USU sponsors recent UCOWR Conference at Snowbird, UT

USU recently sponsored the UCOWR/NIWR Annual Water Resources Conference at Snowbird, Utah, June 11-13, 2019. UWRL faculty member and UCOWR lead delegate David Stevens served as Conference Chair, and the conference planning committee consisted of delegates David Stevens, Chair (UWRL); Jeffery Horsburgh (UWRL), Bethany Neilson (UWRL); and David Rosenberg (UWRL); and Mac McKee (Retired). Additional USU delegates include Belize Lane (UWRL), Joanna Endter-Wada (Biology/NR), Laurie McNeill (UWRL), and Joe Wheaton (Watershed Sci). USU students and faculty also participated with presentations and posters over the course of the four-day conference.

The opening plenary session included two prominent speakers from USU: Jack Schmidt, who discussed planning for the future of the Colorado River, and Robert Davies, who focused on finding solutions that synergistically address the environmental and social challenges we face in planning our water future.

The 39 concurrent sessions encompassed an array of water resources topics and included participatory sessions, lightning talks, and panel discussions. The conference also included a number of other events, including a free workshop facilitated by CUAHSI designed to enhance data management skills, and two field trips: one to the Wasatch Water Tunnel and the other to the Provo River Restoration Project. Congratulations and thanks to the participants, plenary speakers, organizers, and all who made this conference possible!

Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) is a consortium of academic institutions and affiliates invested in water resources research, education, and outreach. UCOWR expands the capacity of universities and their partners to address current water resources challenges through sharing expertise, fostering leadership, and developing interdisciplinary collaborations. In addition to our annual national conference, UCOWR publishes The Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education. For more information, please visit www.ucowr.org.

The National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) is comprised of the 54 university-based centers that were established by the Federal Water Resources Research Act. It is charged with arranging for research that addresses water problems or expands understanding of water and water-related phenomena, aiding the entry of new professionals into the water resources fields, helping to train future water scientists and engineers, and transmitting research results to water managers and the public. For more information about NIWR, visit: www.niwr.info.