Monday, September 14, 2015

Gauging the impacts of toxic chemicals may have gotten a little harder

What happens when a long-trusted canary in the coal mine can no longer do the job? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other monitoring agencies may have to grapple with this question if new IWRC-supported research confirms that a small but critical crustacean is now resistant to one of the most toxic class of chemicals in our rivers and streams.

Michael Lydy, an environmental toxicologist at Southern Illinois University, will spend the next three years testing populations of the crustacean for resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. U.S. EPA and others rely on Hyalella azteca to determine the overall toxicity of water and sediment. If these guys are thriving, your local river habitat is relatively healthy. If they start to die off, you can expect to see other species decline as well.

At least, that's the theory. But the recent discovery of pyrethroid-resistant populations of Hyalella azteca in California casts doubts on the accuracy of biomonitoring programs that depend on the crustacean to sound the alarm. 

Lydy and his team want to know just how widespread this resistance is. What they find could have lasting impacts on environmental monitoring and regulations. 

At the same time, the study will also investigate whether a relatively-new testing method known as Tenax can help scientists and natural resources managers more accurately predict the threat pyrethroids pose to aquatic life. The new approach makes it possible to hone in on the level of insecticide aquatic animals are actually exposed to instead of just how much total chemical is in the waterway. This distinction is key for compounds like pyrethroids, which quickly bind to sediment and remain out of reach to some species. 

If it proves successful, Tenax could produce results at a fraction of the time and cost of more traditional monitoring methods.  

Funding for the project comes from a grant to IWRC from the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Centers of Water Resources. It is one of four chosen for USGS's annual National Competitive Grants. 

***Photo from Kate Heddleston. 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Water Jobs: Climatologist Outlook

On this edition of Water Jobs, we welcome Molly Woloszyn, an Extension Climatologist for the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, a part of the Illinois State Water Survey. Molly is a Champaign, IL native and began her current position in 2011 after completing a degree in meteorology at Northern Illinois University and her master's in Atmospheric Sciences at Colorado State University. Along the way, Molly worked as an adjunct faculty member in Earth Science at community colleges in Stillwater, OK and Rockford, IL. When not taking time out to talk to Illinois Water about her exciting job, Molly likes to relax with her husband Ben, their daughter Annie, and their baby-on-the-way.

Would you please tell us what an Extension Climatologist does?

As an Extension Climatologist, my job is to communicate climate and climate-related topics to diverse audiences ranging from scientists to community officials to the public. Not only do I do this through presentations to various groups (teachers, Extension, municipal staff, etc.), but also through workshops, social media, online publications and reports, educational materials, and the media. In my job, I also work with communities on climate adaptation, which means preparing for climate extremes and/or the potential impacts of climate change. 

What does your average day look like?

It typically starts with (as any person would probably say) going through my work email and responding to things that need a response. Then, it really depends on the day! Usually, I have a couple of meetings throughout the week, some conference calls, webinars, etc. Besides that, I work on various projects or things that need to be done. Just to give more concrete examples, these last few weeks my main work tasks have been: writing the MRCC’s weekly and monthly Climate Watch reports for June, developing materials for a booth at an upcoming Extension conference in Alabama, launching the June 2014 edition of the Great Lakes Climate Quarterly Report, writing a Survey Report for the MRCC’s Vegetation Impact Program, and working with my summer intern on a K-12 education page and various components of a NOAA funded project to reduce the flooding vulnerability of critical facilities in Chicago, IL.  And, of course, now answering questions for this Water Jobs blog post!

Since you have a joint appointment with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Illinois State Water Survey, would you explain how a joint appointment works and some of the opportunities it affords you?

In my joint appointment, much of my work overlaps for both programs. Meaning, what I do during the day doesn’t need to be counted as either “IISG” or “MRCC,” which I feel very fortunate about (I have great bosses J). I think what opportunities this joint position affords me is variety – whether it is about the type of work I am able to do, or the different people I get to work with day-to-day. 

What is your favorite part about your job?

There are many things, but if I have to pick, I would say that I feel very fortunate that I get to work in a field that I have been passionate about since I was young. I have always loved the weather, and it took me a while to determine that what I love most about the weather is actually thinking about it in the long-term, or climatology. Many people with meteorology degrees either forecast, research, and/or become a professor. While I think I would have been happy in any meteorology career, I knew I did not want to do research 100% of the time (programming is not my thing!), and I also determined during graduate school that I did not want to get a PhD at this point in my life. Therefore, it took a little time and soul (job) searching, but I feel very fortunate to have found my niche in climatology as well as outreach.

What parts do you try to sneak off on someone else (or can you not share your secrets)?

In all honestly, I am typically the one to volunteer to take things on around the office.  However, this summer, I have really enjoyed having a summer intern to assist me with some projects! He has done a fantastic job, and it’s nice to be more productive without actually doing all of the work. What he has been working on the most is helping with the Chicago Flood Vulnerability project. In particular, he’s been recording city flooding metric data (e.g. combined sewer overflow reports, lake reversal reports, and basement flooding reports) to link these impacts to historical precipitation events in Cook County, with an end goal to assess vulnerable areas in the county to flooding.  

How did you become interested in meteorology?

My dad has been a pilot for 30+ years, so he has to have a certain level of meteorology knowledge for the job. When I was younger, I was particularly afraid of thunderstorms and tornadoes. What I think initially got me interested in meteorology is that my dad would talk with me about the weather since I was so scared – hoping to calm my fears. I think this peaked my interest in all things weather, and I knew this was a career I might want to pursue. I was also fortunate to have a class in high school where I actually job shadowed the service climatologist at the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (where I work today!), which confirmed my desire to pursue this career in college. I still have my first clouds book (I think from my dad) sitting on my desk at work.

How often do people ask you if you are the weather person on local TV channels?

This question makes me laugh, because there is no doubt the #1 question I get when I tell people I majored in meteorology is: “are you on TV?!” or “do you want to be on TV one day!?” Of course my answer to these is now “no.” However, that wasn’t always the case. I initially thought I wanted a career in broadcast meteorology in college. After working with the college TV station and realizing I did not want the schedule of a broadcast meteorologist (either early mornings or late nights), I changed my focus and decided to attend graduate school.

What are some of the communication challenges you face when doing outreach?

I would say accurately and effectively communicating climate change, which of course is specific to my particular outreach position. There are extreme views on both sides of the climate change topic, so helping people understand what is actually going on in an accurate, scientific mindset is sometimes challenging.
  

What do you hope the outcome of your work will achieve?

I hope people have a better understanding of climate science and climate change, as well as communities becoming more resilient to climate extremes like flooding or heat waves. There is still a lot more work to do in these areas, but hopefully I will have at least a few more years to achieve this work!

What has been your best adventure thus far in your career?

While this might seem cliché, I would say my current job as an Extension Climatologist has been a great adventure! This was a new position for both programs when I first started, so I feel like I had the challenge of building the position from the ground up. I have had to learn many new things, and it has definitely challenged me along the way, but I have loved it and feel fortunate to be where I am today.

You spent several years teaching, both in graduate school and at community colleges. What kinds of advice did you share with your students about making career choices and being successful in school?

I always try to tell students (whether it was students I taught or our interns) to keep an open mind and try many different things in the field, because you never know what you will like. Sometimes it is hard in meteorology to realize that there are careers outside of forecasting or TV, but if they take opportunities with different internships, attending career days, or keeping an open mind when talking with others already in the field, they will discover there is so much more. It sounds like I am anti-forecasting and TV, but of course I’m not. I think those are fantastic careers and are very important! But, I always want to help those students that maybe don’t feel like they “fit” into either of those paths, which was definitely the case for me.



Thursday, July 3, 2014

Student Opportunities at Illinois Water 2014

One of the biggest reasons we started holding Illinois Water conferences on the University of Illinois campus is because it's easier for students to attend. In addition to all the talks and plenaries, we’ve created several opportunities uniquely for students. We hope you’ll take advantage of them in October.

Poster Session: The student poster session will take place on the evening of October 14. Students will have an opportunity to present their research to fellow conference attendees and compete for best poster awards. The deadline for poster abstracts is July 9, 2014. You can submit a poster abstract through this form.

Registration Scholarships: If you have submitted a poster or presentation, you are eligible to submit an application for a registration scholarship. While we try to keep the registration costs as low as possible, sometimes low isn’t low enough where you are a full time student. And if you’re not presenting, you’re still welcome to apply for a scholarship, although we try to accommodate presenting students first. If you only want to attend one session or wander through the posters, don’t worry, you don’t need to register at all. Do stop at the registration table and say “hi,” though. We love to know who attended the conference, and we could probably get you a free pen.  


Water Careers Panel: As you know by now, we here at IWRC love talking about water jobs, so of course we organize a career panel every Water Conference. This year we’ve even invited a Water Jobs alum to join our panel and tell you about the joys of water planning. Other guest speakers may include an aquatic ecologist at a nonprofit, a stormwater engineer, and a college professor. The panel will take place during lunch on Wednesday, October 15 and include lots of time for questions.      

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Legislative Round-up of the General Assembly Spring Session

The Illinois General Assembly recessed at the end of May, so here’s a summary of water-related measures that progressed through Springfield this spring:

Updates on past bills: please see the March blog post for summaries of these measures
Water Pollution Control Loan
Passed in the House, referred to assignments in the Senate on April 7
Coal and Coke Regulation
Acquired several co-sponsors within the House of Representatives
Nuisance Organisms
Passed both houses on May 28
Fox Waterway
SB 2696—no changes
HR 0934—was placed on the House Calendar Order of Resolutions on 4.8.14
SB 2732—no changes

Recent Legislation
Hydraulic Fracturing:
Synopsis:
  • Amends the Hydraulic Fracturing Regulatory Act, which was signed into law by Governor Quinn last year
  • Some changes to the regulations governing the hydraulic fracturing process, including a two-year moratorium on fracking around Chicago
  • Remove the responsibility of creating fracking rules from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and give it to a committee comprised of General Assembly members.
  • For media coverage of this measure, see here

Status:
  • Passed the Senate on 5.1.2014 and progressed to the House
  • The House re-referred this measure to the Rules Committee on 5.30.2014


Boater Safety Courses:
Synopsis:
  • Amends the Boat Registration and Safety Act
  • Beginning January 1, 2016 no person born on or after January 1, 1991 can operate a motorboat with over 10 horse power without a Boating Safety Certificate

Status:
  • Passed both houses on 30 May, 2014


Public Water Supply Operations:
Synopsis:
  • Amends the Public Water Supply Operations Act
  • Defines “Responsible Operator in Charge”
  • Provides that every community water supply in Illinois shall have a responsible operator in charge to supervise the treatment and distribution facilities of the community water supply

Status:
  • Passed both houses on 29 May, 2014


Water Loss Accounting:
Synopsis:
  • Creates the Water Loss Accounting Awareness Act
  • Provides that the IEPA, IDNR, and ISWS shall submit a report that reviews and evaluates the latest regional available information on water loss in Illinois to the General Assembly before July 31, 2015

Status:
  • Introduced on February 7, 2014
  • Currently referred to the Senate Assignments Committee

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Illinois Water Related Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants

The following is a list of possible future funding sources available to students from and in Illinois. If your organization is not listed here and you would like to be included, please contact us.

Illinois Only:
  • The Illinois Water Environment Association awards two annual $1,000 scholarships to students preparing for careers in the water environment. Applications are accepted December 1, 2014 until January 31, 2015. Scholarships are awarded at the IWEA Annual Conference in March. Full information can be found on IWEA’s website.
  • The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association provides a variety of scholarships, including undergraduate, adult continuing education, and high school enrichment. While the 2015 scholarships are not open, yet, the application deadline is usually January 31. Complete information can be found here.
  • The Illinois Groundwater Association provides small research grants on a biannual basis to both graduate and undergraduate students attending a college or university in Illinois. Research must address topics relevant to Illinois groundwater and grant recipients can present their research findings at IGA meetings.
  • The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts provides a $500 award to agriculture students enrolled in an Illinois state college. Applications are due in May and awarded for the fall semester.
  • The Illinois Lakes Management Association offers an Undergraduate/Graduate scholarship of $1,000 for students enrolled in an Illinois college or Illinois residents attending college in Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, or Wisconsin and studying lake or watershed related topics. They also provide the Robert Esser Student Achievement Scholarship for $500, which is offered to Illinois residents attending Illinois colleges. Both applications are due December 31. Full information about both scholarships is available here.
  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is offering a $500 scholarship opportunity for students enrolling in their one-year Water Quality Control Operations Program. This scholarship is offered through the Environmental Resources Training Center for any relative of a water or wastewater professional. The program begins August 19th, so applications can be filed online here.
National or International:
  • The Society of Wetland Scientists provides student research grants of up to $1,000 to both undergraduate and graduate members of the organization. Grant applications are not currently being accepted, but check back for updates. Application packages require a proposal, budget, curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation.
  • The Ivanhoe Foundation provides small fellowships to Masters students from developing countries conducting water related research in the United States. Applications include a description of the projects and a nomination letter from the student’s professor.
  • The American Water Works Association provides information about a myriad of (mostly) graduate level scholarships. Deadlines vary, but for those of you interested in drinking water or water supply, make sure you take a good look at their Scholarship page.
  • The American Water Resources Association makes two $2,000 scholarships to one graduate and one undergraduate student members of AWRA. Applications are due in April. Awards are based on academic performance, research, and water-related extra-curricular activities.
  • Funding of up to $7,000 per year can be potentially awarded to an undergraduate mechanical or chemical engineering student that demonstrates interest to seek a career in the water technology field. Through the International Water Conference, the Joseph A. Levendusky Memorial Scholarship is available to any student of sophomore or higher class standing in an accredited U.S. institution. The deadline is September 5, 2014 and applications can be found here.