WATER E-NEWS Vol. 2 Issue 1 January – February 2003

Delaware Water Resources Center (DWRC) http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc/

UD Water Resources Agency (WRA) http://www.wr.udel.edu/

Featured in this issue of our monthly Water E-News:

I. 2003 Undergraduate Internships in Water Resources from DWRC and more;

II. Graduate student, post-doc and professional opportunities;

III. Project funding and awards programs;

IV. Upcoming conferences; and

V. New information and training sources in water resources.

I. DWRC 2003 Undergraduate Internship Program: Apply by MAR. 1, 2003

The Delaware Water Resources Center announces the availability of undergraduate internships in water resources for 2003-2004. Co-sponsors of the 2003 DWRC internship program include the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Engineering, the College of Marine Studies, the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, the Delaware Geological Survey, and the UD Water Resources Agency. All undergraduate students enrolled at any institution of higher learning in the state of Delaware are eligible to apply, except for those graduating in the Spring of 2003. All students must have the active support of a faculty advisor and a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students receive a stipend of up to $3000 and typically work ten weeks full-time during the summer and additional hours during the fall and winter as the individual project demands. Academic credit for the internship is also possible but must be coordinated with the student’s faculty advisor. Interns must submit a written report on their project and participate in a poster session at an undergraduate research conference in the spring of 2004. The application deadline for DWRC internships is March 1, 2003. Details on current and past projects, current faculty advisors, application materials to submit, and report and poster requirements, can be found at the DWRC website: http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc.

Undergraduates: See NNEMS Fellowships, below.

Applications are due Mar. 30, 2003 for ten NSF “Research Experiences for Undergraduates” (REU) research projects in GIS and soil/water resources at the University of Oklahoma June 2 – July 25, 2003. Student participants will receive a $270/week stipend, lodging, some meals and travel expenses to/from Stillwater, OK. Students must be U.S. citizens in their junior or senior year and will be selected on the basis of their GPA and experience/coursework involving soil or water resources and GIS. Visit www.geog.okstate.edu/reu/ for details and application.

II. GRADUATE STUDENT, POST-DOC and PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Applications are due February 24, 2003 for EPA National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) Fellowships, described at http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/NNEMS/index.html. The NNEMS fellowship program is designed to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with practical research or training experiences involving environmental issues of current public interest, linked directly to their field of undergraduate or graduate study. Research fellowships are available in five categories: (i) Environmental Policy, Regulation, and Law; (ii) Environmental Management & Administration; (iii) Environmental Science; (iv) Public Relations and Communication; and (v) Computer Programming and Development. To date, EPA has provided approximately 900 fellowships under this program and anticipates awarding an additional 60 fellowships in 2003. Students will complete projects while working full-time at EPA during the summer or part-time during the school year, receiving a stipend based on the student's level of education and the duration and location of the project. Detailed information on qualification criteria and specific opportunities is found at the above site, or by contacting Dr. Tom Sims (email jtsims@udel.edu, phone 302-831-1389). The NNEMS catalog (1.1M .pdf) is available online at http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/NNEMS/pdf/2003catalog.pdf; a reference copy is available for perusal from UD Plant and Soil Sciences secretary Cindy Barnett, 152 Townsend Hall, phone 302-831-1392.

Three USDA National Needs Ph.D. Fellowships in Soil and Environmental Quality are now available at the University of Delaware:

1.Soil and Water Quality: Improving our understanding of the basic science of nutrient cycling in soils, transport to ground and surface waters, and the development of innovative nutrient management practices that can protect and improve water quality. (Dr. Tom Sims; jtsims@udel.edu).

2.Contaminant fate and transport in porous media: Studying processes and factors affecting fate and transport of various environmental pollutants in soil and ground water. Applying results from fundamental research to develop strategies for management and remediation of contaminated environmental systems. Current research focus is on colloid (including microorganisms) and colloid-facilitated contaminant transport. (Dr. Yan Jin; yjin@udel.edu)

3.Soil and Environmental Microbiology: Characterization of native microbial communities, and the nature and significance of their responses to altered environmental conditions. Determination of the origins, movement, and survival of fecal and other contaminating bacteria in soils and surface waters. (Dr. Jeff Fuhrmann; fuhrmann@udel.edu).

Each of these 3-year Ph.D. fellowships provides a $21,000 annual stipend (tuition is remitted) and $3,000 per year in general student support (travel to meetings, etc.). Applications are available immediately for the summer and fall semesters of 2003. Please note that only U.S. citizens are eligible for these fellowships. Contact Dr. Tom Sims (jtsims@udel.edu; 302-831-1389) , Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19717-1303 for more information and for details on how to apply for the fellowships.

Proposals for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) post-doctoral Smith Conservation Research Fellowships are due Jan. 31, 2003 with funding available August 2003. Fellows receive two-year support in applied conservation biology, and each carry out research pertinent to conservation issues in the United States at an institution selected by the Fellow in close association with a TNC mentor. Research will have relevance to sites or ecoregions that TNC has identified as having conservation priority. Research themes are open; past Fellowships have focused on conservation planning, climate change, avian conservation, freshwater and riparian ecology, and invasive species. For more information, including the proposal guidelines and selection criteria, visit the Smith Program website: http://www.smithfellows.org or email postdoc@tnc.org.

A Postgraduate Researcher II or III Soil Science/Agronomy research position is available immediately at the University of California, Davis on a field project that will investigate the impact of minimum tillage on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in agricultural land. For details, visit the DWRC site at http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc/jobs/pro.htm. To apply, email a complete curriculum vita, a summary of research interests and experience, and undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts to Professor Dennis Rolston derolston@ucdavis.edu. Application review

will start February 15, 2003 and will continue until the position is filled.

New full-time USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station Hydrologist position in Hot Springs, AR will pay $29K-$35.5K. For more information regarding the position, visit

http://www.srs.fs.fed.us/4106/Employment/CurrEmploy.htm

The general qualifications required to be considered for this position are found at

http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/A/GS-PROF.HTM and

http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-IV/B/GS1300/1315.HTM. Contact: Dan Marion, email fsmarion@olemiss.edu or dmarion@fs.fed.us, or phone: 662-234-2744 ext 36.

III. PROJECT FUNDING AND AWARDS

The National Institute for Water Resources (NIWR) National Competitive Grants RFP for 2003 has been released. The RFP may be obtained either by going to https://niwr.org/NIWR and clicking on "View the RFP" under "National Competitive Grants Program" or by going directly to https://niwr.org/2003_104G_RFP. An abstract of the RFP has also been posted at http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/news.html. When funds have been appropriated for this program, and the RFP will be revised accordingly. The niwr.org site began accepting applications under the RFP on January 20, 2003. The closing date for proposals to be filed on the web site by principal investigators is 5:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time, March 21, 2003. The closing date for approvals of the applications by Institute Directors is 5:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time, March 28, 2003. Abstracts of funded year 2000 projects funded totaling $1 million are at http://water.usgs.gov/wrri/00grants/nationalindex.html.

Application deadline is February 28, 2003 for American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) 2003 awards, scholarships, and fellowships. For details visit:

http://www.asa-cssa-sssa.org/

IV. LOCAL CONFERENCES

“Saving Our Coastal Heritage”, the Inaugural National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, hosted by Restore America's Estuaries, will be held April 13-16, 2003 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor Hotel. For online registration, visit http://www.estuaries.org/nationalconference.php or email hbradley@estuaries.org. The program will feature experts and leaders in all aspects of restoration, representing all coastal regions of the United States including the Great Lakes and will take a comprehensive approach to habitat restoration, offering plenary sessions, workshops and outdoor learning opportunities in several strategic themes. Visit http://www.estuaries.org/programs.php for program details.

OTHER UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Abstracts are due February 15, 2003 for the ASAE Eighth International Drainage Symposium scheduled for March 21-24, *2004* in Sacramento, CA. See http://www.asae.org/meetings/sew04/index.html for details and instructions.

Abstracts (100 - 200 words) are due February 21, 2003 to wis6delft@irc.nl in electronic form to be considered for the 6^th Water Information Summit (WIS 6) “Breaking the Barriers: Let water information flow!”(http://www.irc.nl/news/wis6.html) September 9-12, 2003, Delft, Netherlands. The series of meetings focuses on the challenges of using information and communication technologies (ICT) to share and disseminate water and water-related information and knowledge to support the formulation of water and sanitation policy and the management of water resources. CALL FOR PAPERS: Send abstracts, including interesting experiences, focusing on (1) closing the digital divide, reaching out to sector professionals; (2) gender and water in the information society 3) knowledge management in practice including use of ICT and electronic learning tools in training and education and outreach to users; (4) cost/benefit and impact of structuring and use of information on society, where information made a difference. Selected authors will be invited to present a full paper; two will receive an award that comprises free access to the Summit, including travel to Delft and stay in a hotel.

The World Water Council’s Third World Water Forum will take place Mar. 16-23^rd in Japan. See http://www.water-forum3.com/ta/ for details. The World Water Council is an international water policy think tank; see http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/

A helpful website listing dozens of international water-quality-related conferences regularly updated by the National Agriculture Library maybe found at:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/meetings.html

V. NEW WATER RESOURCES INFORMATION / TRAINING SOURCES

Newly released reports:

The EPA's final Water Quality Trading Policy to improve the quality of the nation’s water became available Jan. 13, 2003; information is at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/ trading/tradingpolicy.html. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will work with EPA, states, tribes and other jurisdictions to establish water quality trading programs that will be effective, farmer friendly and scientifically sound. "This policy will provide market-based incentives to encourage farmers, ranchers and woodlot owners and operators to do even more to maintain and improve the quality of our environment," said Bruce Knight, NRCS Chief.

The Delaware Geological Survey has released several water resources related publications in the past several months. Contact Scott Andres asandres@udel.edu for copies, or look online at:

http://www.udel.edu/dgs/Publications/pubform.html. An interesting example under “Special Publications” is the latest “Summary of Water Conditions in Delaware: J.H. Talley and S. J. Baxter (Issued monthly from Nov. 1966 through Sept. 1971; bi-monthly from Oct. 1971) for Water Year 2003 (October and November 2002).

New websites:

Details about activities of the Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable and its inaugural convention by the Water Environment Federation Dec.10-11, 2002 may be found at http://water.usgs.gov/wicp/acwi/swrr/

2003 was officially launched as the UNESCO International Year of Freshwater by the UN.

See http://www.unesco.org/water/

The Water Web Consortium has been created to promote the sharing of information concerning water and the earth's environment. A series of annual Water Information Summits includes international information from North, Central and South America and Europe. See

http://www.waterweb.org/

Details about a Water Poverty Index defining the world water crisis by nation developed by the Center for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, England, are found at: http://www.ceh-wallingford.ac.uk/research/WPI

New videos:

‘A Journey in the History of Water’ is a new educational four-part water awareness video series filmed in more than 20 countries from the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bergen, Norway. The four 45-min. videos “Struggle” “Energy” “Myths” and “Conflicts” tell the dramatic story of how the struggle for fresh water has shaped human society to a remarkable extent. This video is based on the award-winning television series ‘History of Water’ and has been sold to about 40 TV-stations, including the National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel. For information on video content, sample clips, and ordering, visit:

http://watervideo.com

New course offering:

ITV EXTENDS UD MARINE BIOLOGY COURSE TO NEWARK, SPRING ’03 A U. of D. graduate lecture and lab course “Methods in Molecular Biology” (MAST 616/617), currently offered through the College of Marine Studies in Lewes, will be available for the first time to students on the Newark campus in spring semester 2003. Lectures will be presented over ITV by Craig Cary (Lewes) and Eric Wommack (Newark), and labs will be conducted both in Lewes and in Newark. Because the course focuses on techniques which can be broadly applied in environmental research, specific interest or experience with marine environments is not a prerequisite. The course focus is the principles and application of molecular genetic tools to environmental studies, thus graduate students involved in projects related to environmental microbiology would particularly benefit. For course logistics and lecture / lab topics, contact: Eric Wommack, Delaware Biotechnology Institute, (302) 831-4362 (office) or (302) 831-4510 (lab), wommack@dbi.udel.edu.

WELCOME NEW SUBSCRIBERS
We welcome those receiving this e-newsletter for the first time. Contributions, comments and questions are welcomed. To unsubscribe from this DWRC monthly e-newsletter, reply to this e-mail with "Unsubscribe Water E-News” in the subject line.

DWRC’s Water E-News is published monthly by the Delaware Water Resources as a service to citizens interested in topics on Delaware water resources. Our address at the University of Delaware is 152 Townsend Hall, Newark, DE 19717-1303. Phone: 302- 831-1392; fax: 302-831-0605; Web: http://ag.udel.edu/dwrc/ Dr. Tom Sims, Director, email jtsims@udel.edu; Amy Boyd, Program Coordinator, email aboyd@udel.edu.