Water Institute of Texas symposium at UTSA explores long-term issues, solutions
(Oct. 4, 2013) -- The Water Institute of Texas (WIT) brought local, state and national experts to the UTSA Downtown Campus today for a daylong symposium to share insight into Texas' primary water issues: long-term water availability and water regulation. It is the first public event hosted by WIT since it was launched in 2012.
According to Tom Papagiannakis, WIT interim director and Robert F. McDermontt Professor and Chair of the UTSA Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, "We have brought in experts from across the country to discuss the state of the art in water science and how to apply these principles in everyday life. New technology can predict floods and give us an overview of how to control our water. Technology is very important in helping us determine how much water we have and how to better manage it. Technology can give us solutions."
UTSA environmental science doctoral student Sepehr Rezaeimalek said, "As a Ph.D. student, I am going to work on numerical simulations and seeing how some of these well-known people are doing their simulations. Their approach was quite impressive. Overall, in a nutshell, I found the presentations very helpful and useful."
Speakers at the symposium included Mauli Agrawal, interim UTSA vice president for research, and Kevin Wolff, Bexar County commissioner.
Soroosh Sorooshian, director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing and Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, provided the keynote presentation on long-term water availability. Other experts addressed the same topic including David Maidment, Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin; Dan Hardin of the Texas Water Development Board; and Alan Dutton, WIT assistant director and chair of the UTSA Department of Geological Sciences.
Robert Gulley, executive director of the Habitat Conservation Program at the Edwards Aquifer Authority, provided a keynote presentation on the water regulatory environment. Additional experts speaking on this theme included Robert Puente, CEO of the San Antonio Water System; Suzanne Scott, general manager of the San Antonio River Authority; and Francine Romero, associate dean of the UTSA College of Public Policy.
Events
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome