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USGS/NIWR National Competitive Grants RFPs Webinar: April 23, 10am CT

Washington State water research community,

 

USGS in cooperation with the National Institutes of Water Resources (NIWR) will soon release their annual request for water research proposals under its National Competitive Grants Program.  These programs include a call for general water research proposals, under the WRRA 104g program, program specifically for research on Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and a program on Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS, though this third program focuses on the Mississippi basin). You can read more here: https://water.usgs.gov/wrri/how-to-apply-for-grants-internships.php.

Any investigator at an institution of higher learning is eligible to apply for these grants with research that focuses on priorities of regional and national importance. The RFP is anticipated to be released in mid-April with an application deadline in late May 2024  (exact dates will be announced later). If you are working through an institution in Washington State, you must submit your proposal for these programs through the State of Washington Water Research Center (WRC, wrc.wsu.edu).

Water resources research institutes across the US are organizing a joint webinar on April 23rd, 2024, at 10am Central Time that focuses on the National Competitive Grants RFPs. We will discuss the full proposal process and funding priorities and include an opportunity for researchers to ask questions. In addition, researchers will be able to identify potential collaborators in topic specific breakouts.

Webinar link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ODliOTdjYWQtYzVjYy00YzZkLWE3N2MtMzhmZWQ4MTM4Yjcy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2244467e6f-462c-4ea2-823f-7800de5434e3%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%220594e4de-ca8b-45f9-adb2-1a56c577ae63%22%7d

For more information about the funding opportunities see https://water.usgs.gov/wrri/how-to-apply-for-grants-internships.php or contact your state institute.

The WRC Director Jonathan Yoder met with Washington State federal legislators this February, and nearly all legislative offices he visited independently brought up PFAS concerns, so there is a great deal of interest in this water problem in the State of Washington.  I strongly encourage researchers interested in developing proposals for PFAS-related projects to contact me early.  This program is relatively new and has received relatively few proposals in previous years, so the chances of success are higher than for the WRRA 104g grants.

Please contact us at watercenter@wsu.edu  if you have questions or interest in submitting a proposal.

 

 

WRC 2024 Spring Seminar Series

Bring your lunch and learn about water resource issues and research in Washington State. The Water Research Center is hosting a virtual lunchtime seminar series this spring. We’ll hear from the Center’s 2022-23 seed grant recipients and learn how their research is informing some of Washington State’s water-related challenges.

Please note, a Zoom account is required to login on the day of the event.  If you are having difficulty registering, please try entering an email address associated with a Zoom account.  Please email cindy.fabbri@wsu.edu if you require registration assistance.  We look forward to seeing you!

Upcoming Webinars:
Thursday, April 18, 2024, 12:00-1:00
Integrating Agricultural Water Use into Climate Change Impact Assessments

Kirti Rajagopalan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Dr. Rajagopalan and her research team worked to advance the climate change impacts assessment model, CropSyst, by integrating agricultural water use associated with managing extreme weather events (e.g., watering to control sunburn in apples) into modeling. Dr. Rajagopalan will explain the team’s efforts and how the new assessment capabilities can help regional water resources planning considerations.

Learn more and register here

Past Webinars:
Thursday, February 22, 2024, 12:00-1:00
Building Tribal-Academic Partnerships to Protect Pacific Salmon from Toxic Urban Stormwater

Stephanie Blair, Ph.D. Candidate

Stephanie Blair and her Advisor, Dr. Jenifer McIntyre, have been investigating the toxicity of urban stormwater, particularly the tire chemical 6PPD-Quinone, to Pacific Salmon. Stephanie will discuss how this chemical affects Coho and Chinook salmon. She will also touch on her collaborative work on the issue.

Learn more here

See the recording here

 

Thursday, March 21, 2024, 12:00-1:00
Using Drone-Based Technologies to Map Stream Characteristics and Salmon Spawning Habitat

Alex Fremier, Ph.D., Associate Professor

Dr. Fremier and Co-PI Daniel Auerbach developed drone-based technologies to measure stream velocity, temperature, and morphology. These measurements help identify and quantify salmon spawning habitat and offer new methodologies for environmental monitoring. Dr. Fremier will share the details of their study and work with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Wenatchee River.

Learn more here

Call for Topical Sessions for the NIWR/UCOWR/AWRA Joint Conference

AWRA, UCOWR, NIWR 60th Anniversaries Joint Water Resources Conference
Celebrating the Past and Planning for the Future of Water
September 30 – October 2, 2024
St. Louis, MO
Hyatt Regency St. Louis Arch

Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) and National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) are joining together with the American Water Resources Association (AWRA) for a joint conference in 2024 to celebrate their 60 year anniversaries.

Submit your Topical Session Proposal by February 25, 2024.

A topical session organizer’s role is to propose a relevant and timely topic, recruit speakers to submit abstracts to the session, and moderate the session during the conference.

Topical sessions can be in the form of a panel discussion, group of 4, 5, or 6 oral presentations on a specific topic, or participatory in nature (e.g., workshop or hands-on training). Multiple session track proposals are welcome. Those interested in organizing and hosting a topical session should provide the information in the online form.

Learn More Here

 

Call for WRC Research Seed Grant Proposals for FY 2024

The State of Washington Water Research Center (WRC) is soliciting research proposals for submission under Section 104(b) of the Water Resources Research Act. The objectives of this program are to sponsor research that fosters (a) exploration of new ideas to address water problems or expand understanding of water-related phenomena, (b) entry, education, and training of future scientists in water resource fields, (c) multidisciplinary research, and (d) dissemination of research results to academic and non-academic audiences.

Any proposal to advance scientific understanding of water resources and/or their management in the State of Washington will be considered, but priority will be given to integrative proposals that initiate new multidisciplinary collaboration or that will have a high likelihood of leading to multidisciplinary research efforts. Preference will be also given to early-career investigators, and proposals that support graduate student thesis and dissertation research. The review panel will be interdisciplinary and it would be beneficial to reflect this in your writing. Evidence of stakeholder support should be provided in the form of letters. Proposals addressing the following priority topics will be given preference:

  1. Climate change effects on water supply, demand, and quality.
  2. Analysis of policy and law relating to water resource management.
  3. Fate and transport of nutrients and emerging contaminants in the environment.
  4. Remote sensing of hydrologic systems and/or water use.
  5. Equity and justice in water resource access and management
  6. Surface-groundwater interactions and conjunctive use management.

We anticipate funding three proposals at up to $30,000 each ($10,000 minimum). Research expectations will be commensurate with funding request. The cost-share requirement is 1:1 ($10,000 and $30,000 depending on funding request) from non­federal sources, which can be satisfied with overhead, faculty time/salary, and cash match. Funding is contingent upon congressional allocation and release of FY2024 program funds. Grant duration will be tentatively September 1, 2024 – August 31, 2025.

Update on grant contract period: Due to the federal legislative delays the current tentative grant period will be October 1 2024 through Sept 30 2025.   

Proposal submission deadline: Friday March 22, 2024, 5:00 p.m. (PST)

Eligibility: 

  1. Eligible: Faculty members or affiliates at institutions of higher education in the State of Washington.
  2. Ineligible: Applications for research on health effects involving human subjects.
  3. Ineligible: Applications for research involving oceanography (estuarine research applications are acceptable).

Updated proposal guidelines and worksheets:

We encourage you to work closely with us from the beginning if you intend to submit a proposal. Please contact Jacqueline McCabe at jacquem@wsu.edu, 509-335-5531 or Jonathan Yoder at yoder@wsu.edu, 509-335-8596 with questions.

20th Annual Palouse Basin Water Summit

The 20th  Annual Palouse Basin Water Summit is taking place on Thursday, October 26th from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the SEL Event Center.  Erica Gies, an award-winning independent journalist who writes about water, climate change, plants and critters, will be a featured guest.  To learn more please visit the event website and view the program.

Graduate Research Traineeship: Rivers, Watersheds & Communities

 

 

 

 

 

Join the Graduate Research Traineeship: Rivers, Watersheds & Communities to become a STEM professional equipped to tackle challenges in the Columbia River Basin in collaboration with communities to ensure sustainable human and ecosystem health.

The Columbia River Basin is facing an invisible water quality crisis, negatively impacting human and ecosystem health. This interdisciplinary challenge requires expertise from a variety of fields to solve.

This program trains MSc and PhD students in engineering and science (incl. social sciences) to do research to tackle these problems, hand-in-hand with the communities impacted. By valuing Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Western science, students will learn how to find solutions to these pressing challenges with their communities.

Highlights:

  • Professional development: opportunity to work with Tribes, agencies, organizations, and communities (internships, research projects, and more)
  • Student-centered mentoring from within and outside of WSU
  • $34,000 stipend & paid tuition & fees for 1 year
  • Opportunity to earn a Community Engagement in River and Watershed Systems Certificate
  • Collaborate with communities, including agencies and institutions, to do research that makes meaningful change
  • Learn to skillfully integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge, western scientific information, policy, and community interests and values
  • Learn from your peers: join an ever- growing cohort of trainees

Program logos

AWRA-WA Annual Conference Student Poster Presentations

Student poster presentation at a conference
Hailey Smith presents her work at the American Water Resources Association, Washington Section, annual conference.

 

The Water Research Center would like to acknowledge the students who presented their work during the poster session at the American Water Resources Association, Washington Section, annual conference on September 28, 2023.

    • Reetwika Basu, Ph.D., WSU Graduate

Poster Title: Economic Consequences of Locational Restrictions on Water Trading: Gains from Trade and Third-Party Effects

    • Catherine Mast, CWU Geology M.S. Candidate

Poster Title: Hydrologic and Geomorphic Investigations of Engineered Stream Crossings Under Interstate 90 in Washington State

    • Chandler Sabin, CWU Geology M.S. Candidate

Poster Title: Response of the Naches River to the Removal and Redesign of Nelson Dam

    • Hailey Smith*, WSU Ph.D. Environmental Science Candidate

Poster Title: Reducing Stream Temperatures for Salmon Migration: Modeling Effective Shade in the Yakima River Basin

    • Edward Vlasenko*, CWU Geology M.S. Graduate

Poster Title: Estimating Evapotranspiration at Taneum Creek

 

* American Water Resources Association, Washington Section, fellowship recipient

Implications of Shifting Timing in Water Availability in Eastern Washington

Image of the Columbia River near Wanapum Dam

Read more about changing water supplies and demands across eastern Washington in this article based on research led by the Washington Water Research Center in partnership with WSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Ecology’s Office of Columbia River.

 

Photo: Jennifer Stephens/OCR (2017)