks, and more! To see the Conference Program, visit here.
Remember, the Conference registration deadline is July 15, 2019! Register here.
Poster Presentations
Poster abstracts are due June 15, 2019. To submit an abstract, fill out the abstract submission form here. To inquire about travel support, email Jon Pollak at jpollk@cuahsi.org.
Posters will be available throughout the duration of the Conference! Take a look at some of the scheduled poster presentations below:
- A Convolutional Neural Network for Near-Real time Precipitation Estimation from Bispectral Satellite Information
- David M Weekly - University of Kansas
- A formal Bayesian calibration method for a multi-layer vadose zone model using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation and field soil moisture data.
- Hui Wang - Tampa Bay Water
- A hydrologic and hydraulic modeling approach for the storm triggered cascading flood inundation
- Mengye Chen - University of Oklahoma
- From Flood Forecast to Flood Impact
- Rohit Khattar - Brigham Young University
- Using a 3D model to investigate the spatial patterns of algal growth in western Lake Michigan
- Bahram Khazaei - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
...and many more! To see a complete list, you can refer to the Conference program. |
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Upcoming Training Workshops
We still have space for several upcoming workshops! Attending a training workshop can be a great way to master a new method or instrumentation technique. It's also a great way to collaborate, network, and make new friends in your field!
We are now accepting applications for the Community WRF-Hydro Modeling System Training Workshop! keep reading for application details and deadlines.
A very limited number of student travel grants are available to graduate students and post-docs enrolled in U.S. universities at the time of registration and workshop on a first-come, first-served basis.
Contact Elizabeth Tran at etran@cuahsi.org for more information
Open Source Hydrology Sensor Bootcamp
Deadline Extended! The new registration deadline for this workshop is June 20, 2019
Join Branko Kerkez at the University of Michigan and explore how adapting lessons learned in the study of pristine and remote hydrologic watersheds can transfer to the study of urban watersheds, one of the most understudied hydrologic systems.
The workshop will cover the following:
- Sensing
- Data Services
- Mechanical Assembly
- Real-world deployment
- Streams/River Stage
- Water Quality
- Soil Moisture and Precipitation
- Flow Control
When: August 7, 2019 - August 9, 2019
Where: University of Michigan
Register now!
DIY Water Monitoring, Data Portals, and Watershed Modeling
Join Scott Ensign, Shannon Hicks, David Arscott, and Chet Udell for the DIY Water Monitoring, Data Portals, and Watershed Modeling workshop!
Participants will build and deploy microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators. Many commonly asked questions, troubleshooting steps, and diagnostic procedures will be covered in this hands-on curriculum. The sensor data collected by participants will be immediately available online, thereby enabling a hands-on tutorial on data portals and visualization. Finally, participants will be introduced to a variety of online data management software and hydrologic modeling programs.
Registration Deadlines: Early Bird: June 15, 2019 Regular: June 30, 2019
Register now!
The Community WRF-Hydro Modeling System
NCAR is partnering with CUAHSI to offer a 3-day workshop at NCAR in Boulder Colorado to those who would like a in-depth training on the implementation and use of the WRF_Hydro Modeling System!
Topics to be covered during the workshop include:
- Conceptualization and structure of the WRF_Hydro system
- Model porting and compilation, and an overview of parallel computing with WRF-Hydro
- Hands-on experimental model simulations and comparisons with a prepared example test case
- ....and much more!
To apply to this workshop, applicants much be current or incoming graduate students, post-docs, academics, or professionals working in hydrology and/or the atmospheric sciences.
Applicants must have experience in the following:
- Hydrologic and/or atmospheric modeling
- UNIX, running UNIX command line operations and text editors.
- Familiarity with the R and/or Python programming language
When: October 15 - October 18, 2019
Where: NCAR, National Center for Atmospheric Research
Application Deadline: July 12 at 5:00 p.m. EDT
Application instructions and details can be found here.
Snow Measurement Field School
Join us for a 4-day field school geared toward making and analyzing snow measurements January 6 - 9, 2020 at the AMC Highland Center in Bretton Woods, NH.
This workshop is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, professionals and senior scientists, modelers and remote sensors that will make snow measurements as part of their research, or use snowpack data in their research.
Application Deadline: September 15, 2019 by 5 p.m. EDT
For more information including how to apply, please visit here.
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CUAHSI's Data Down-low
A Note from Liza Brazil, CUAHSI's former Community Support Specialist
I remember meeting Jon Pollak, CUAHSI's current Program Manager and previous Community Support Specialist, at the 2015 Shale Network Conference at Penn State University. At the time, I was working with Susan Brantley on a short-term contract and was eager to find a full-time gig. I think I actually asked almost everyone at the conference what they did for their profession and how they managed to get there. I was hoping someone would provide some wisdom to push me forward and maybe offer me a job! A few weeks later, I was told Jon was looking to hire someone at CUAHSI for an entry-level position and had asked about me! I was thrilled! I had an idea of what CUAHSI did, but I wasn't really sure where I would fit in.
I started at CUAHSI a few months later in August 2015 as the Community Support Specialist. We had eight employees and had just launched HydroClient, the new and improved online HydroDesktop! About a year into the job, I learned about HydroShare and that we were planning to work with a team of researchers on a new and exciting water data management platform. David Tarboton called me up and walked me through HydroShare in detail and shortly after I was writing user documentation and helping to answer questions from early adopter HydroShare users. Our team was growing, we had hired Liz Tran and then Tony Castronova a few months later. Little did I know Liz and Tony would become my close friends and amazing additions to the team.
In 2017, we looked for a new Executive Director, as Rick Hooper was getting ready to retire from CUAHSI. I remember meeting Jerad Bales in his interview and being excited with the potential to work with him...although I had to say I was a little intimidated! Jerad has pushed CUAHSI forward in so many ways that I almost didn't accept this next position as I wanted to stay with CUAHSI just to be a part of all the excitement.
Two years in, we had continued expanding our team and making great strides with HydroShare and HIS. We began working with a group of students from the Olin College of Engineering who introduced us all to User Experience Design and motivated
me to get my UX Design Certificate. This was the turning point in my career where I felt a passion not only for supporting science but also for product management and UX Design. My manager, Martin Seul, and our Executive Director, Jerad Bales, supported me and let me explore my newfound passions. I got to be involved in so many interesting and impactful projects at CUAHSI, from supporting a data management project in Chile with IBM, to helping manage a group of undergraduate students during a year-long capstone project. I will miss this community and miss being a part of such an impactful mission, but I am excited to strengthen my product management skills and hopefully come back to science in the future. I want to give a shout out to my CUAHSI family but also to the many collaborators who have pushed me to work hard and supported me along the way.
Featuring the new "Getting Started" page on HydroShare
Check out the new page on HydroShare, featuring a "Getting Started" section that allows you to quickly learn about HydroShare, including a list of the 5 recently visited resources to allow you to pick up right where you left off last time you visited HydroShare, and a section with additional tools to allow for quick navigation. See an example of what you will see on the new homepage below.
In addition to the new homepage, we have streamlined the process for creating new resources. Follow the steps below to create a new resource:
- Sign into your account, and click on the "Create" button in the top navigation menu.
- Enter a title for the resource you are creating
After the second step, you are immediately taken to the resource landing page where you can add files and edit metadata!
Questions? Contact help@cuahsi.org
CUAHSI Water Data Services Workshop | 2019 UCOWR/NIWR Conference
The CUAHSI Water Data Services workshop at the 2019 UCOWR/NIWR Conference was a great success!
The workshop was a featured event at the 2019 UCOWR Annual Water Resources Conference on June 11, 2019 and led by Christina Bandaragoda. Check out the workshop resource on HydroShare here, including a presentation on "Tools and Cyberinfrastructure for Water Data Publication, Discovery, Research, and Collaboration."
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AGU Hydrology Section Survey
Are you a member of the AGU Hydrology Section? If so, you may have seen a note and questionnaire about Section member interest in a Spring AGU Hydrology Section meeting.
We encourage you to respond to the survey! CUAHSI is working with the Hydrology Section on this potential meeting, and the CUAHSI BOD will be discussing the potential partnership at the July Board Meeting.
The results of the AGU survey will be released once the results are available!
Questions? Please reach out to Jerad Bales at jdbales@cuahsi.org.
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Submit an Abstract to CUAHSI Sessions at AGU Fall Meeting 2019!
Have you considered submitting an abstract to a CUAHSI session at the AGU Fall Meeting 2019? Now is your chance! The deadline to submit an abstract to a CUAHSI session is July 31, 2019.
This year, we have seven sessions scheduled:
More information including how to submit an abstract can be found here.
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Meet the CUAHSI Community
This is the next installment of our series as we shine the spotlight on a member of the CUAHSI community.
[Know a CUAHSI member that deserves to be highlighted? Contact commgr@cuahsi.org with a nomination!]
This month’s Meet the CUAHSI Community introduces you to Maryam Asgari-Iamjiri. Maryam was a 2018 Summer Institute Fellow, as well as a participant in the WRF-Hydro Workshop last year! Maryam is currently fulfilling her role as a Course Coordinator at the 2019 Summer Institute at the National Water Center! Get to know Maryam by reading her answers to the questions below.
What are your research interests?
I'm interested in understanding hydrologic impacts of extreme precipitation and how global warming influences these extreme events. In particular, I've been studying characteristics of Atmopsheric River-driven precipitation, mostly along the west coast of the United States. Atmospheric Rivers are important for both water resources and flood management of western States of the US, especially California, which suffers from large inter-annual variability of annual precipitation.
How did you get involved with CUAHSI?
I first got to know about CUAHSI when I visited their booth at the 2016 AGU, but didn't get involved with them until last summer when I participated in the National Water Center Summer Institute 2018. I've been involved with CUAHSI ever since and I'm currently serving as a course coordinator for the National Water Center Summer Institute 2019.
How did the 2018 Summer Institute and the WRF-Hydro workshop impact your research?
The Summer Institute was a great learning and networking opportunity. CUAHSI and the National Water Center created a friendly, productive, and collaborative environment for the students from different US universities to work with theme leads with diverse skill set and expertise on projects related to the National Water Model. The Summer Institute was a unique opportunity and helped my research in different aspects both scientifically and personally. Attending the WRF-Hydro workshop prior to the start of the Summer Institute positively influenced my experience, especially since it involved many hands-on exercises.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to graduate students who are embarking on careers in water science?
From my point of view and especially for PhD students, sometimes the research becomes very detailed and focused on a specific field or region. Opportunities such as the National Water Center Summer Institute can help students widen their knowledge of water sciences, understand real-world problems related to this field, and experience at least a part of the challenge that water managers face every day. I strongly encourage students to take advantage of such programs.
What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of work?
I love going to the beach, kayaking, and swimming and also enjoy watching horror movies now and then.
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