2016 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellowship

Maoya has been selected to receive a 2016 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. Her selection was based on her credentials and her strong application which “demonstrated potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the U.S. science and engineering enterprise.” This is a highly competitive fellowship and it is an honor that Maoya was selected. Congratulations!

WRGP Students in Action

Dacotah Splichalova, MS WRPM candidate, has completed a water mapping story called “Navigating Cultural Currents: Sharing Water in Central America” which can be viewed at http://arcg.is/29YAKIX.

Spring 2016

Winter 2016

  • Dual Degree Thesis Defense. Jacob Kollen, MS Water Resource Engineering, MS Soil Science, on Monday, March 14 at 9:00am in Wilkinson 203. Jacob will present "Experiences in Implementing the White Method: Estimating Evapotranspiration Using Fluctuations of Water Table Elevation". He is co-advised by Dr John Selker in Biological & Ecological Engineering and Dr. Maria Dragila in Soil Science. Free & open to the public.
  • WRGP Winter 2016 Seminar Series (every Wednesday).
  • AAUW seminar: Water Resources Challenges.  Susan Elliott and Kelsey Harpham (MS WRE Students) will present.  Wed, Feb 10 at 5:30pm at Broadway Commons, Peru Room #306, 1300 Broadway St NE, Salem OR.  Free and open to the public.  Flyer
  • WRGP Dance Your Dissertation is on Tuesday, February 23rd from 7pm-10pm at Corvallis Community Center, 2601 NW Tyler.  Dance Yo’ Dissertation is an opportunity to present your research interest creatively through visual or performing art.  A $2-5 donation is suggested.
  • Water Law Bootcamp - February 25, 2016 Flyer

Fall 2015

October 2015: Lauren Smitherman featured in Terra Magazine. Arsenic in Rural Oregon: Graduate student looked for pattern of contamination

October 2015: Joe Kemper featured in Terra Magazine. Stormy Waters:  Joe Kemper helps solve a local dispute over flooding and ditches

Congratulations to Hydrophiles for another highly successful Water Symposium

They had over 60 students present from more than 7 universities! Between Sunday's music and fish-filled potluck, Monday's screening of "Who Owns Water", and all the new connections made at the event, it's safe to say this was our best year yet!

The peer judging declared the following students winners in their respective categories:

Oral Presentation:

  1. Sarah Burnet, University of Idaho
  2. Diana Gergel, University of Washington
  3. Nicole Ward, University of Idaho

Poster Presentation:
(three-way tie!)

  1. Steve Drake, Oregon State University
    Jacob Kollen, Oregon State University
    Satish Serchan, Oregon State University

Thank you to Laurie Childers for donating the gorgeous, hand-thrown mugs the winners received!

January 15 MLK Celebration

Thank you to everyone who came out to our annual Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration on January 15 at the CEOAS Admin Building. Attendees enjoyed birthday cake while taking the opportunity to discuss diversity and diversity issues within the water world. They were also encouraged to create Haikus (Haiku is, today, a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.) with a water/diversity message.

April 1, 2014 - Congratulations

Congratulations to Jordan Beamer, Ph.D. WRE, who was one of six students selected for the prestigious 2013 CUAHSI Pathfinder Fellowship. This fellowship provides funding for students to travel to another location in order to pursue collaborative work related to their thesis project. Jordan's PhD work focuses on quantifying coastal freshwater discharge into the Gulf of Alaska, and Prince William Sound in particular. He will be traveling to Fairbanks, Alaska, in order to collaborate with Dr. Anthony Arendt of the Geophysical Institute on the topic of glacial meltwater contributions to coastal runoff. Jordan is supervised by Dr. David Hill from the School of Civil and Construction Engineering.

Congratulations to Thomas Mosier, PhD candidate (dual major in WRE and MIME) was selected as one of two recipients of the 2014 Graduate Research Fellowship, administered by the Oil Spill Recovery Institute. Thomas' work focuses on the prediction of streamflow in data-poor regions, and the fellowship provides $25,000 per year for two years. Thomas' work will advance OSRI's interests in Alaska by providing streamflow boundary conditions for oceanographic simulations of nearshore currents and surface spill trajectories. Thomas is jointly supervised by David Hill of Civil and Construction Engineering and Kendra Sharp of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. Congrats, Thomas!

Dr. Stephen Lanscaster and MS WRE Candidate Jon Sanfilippo have created a Pico-Hydro Generator for their Porter Creek Project. Visit YouTube to view the video and read the 'About' section to learn more!

January 21, 2014

Thank you to everyone who came out to the annual Water Resources Graduate Program Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration!

July 1, 2013

In the unfolding debate over the deadly effects of the great torrent of Uttarakhand, the construction of dams in an earthquake-prone area of fragile, deforested mountain sides is hotly contested. And so it should....

“The result can be profound…there is damage to streams, fisheries, wildlife, threatened species and communities,” Desiree Tullos, an OSU associate professor and water resources engineer was cited as saying in a university release. “The energy may be renewable, but this research raises serious questions about whether or not the overall process is sustainable.”

Read the whole story here: Uttarakhand’s dam dilemma

June 7, 2013

" 'Small dams have hidden detrimental effects, particularly when effects accumulate' through multiple dam sites, said Kelly Kibler, a water resources engineer (WRGP Alumni) who led the study while at Oregon State University. 'That’s one of the main outcomes, to demonstrate that the perceived absence of negative effects from small hydropower is not always correct.'”

Read the whole article: Small Dams Can Add Up To Big Problems

May 30, 2013

Congratulations to all of this year's scholarship recipients:

May 22, 2013

Water Resources Research Symposium

Thank You! to the Hydrophiles student group for organizing an excellent Water Resources Research symposium last week. Those who journeyed down to the CH2M Hill Alumni Center for this event were treated to well-moderated, informative sessions in a comfortable open setting, as well as great refreshments!

The program team did a fantastic job of organizing the event, obtaining sponsors, inviting presenters and developing an interesting program.  

The lunchtime panel on Graduate Programs in Water Resources in which students from PSU, OSU and U of O all participated was valuable to several prospective students in attendance as well as to those of us involved in delivering the programs.

Dr. Mary Santelmann, WRGP director, would like to thank all the students who gave very professional oral presentations and poster presentations. I learned from you all!

She also want to thank our judges for both the oral presentations and poster presentations: Chad Higgins, Arturo Leon, Richard Cuenca, Sarah Lewis, Anne Nolin, Mary Santelmann, Michael Campana, Mohammed Safeeq, Court Smith, Sally Duncan, Edward Weber, George King, Ivan Arismendi, Greg Lomnicky, Todd Jarvis, Michael Campana

Finally, a huge congratulations to those students from the Water Resources Graduate Program who won awards from the WRGP for their excellent presentations.

Please join us in honoring the following students who won awards from the WRGP for their presentations or posters:

  • Best Presentation Award by a PhD student ($100) :   Kara DiFrancesco Doctoral Candidate WRE; runner up Tracie Jackson WRE ($50)
  • Best Presentation by a Master’s Student WRE degree program ($100): Noa Bruhis
  • Best Presentation by a Master’s Student WRS degree program ($100):  Hazel Owens
  • Director’s Award for Presentation (each will receive $25): Thomas Mosier (dual major in CE and WRE) and Lexi Coons (WRS)

The students in the WRPM degree program who participated chose to present posters rather than oral presentations.

The WRGP awarded $50 for the Best Poster Presentation in each of the degree programs to the following WRGP students:

  • Best Poster WRE: Nick Dosch
  • Best Poster WRS:  Kris Richardson
  • Best Poster WRPM: Andrea Carson

In addition, Kathleen Moore (OSU CEOAS) and Jeffrey Brittain (PSU) won awards for Best Poster from the Hydrophiles organization.

We thank the Hydrophiles for hosting the event, and we also thank all the sponsors of this event, which included not only the WRGP, but also the Institute for Water and Watersheds, the Ann Campana Judge Foundation, InSitu Inc., WSI Applied Remote Sensing and Analysis, Water Environmental Sedimentation Technology (WEST), and ORAWRA.

I’m looking forward to this event in 2014!

You can find pictures of the event on our facebook page.

October 31, 2012

  • Special Announcement for New Graduate School Fellowship for Entry into the USAID Foreign Service
    On March 2, 2012 the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the launch of a new fellowship program designed to attract outstanding young people to careers in international development. The Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship seeks to prepare young people for careers in international development as Foreign Service Officers in the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Payne Fellowship Program provides benefits of up to $90,000 over two years toward a two-year master's degree, arranges internships on Capitol Hill and at USAID missions overseas, and provides professional development and support activities leading to employment in USAID. Fellows may use the fellowship to attend a two-year master's program in a U.S. institution to study an area of relevance to the USAID Foreign Service, including international relations, public policy, business administration, foreign languages, economics, agriculture, environmental sciences, health, or urban planning at a graduate or professional school approved by the Payne Program. At the end of the two-year fellowship, Fellows enter the USAID Foreign Service. Applicants must be college seniors or graduates looking to start graduate school in the fall of the year they apply, have GPAs of at least 3.2 and be U.S. citizens. The program welcomes applications from those with any undergraduate major. Information and application materials for the program is at www.paynefellows.org. The application deadline is January 23, 2013. The Program is funded by USAID and managed by Howard University.

    The Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship Program
    Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center
    Howard University

Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Roy Haggerty in Salem, Oregon

Faculty member of the month:
Dr. Roy Haggerty, Department of Geosciences.

Dr. Roy Haggerty came to Oregon State University in 1996 after receiving his PhD from Stanford University. When he's not in the classroom teaching hydrogeology, or in his office advising students, you might find him out in a streambed in chest-waders; teaching a laboratory section of Geology students to measure stream velocity and calculate discharge. Or, he could be conducting tracer tests to study the exchange of water and solutes between the surface and sub-surface zones of streams, or even helping his graduate students to install wells at the H.J. Andrews Long Term Ecological Research site.

Dr. Haggerty is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences, and served as the first Associate Director for the Water Resources Science degree program in the Water Resources Graduate Program. He and his students have studied the exchange of water between streams and the shallow subsurface (the hyporheic zone), nitrate transport through sediments below agricultural lands in Oregon, groundwater flow modeling, and the physics of solute transport in highly heterogeneous materials. Student research projects have included studying the role of groundwater in geologic processes, nuclear waste disposal, mathematical modeling of solute transport, and stream turbidity. Recent funding for research has come from the USGS, Dept. of Energy, National Science Foundation, Sandia National Laboratories, and state agencies in Oregon.

Dr. Roy Haggerty putting in a well

"Roy is a quiet but effective leader in water-related research and education." said Dr. Mary Santelmann, Director of the Water Resources Graduate Program. "His experience and guidance as Associate Director for the Water Resources Science degree program has been invaluable in establishing a strong program that meets the needs of the students."

Roy is also an active advocate for OSU and for water-related research within and beyond the halls of the University. Haggerty and colleagues Denise Lach, Stan Gregory, and John Bolte recently led a team of about 40 OSU faculty members in the successful development of the Water and Watersheds Initiative that established the new Institute for Water and Watersheds, and brought Michael Campana to Oregon State University as its first Director.

In 2006-2007, Roy Haggerty will be on sabbatical in Spain. We expect that he'll return with a great tan and his characteristic enthusiasm in fall of 2007.

News & Events - News Archive

Read about current activities of the OSU water resources community in H2OSU, the newsletter of the Institute for Water and Watersheds.

October 19, 2012

Aaron Wolf, professor of geography in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU, co-authored this piece.

October 11, 2012

Oregon State University professor of geography Aaron Wolf, recognized for his work in mediating water disputes around the world, is featured in the new book, Ecoliterate, which tells stories of activists, educators, and young people from across the nation who are creatively addressing issues related to coal, oil, food, and water.

May 18, 2012

  • Water Research Symposium

Congratulations to the Hydrophiles student organization on an excellent Water Research Symposium Friday, May 18th in the Memorial Union.

The day was filled with excellent presentations and opportunities to network, and the poster session from 5 to 6 pm was also well-attended and well-provisioned by the Institute for Water and Watersheds.

We want to recognize the efforts of Hydrophiles officers Kim Ogren, Luke Pangle, Patrick Burns, Racquel Rancier, Kelly Foley, and many others whose efforts made this event such a rewarding way to spend a Friday! It was wonderful to see presentations from Portland State University and the University of Oregon as well as from OSU and from students in the WRGP as well as in other degree programs. The Hydrophiles were also able to obtain event sponsors who donated money for best presentation prizes – look for information on these sponsors from the Hydrophiles!

We also want to recognize our judges for the presentations and posters : Michael Campana, Richard Cuenca, Lynette de Silva, Rebecca Flitcroft, Hannah Gosnell, Jack Istok, Todd Jarvis, George King, Stephen Lancaster, Sarah Lewis, Anne Nolin, Mohammed Safeeq, Mary Santelmann, Court Smith, Kellie Vache, and Aaron Wolf.  Without the assistance of the judges we would not be able to offer awards!

Here is the list of award winners at the Water Research Symposium:

  • Water Research Symposium Best Presentation Overall - Luke Pangle (WRS)
  • Water Research Symposium Best Poster Overall - Phil Neumann (WRS)
  • Water Research Symposium Runner-Up Best Poster - Alexey Kalinin (AREC)
  • Water Resources Graduate Program Best Presentation...

by A PhD Student in Water Resources Engineering - Tracie Jackson
by A Masters Student in Water Resources Engineering - Noa Bruhis
by A PhD Student in Water Resources Science - Jay Frentress
by A Masters Student in Water Resources Science - Pat Burns
by A Masters Student in Water Resources Policy and Management - Maria Lewis
by A Masters Student in Water Resources Policy and Management - Mark Ingman

  • Water Resources Graduate Program Best Poster - Allison Marshall (WRS)

May 2012

  • Water Ills Focus of New Documentary (Huffington Post) - Aaron Wolf of Oregon State University (whose study of documented water disputes over the past 50 years showed that of the 1,800 disputes, “two thirds were cooperative” and involved “very little violence and no wars”)

April 2012

  • Congratulations to the P3 grant team for winning a $90K award at the National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington DC this past weekend for their project, entitled "Developing Sustainable Alternatives to Plastic Mulch".  We are so proud of you! See the announcement.

Information was originally posted in the MOSES Organic Broadcaster newsletter and in the Thomas Net News.

January 2012

  • We are sad to announce that courtesy faculty member Gail Achterman passed away on Saturday, January 28, 2012. Gail contributed greatly to the OSU community and the public as a whole, and she will be missed. Gail's family has posted information about her upcoming memorial service, and you can read about her lifelong work in water issues and natural resources in the Oregonian.

June 2011

  • Check out the Water Resources Graduate Program first annual newsletter! We hope that this newsletter will help our students, faculty, and alumni keep up to date on the graduate program, and will give us a chance to reflect on our accomplishments each year. This edition includes highlights about the Hydrophiles club, alumni, faculty and program news.

May 2011

  • On May 17 the Water Resources Graduate Program held its first annual OSU Water Day to celebrate student research and accomplishments of the OSU water community.  Twenty one students gave presentations about their research and the program held its annual awards luncheon.  Thanks go out to Mousa Diabat, Cally Whitman, and Elena Maus for the superb planning and execution of the event!
  • At the awards luncheon, Mary Santelmann announced and congratulated the 2011 Water Resources Program Awards winners:
    • Hydrophiles Vice President, Racquel Rancier (MS WRPM) received the Alumni Award, which in addition to a certificate and the honor of being the award recipient, provides the recipient with a $250 scholarship.
    • Eric Foster-Moore (MS WRPM) received The Faculty Excellence Award, which in addition to a certificate and the honor of being the award recipient, provides the recipient with a $500 scholarship.
    • Cody Hale (PhD WRS) is the 2011 recipient of the Williamson Water Prize, which in addition to a certificate and the honor of being the award recipient, provides the recipient with a $500 scholarship.
  • In addition to the honors that are awarded to our students by the WRGP, we recognized the following awards and honors achieved by our faculty and students in 2011:
    • Professors:
      • Jeffrey McDonnell: 2010-2011 Darcy Lecturer
      • Roy Haggerty: Inaugural Hollis Dole Professor 2010-2011
    • Faculty achieving the Rank of Associate Professor:
      • Mary Santelmann
      • Hannah Gosnell (with indefinite tenure)
      • Bryan Tilt (with indefinite tenure)
      • Peter Ruggiero
      • Desiree Tullos
    • Students receiving other awards:
      • Ricardo Gonzalez-Pinzon - Pathfinder Award, H.J. Andrews Student Research Award
      • Cody Hale - Pathfinder Award, Horton Award
      • Scott Allen - H.J. Andrews Student Research Award
      • Racquel Rancier - Graduate Legislative Intern
      • Harmony Paulsen - OR Lottery Fellowship
      • Rachel Lovellford - OR Lottery Fellowship
      • Imtiaz-Ali Kalyan - OR Lottery Fellowship
      • Jay Zarnetske - received the 2011-2013 Gaylord Donnelley Environmental Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University

September 2010

  • The theme for the Fall 2010 Water Resources Seminar Series is Water Policy and Law in an Era of Change. The seminars are held weekly on Wednesdays from 4:00-5:15 pm in Owen Hall Room 106. Seminars are open to the public and students can enroll for one credit in WRP 507.
  • The Water Resources Graduate Program welcomes its largest ever incoming class! Our fall orientation was held on September 15th. Our 21 new students and two transfer students (11 WR Science, 7 WR Engineering, and 5 WR Policy and Management) were introduced to the program and to one another.

May 2010

  • Our annual awards day was held on May 26 to honor recipients of numerous awards from professional societies, as well as OSU Water Resources Graduate Program scholarship award recipients on the Institute for Water and Watersheds website.

September 2009

  • Watching the snow: monitoring Oregon's water supply (Powered by Orange, 9/18/09) - Video and question and answer where Travis Roth, a PhD student in water resource engineering describes his research in groundwater movement and snowmelt, and how future climate change may affect both.
  • The theme for the Fall 2010 Water Resources Seminar Series is Corruption and Ethics Issues in Water Resources.  The seminars are held weekly on Wednesdays from 4:00-5:00 pm in Owen Hall Room 102. Seminars are open to the public and students can enroll for credit. Link to the seminar schedule (PDF).

May 2009

Our 2009 Awards were presented on May 28. Read a summary of the award winners in the June H2OSU campus water newsletter.

January 2009

The 2009 Water Resources Graduate Program Open House will be held from 9 am to 4:30 pm on Wednesday, January 28th . There will be a staffed information table and posters in the OSU Memorial Union, Room 109, from 9 am to 3:30 pm, and presentations by students and faculty in the morning from 9 am to noon. Coffee, tea, and informal conversation will be available in MU 109 all morning, followed by a poster session including refreshments in the afternoon from 1:30-3:30 pm. Our $100 Best Poster award will be presented at 3:15 pm.

Download the open house schedule -- WRGPOpenHouseSchedule2009.pdf.

May 2006

The first annual Water Resources Graduate Program Awards Lunch was held on May 31, 2006. We had delicious pizza and a chance to connect and celebrate the achievements of our program, our students, and alumni.

Todd Jarvis with The Kenneth J. Williamson Water Prize

The Kenneth J. Williamson Water Prize was awarded to Todd Jarvis. This is an award for academic excellence, our most prestigious award, given to a student whose major or minor field is one of the fields of the Water Resources Graduate Program, and whom our program expects to become a leader in one of the water resources fields.

This year's Williamson Water Prize winner, Todd Jarvis, will be defending his PhD dissertation in June. He comes to OSU with over a decade of experience as a professional engineer, as well as experience in groundwater management, and a desire to learn about water conflict and conflict management with his major advisor, Aaron Wolf. He has a major in Geography and a minor in Water Resources Policy and Management as well as an integrated minor in Water Conflict Resolution, Policy and Education.

The Water Resources Faculty Award was presented to two students in 2006; Glenn Mutti and Mark Porter. This is an award for excellence in representing OSU through publication of a paper, giving an oral presentation, or presenting a poster that helps to showcase the leadership of the OSU Water Resources Graduate Program through the professionalism and excellence of its graduate students.

Glenn Mutti completed his MS degree with a double major in Water Resources Science and Geology, working with advisor Roy Haggerty. His work has been presented numerous places, including our WRGP Open House, the Southern Willamette Valley Groundwater Management Association. Glenn also served as the first graduate student member of our External Advisory Board, which met for the first time at our Open House in February.

Mark Porter, a student in the Water Resources Engineering program, has represented Oregon State University through poster presentations of his research at Geologic Society of America and at the WRGP Open House. He will be presenting a paper on his research in Copenhagen, Denmark in June. He is working on his PhD in Water Resources Engineering with Dorthe Wildenschild as his major advisor.

The Water Resources Alumni Scholarship Award was conferred upon Erika Kraft. This award is intended for bright, energetic students in the WRGP who excel at leadership and service to the water resources community as well as in their field of study. This $250 award is supported through donations from OSU alumni to the Water Resources Graduate Program Alumni Scholarship fund.

Erika Kraft is President of the Hydrophiles student organization, and is a doctoral student majoring in Water Resources Engineering, with John Selker as her major advisor. Her leadership has been evident in many of the successful activities sponsored by the Hydrophiles this past year, in seminar series as well as the usual social events.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award was presented to Dr. Scott Waichler, who has been a leader in supporting and promoting the Oregon State University Water Resources Graduate Program. Dr. Waichler, who received his PhD in 2000 from the Bioengineering Department, was one of several distinguished speakers in the Hydrophiles winter seminar series for 2006. His leadership and donations established the Water Resources Graduate Program Alumni Scholarship Fund.