Summer Conferencing

We wanted to take a moment today to mention several conferences taking place this summer that may be of special interest to our audience.

• The joint Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR), National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR), and Consortium for Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) Conference will take place this June 18-20 at Tufts University in Medford, MA. This is the first time these three organizations have held a joint conference, and it promises to be a dynamic event. This year’s theme is Water Systems, Science, and Society Under Global Change, and it will feature multiple plenary speakers discussing everything from the world’s water challenges to water reuse to agricultural water security. A preliminary conference program can be downloaded here, while complete registration information is listed here. While it’s too late to submit posters and abstracts, you can still attend and soak in all the offerings. Don’t forget to send us postcards!

• The CUAHSI Biennial Colloquium 2014: “Water across the Critical Zone: Scaling from Local to Global Hydrology” will take place July 28-30 at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. The conference will focus on integrating hydrology, ecology, and geological information to address Critical Zone science, and includes plenaries, concurrent sessions, a poster session, workshops, and special events. The National Conservation Training Center is located in a stunningly beautiful portion of West Virginia and an easy drive to attractions like Harpers’ Ferry National Historical Park. Early registration discounts apply until June 6, and abstracts for posters are accepted until May 30. There are also student funding opportunities available.  

Annual Small Grant 2014 Recipients

This year we received twenty creative, innovative grant applications from researchers all over Illinois. In fact, the submissions were so good that we had an incredibly difficult time ranking them. We even went over our deadline for responding to applicants. Finally, after a great deal of anxiety and consultation with our review panel, the following proposals were award small grants. We look forward to sharing the findings of these projects on the blog and our website.

Hydro-meteorological responses to tropical system precipitation in Illinois

Dr. David Changnon and Alex Haberlie, M.S. student

Northern Illinois University

While Illinois precipitation is seldom controlled by tropical weather systems, these events do occur with regular, and potentially destructive, frequency. This study will examine tropical precipitation by focusing on drought, stream flow response, and latent effects on the following warm-season by supplementing climate database entries with stream flow gauge data, local rainfall, soil moisture conditions, and surface hydrology responses.

Anthropogenic litter and microplastic in urban streams: abundance, source, and fate

Dr. Timothy Hoellein and Amanda McCormick, M.S. student

Loyola University Chicago

Microplastics are an abundant and ubiquitous form of anthropogenic litter in waterways, yet no one has measured their presence in river ecosystems. Using six streams draining a variety of land use activities near Chicago, this study will examine the sources and sinks of microplastics in urban streams and the potential ecological impacts of these pollutants.

Year-round wetland microbial activity impacts on nitrogen cycling annual budgets: Is restoration impacting greenhouse gas emissions in wetlands?

Dr. Angela Kent and Natalie Stevenson, Ph.D. student

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Previous studies have indicated that denitrification in wetlands may be less efficient during the winter months and, in restored wetlands, may be incomplete, leading to releases of greenhouse gasses rather than nitrogen gas. Monitoring restored and natural wetlands through the year should help determine what occurs in the nitrogen cycle in restored wetlands and provide insight in planning wetland restoration projects.

Epikarstic groundwater ecosystems in Illinois: a sensitive but unstudied faunal element

Dr. Steven J. Taylor and Scott Cinel, M.S. student

Illinois Natural History Survey and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Illinois epikarstic habitats are found between a soil layer and limestone bedrock, and, while largely unstudied, they are an important component of protecting delicate ecosystems and endangered species. This project will expand water collection methods for epikarstic areas in Illinois, develop a baseline for further Illinois study, and “expand on the groundwater hydrology and subterranean ecology of Illinois’ karst areas.”

Finally, we would like to recognize Dr. Jerry Kavouras for submitting the sole undergraduate project application. We know running a research program at a predominately undergraduate institution is challenging, and we’re excited to partner with him to help his students get experience in water sciences. We hope there are many more undergraduate applicants in the next rounds of Annual Small Grants. 

Changing food webs in Lake Michigan: Dreissena and the microbial loop

Dr. Jerry Kavouras and Erin Cox, undergraduate student

Lewis University  

Zebra mussels have dramatically altered the Great Lakes ecosystems, and they may have altered microbial food chains. A series of laboratory assays will determine if these aquatic invasive species modify the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter that fuels bacterial secondary production and what possible impacts these changes could have on invaded freshwater systems.

Guest Post: University of Illinois Learning in Community Teams up with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant to Prevent Pollution

For University of Illinois students, getting a break from the ordinary, lecture-based class is as easy as enrolling in ENG 315: Learning in Community (LINC). The multi-section course offers a chance to team up with local nonprofits to design, plan, and implement new community-based projects. And this fall, students can spend the semester working with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant to reduce pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) pollution in Champaign-Urbana.

The IISG course will introduce students to the threats PPCPs pose to aquatic habitats and simple steps individuals can take to reduce those risks. Tours of local water quality labs will also provide a behind-the-scenes look at ongoing PPCP research. But the majority of the semester will be dedicated to designing and executing projects that help spread the word about proper disposal of unwanted medicines.

“This is a unique opportunity for students to apply what they are learning to help solve problems in sustainable ways,” said Terri Hallesy, IISG education coordinator. “They will gain real-world experiences while helping to boost awareness of a critical environmental issue and protect the health of our aquatic ecosystems.” 

Specific projects are still to be determined, and the class will have a lot of freedom to design outreach efforts that appeal to them. Previous classes mentored local high school students, wrote an article for a campus-based environmental magazine, and created outreach materials to be used at the McKinley Heath Center and at campus events. Other options include modifying K-12 curricula, designing social media campaigns, and even building a mobile app.  

Students will also be in charge of planning and orchestrating a single-day medicine takeback event at the end of the semester. The class will work throughout the semester to design a promotional plan and coordinate with campus housing and other organizations on campus.  

Its community focus and interdisciplinary approach make this course a perfect fit for a wide range of majors—from marketing to education to environmental sciences. Students will leave with new skills and experiences that move them closer to their career goals.  

LINC courses are offered through the College of Engineering and are open to all University of Illinois students. For fall 2014, students can choose between sections that address issues like water conservation, after-school safety, and homelessness. The IISG course will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:50 p.m. 

Contact Terri Hallesy for questions about the IISG course. To learn more about PPCP pollution and proper disposal, visit www.unwantedmeds.org.

More Water Job Resources

We’re taken a short break from our Water Jobs interviews, but don’t worry, we have lots of subjects lined up for your edification in coming months. If you just can’t bear the wait and know that water is a great field to be researching, here are a few sites that provide additional interviews and resources. 

Although we might not like to admit this, Illinois doesn’t actually host every type of water job in the world. For example, we don’t have any oceans to draw oceanographers. To cover this lapse in geography and occupation, we point you to Sea Grant’s Marine Careers website. Of course, several of our coworkers (based in both Illinois and Indiana) are featured on this site, but there are also interviews with many marine biologists, ocean mappers, marine geophysicists, and many, many other careers, some of which we didn’t know existed. In addition to the interviews, the site provides listings about possible salaries in marine careers, frequently asked questions, and lots of information about schools, majors, and internships.

Another site we enjoy is EngineerJobs.com. While we get very distracted by many of the other articles, including reasons why you'd kill yourself with a Lightsaber, they also run a great feature titled: So you want my job? Thus far the series has boasted such highlights as a civil engineer, a preservation engineer, and a marine engineer. In addition to job profiles, the site also includes a lot of job hunting and career advice that we, in spite of being non-engineers, found very useful. Be warned, though. If you are remotely nerdy, this site is a huge time-sucker, in a good way.

Finally, if you’re interested in water supply and wastewater treatment, we recommend checking out Work for Water. A joint project between the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation, Work for Water is a massive clearinghouse for all water industry related career details. Information in available about everything from graduate school to career opportunities for veterans to community college programs in environmental engineering, and there are lots of interviews, scholarships, and fellowship opportunities, too.

And finally, if you want the opportunity to actually talk to people working in water, you should probably attend Illinois Water 2014. Not only will we host a career panel, but we also offer student scholarships to help you get there.

It's Time to Submit Abstracts for Water 2014!

We are excited to announce that we are now accepting abstracts for the 2014 Illinois Water Conference, held Oct. 14-15 at the Illini Union on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. To submit an abstract for an oral presentation or student poster, complete the appropriate online form by Monday, May 5. You will be notified regarding the status of your abstract by June 2.

Session Topics
The majority of accepted abstracts will fit within one of the session topics listed below. However, you may submit under the Open Topic category, from which we will develop one or two additional sessions. Student posters are requested as general submissions.  a

• Application of statistical and machine learning methods in hydrology
• Biomass crops to enhance water quality
• Critical zone observatory research
• Effects of climate and land use changes on Illinois water resources
• Floodplains: recent developments in science, management and restoration
• Global challenges and opportunities at the boundaries of water and sanitation research
• Illinois regional water supply planning
• Monitoring to modeling (TMDLs)
• Protecting water quality and addressing flooding on multiple fronts in Cook County
• Resolving chronic problems with landfills and waste fills
• State of Lake Michigan
• Stream restoration
• The energy implications of resource recovery in wastewater treatment
• Water for energy: power generation, fracking, and more

Conference Format
Sessions will be scheduled concurrently in 90-minute periods. Each session will include 4-5 presentations running 12 minutes each, with an additional six minutes for questions and discussions after each presentation.

Student posters will be presented and judged during the evening reception on Oct. 14.

Student Scholarships

Scholarships are available for students interested sharing a poster. To apply, complete the scholarship application form by Aug. 29.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.