CENTER FOR INTEGRATED WATER RESEARCH

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CENTER FOR INTEGRATED WATER RESEARCH
University of California, Santa Cruz
Meeting 21st century water challengesThe role
of 4-year colleges and universities
1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, California ?
[phone] ? http//ciwr.ucsc.edu
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Talk Roadmap

• The Center for Integrated Water Research
  Introduction
• Challenges facing future water professionals
• What colleges and universities can do to help
  meet those challenges
• Example the Water Teaching and Research
  Laboratory, or WaterLab

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Center for Integrated Water Research Mission
Statement

• To advance societys understanding
• of the policy, economics, and communications of
• fresh water management

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Advancing Our Mission

• Focus on water policy, economics, and
  communications
• Help resolve major
• debates on water supply and quality
• Increase the quantity and quality of research on
  fresh water issues
• Build new approaches to teaching about water

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Water challenges of the early 21st century

• Same as the 20th century provide society with a
  safe and reliable water supply subject to
  constraints of resource availability,
  affordability.
• New and/or expanded in the 21st century
• MORE CONSTRAINTS!

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Water challenges of the early 21st century

• MORE CONSTRAINTS
• - environmental restoration needs
• - non-stationary climate
• - complex legal settings
• - public communications challenges
• - growing interest in water quality
• - pre-existing infrastructure
• - technological advancements

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Water professionals
Need water-related skills Operational Laboratory
Modeling Communications Need people
skills Dealing with bosses, co-workers,
customers, regulators, the press, the public
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Water professionals
Need problem-solving skills Quantitative (both
back-of-the-envelope and thorough) Mechanical/ch
emical Need good work habits to distinguish
themselves On time Transparent Finishers Know
when to ask for help
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Water professionals
Need perspective Why do water agencies do what
they do? What is the importance of water to
this region? What are the drivers of change in
this region? What does the public expect of
us? What should I expect from my job?
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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges
Goals of the college experience Knowledge
acquisition and the ability to acquire
knowledge Develop ability to evaluate and
problem- solve in todays society Skills useful
in the workforce Deeper understanding and
appreciation of citizenship and
freedom Completion of a course of study
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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges
Units of knowledge acquisition Individual
research/homework Lectures Lab
sessions Discussions Seminars Courses
Field studies Internships Study
abroad Degree programs Non-degree programs
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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges

• introducingthe course
• 5-15 weeks long
• In a classroom, lab, outdoors, and/or off campus
• Students take 3 of these at a time
• They are self-contained learning units
• They require extensive prior review and approval
  at the departmental and campus level
• Once approved, the professor has extensive
  freedom to deliver the course as he or she sees
  fit
• Required combinations of these earn students
  their bachelors degree.

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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges

• Degree Programs
• have structural rigidities
• Pre-requisites
• Core courses
• Required courses from particular lists
• have surprising flexibility
• Substitute alternative courses
• Independent study options
• Internships and study abroad
• Require extensive review and approvals

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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges

• Degree Programs
• Key evolutionary point
• Degree programs are beginning to lose the name of
  the Department that offers them.
• This creates new flexibility in curriculum
  planning.

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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges
Curriculum - a coherent combination of coursework
Water curriculum can be enhanced in many
ways - many opportunities for faculty across
the disciplines - guest lectures/facilities
tours (one time events) - expanding and
regularizing internship opportunities
(typically as a 1-2 course substitute) -
developing new courses
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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges
Curriculum - a coherent combination of coursework
Water curriculum can be enhanced in many
ways - developing new paths within degree
programs - developing new degree programs -
developing new schools on a par with a School
of Engineering
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Preparing water professionals4-year colleges
To be successful in this endeavor, the following
ingredients are needed - active support from
water agencies and agency associations -
interested ladder rank faculty - open-minded
academic administrators - a good idea that
helps solve a real problem
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Curricular Initiatives at UCSCtwo examples

• Distribution and Treatment Accreditation Study
• - Students are preparing for D- and T- exams.
• - Both formal and informal coursework
• - Working with water agencies to identify
  internship opportunities to provide hands-on
  experience.

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Curricular Initiatives at UCSCtwo examples
2. Developing the Water Teaching and Research
Laboratory, or WaterLab - Purposes teaching,
research, test bed and demonstration of advanced
water treatment methods - A joint venture
of - UCSCs Center for Integrated Water
Research - Monterey Regional Water Pollution
Control Agency - Marina Coast Water District
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Curricular Initiatives at UCSCtwo examples
WaterLab Other labs, agencies, and private
companies are offering assistance in getting
WaterLab launched A center piece is the gift of
water treatment units from Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory to UCSC.
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Curricular Initiatives at UCSCtwo examples
2. The water treatment units consist of -
double-pass RO with capacity of 0.5 MGD -
Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit -
Steam-powered thermal desalination unit
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Curricular Initiatives at UCSCtwo examples
Acknowledgements and Thanks LLNL,
including Bill Bourcier, Ph.D. Elizabeth
Burton, Ph.D. Robin Newmark, Ph.D. Marina Coast
Water District Jim Heitzman, General Manager and
Fellow, CIWR The Stephen and Mona Bruce Family
Trust
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Curricular Initiatives at UCSCtwo examples
Acknowledgements and Thanks Center for
Integrated Water Research Steve Kasower, Senior
Research Economist Kivette Koeppe,
Administrator Lily Geisler, CIWR Events
Coordinator and UCSC Senior
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The Challenges Before Us
Optimize societys use of limited water
resources Utilize the resources and knowledge
base we have to meet these challenges - water
agency - private sector - university-based
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Group Discussion
What are the next steps?