Latest Newsletters: Student Chapter | WA State Chapter

What We've Been Up To:

Erin Donley wins a Washington State AWRA Fellowship for 2009-2010!

The Washington State Section of the American Water Resources Association offers annual Fellowships of $2,000 to full-time graduate students completing an advanced degree in an inter-disciplinary water resources subject. The Washington Section's annual fellowship awards will be officially granted at the AWRA Joint Meeting between the UW Student chapter and the Washington State Professional chapter on January 20, 2010. AWRA-UW President Erin Donley and Carolyn Connelly were selected as the recipients of the 2009-2010 fellowships. Congratulations to Erin and Carolyn!

Saturday, November 14, 2009: West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour On Saturday, November 14th, members of the AWRA-UW and the AWWA-UW went on a joint tour of the West Point Wasterwater Treatment Plant, near Ballard in Seattle. The attendees were treated with an inside perspective on wastewater treatment processes and systems that are currently maintainted by Seattle Public Utilities.

November 9-12, 2009: Annual Water Resources Conference The 2009 AWRA National Conference was hosted right here in Seattle. Hundreds of attendees from all over the country as well as right here in the Puget Sound came to meet and learn and discuss emerging issues related to water. The conference had over 260 speakers and panellists from academia, government, consulting and non-profit backgrounds that spoke on a variety of interesting topics. These engaging interdisciplinary presentations covered topics ranging from public policy, ecology, civil engineering, geo-hydrology and watershed management (just to name a few). A few highlights for our own UW Chapter include: Student Career Night, sponsored by The Bioengineering Group, Inc. and planned by the UW Chapter, in which over 60 students and professionals from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines participated in a career panel discussion and speed networking. Attendees met with each other one on one to ask questions, exchange business cards and network for potential employment. Student night out: The UW Chapter hosted a student night out in which students and young professionals socialized over a few beers at the Pike Place Brewery. AWRA-Washington State Chapter Fellowship announcements: our own Erin Donley, graduate student in College of Forestry and School of Public Affairs, received one of the two fellowships this year. Oral and poster presentations by University of Washington graduate student Julie Vano.

Above: Career night panel discussion Above: Speed networking in action!

UW Reclaimed Water Forum, April 23, 2009

The AWRA-UW chapter recently helped plan and execute a Reclaimed Water Seminar that explored the issue of reclaimed water in King County. Four speakers from various backgrounds – the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, Seattle Public Utilities, University of Washington Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - presented on the history, planning process, economic aspects, and health concerns of reclaimed water. Breakout sessions gave seminar attendees the opportunity to discuss if, how, and why reclaimed water has a future place in King County's water supply operations.

AWRA Mountain Snowpack Exploration Trip, April 11, 2009

On Saturday, April 11, the AWRA-UW chapter teamed up with Dr. Jessica Lundquist's graduate-level snow hydrology class to spend a half day near Snoqualmie pass and learn about avalanche forecasting and snow pack measurements.

Mark Raleigh wins a Washington State AWRA Fellowship for 2008-09!

The Washington State Section of the American Water Resources Association offers annual Fellowships of $2,000 to full-time graduate students completing an advanced degree in an inter-disciplinary water resources subject. The Washington Section's annual fellowship awards were granted at the AWRA Joint Meeting between the UW Student chapter and the Washington State Professional chapter on January 14, 2009. You can learn more about the research work of Mark Raleigh in the January-February 2009 newsletter of the Washington State AWRA chapter.

UW Student/State Mixer: Hydrologic Implications of Climate Change for the Western U.S., January 14, 2009

Over 40 people attended the AWRA mixer to meet and socialize with the student and professional chapters. Dr. Alan Hamlet gave a "sneak preview" of the preliminary results of the Climate Impacts Group recent work for the House Bill 1303 report regarding the potential impact of climate change on Washington state water resources and hydrology. You can read more about the mixer and Alan's talk in the upcoming January-February 2009 newsletter of the Washington State AWRA chapter.

AWRA Spring Snowshoe Odyssey, April 5 - 6, 2008

On the weekend of April 5-6, eight members of the UW-AWRA escaped the toils of homework and academic life to snowshoe to the summit of Hex Mountain. You can read all about this weekend journey in the May-June newsletter of the Washington State AWRA chapter.

UW Water Center Annual Review of Research, February 14, 2008

The UW Water Center Annual Review of Research was once again successful! Several hundred people attended, including students and professionals from industry, government, and academia. UW AWRA was represented by two members who provided general information about the club to the public.

Eric Rosenberg and Jeremy Leib win Washington State AWRA Fellowships for 2007-08!

The Washington State Section of the American Water Resources Association offers two annual Fellowships of $1,500 to full-time graduate students completing an advanced degree in an inter-disciplinary water resources subject. The Washington Section's annual fellowship awards were granted at the AWRA Joint Meeting between the UW Student chapter and the Washington State Professional chapter on January 16, 2008. You can learn more about the research work of Eric Rosenberg and Jeremy Leib in the January-February newsletter of the Washington State AWRA chapter.

UW Student/State Mixer: Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854: South Puget Sound Tribal Perspectives on Water, January 16, 2008

Over 30 people attended the AWRA mixer to meet and socialize with the student and professional chapters. John Konovsky, the Environmental Program Manager for the Squaxin Island Tribe, gave an informative presentation on “South Puget Sound Tribal Water Programs” which was followed by an invigorating discussion. You can read more about the mixer and John's talk in the January-February newsletter of the Washington State AWRA chapter.

Carkeek Park Restoration, Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 On December 1st, 15 volunteers from the UW-AWRA converged on Carkeek Park in North Seattle to remove non-native vegetation and replant native species. Carkeek Park is home to the outlet of Piper's Creek where we saw salmon spawning at the beginning of the day. We were led by a group of students from Seattle University and Earth Corps to remove English ivy from a small hill-slope and replant it with native ferns and brush. As we finished up, it started to snow! Thanks to everyone who helped out.

UW Water Center Annual Review of Research, February 14, 2007

The UW Water Center Annual Review of Research was a huge success! Several hundred people attended, including students and professionals from industry, government, and academia. UW AWRA's table there offered resume CDs to potential employers, as well as general information about the club.

Arden Thomas and Amy Yahnke win Washington State AWRA Fellowships for 2006-07!

The Washington State Section of the American Water Resources Association offers two annual Fellowships of $1,500 to full-time graduate students completing an advanced degree in an inter-disciplinary water resources subject. The Washington Section's annual fellowship awards were granted at the AWRA Washington Section Annual Conference, November 16, 2006.

AWRA Washington Section Annual Conference, November 16, 2006 This year's theme was "Water Resource Disasters in Washington: Risks and Recovery". Representatives of government agencies, academia, and consulting firms spoke about potential natural disasters that Washington State is susceptible to (including tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions) and their impacts on water resources. Eric Holdeman, Director of the King County Office of Emergency Management, presented the Keynote Address: "The Big One - Our Katrina". In addition, officers of the State and UW chapters had some fruitful discussions of possible ways for the two groups to interact.

Student/State Mixer, October 24, 2006

Thanks to all for another successful mixer between the UW and Washington State chapters. Professor Jessica Lundquist, of the UW Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, "The Pulse of the Mountains: Cycles in Streamflow", and students had a chance to meet professionals from consulting firms and local and state government agencies.

Hamm Creek Restoration, October 14, 2006 It's amazing what 15 people, garden tools, and some inspiration can do! In just four hours, we cleared some nasty blackberry brambles from about 50 yards of stream bank along Hamm Creek, a tributary of the Duwamish River. This activity was just one of several at various sites along the Duwamish that day, all part of a celebration of the life and work of John Beal, a Vietnam veteran who dedicated his post-war life to restoring the Duwamish River's habitat. Beal passed away in June this year.

Beal became interested in restoring Hamm Creek in 1979, in an effort to leave a meaningful legacy after suffering several heart attacks and learning that he only had months to live. Not only did his work with the creek prolong his life by 27 years, but his efforts lead to the foundation of several environmental organizations and the daylighting of Hamm Creek in 2002. This allowed salmon to spawn in the creek for the first time in 50 years.

Our work party was followed by a ceremony recognizing Beal's contribution and dedicating the Hamm Creek site to him. People for Puget Sound's Robin Clark, and Beal's wife Lana, were on hand to give us a tour of the site, recount the history of restoration efforts on the Duwamish, and testify to Beal's influence on environmental stewardship in the region.

Many of us felt honored to be continuing Beal's work. Simply seeing the difference we made in clearing out the brambles was gratifying itself. We look forward to working here again in the future. And from the sound of it, plenty more work awaits! Thanks to everyone for coming out and doing some environmental good!

Fall Kickoff, October 10, 2006

Thanks to all for attending! It was great for so many of us from across the spectrum of water resources to meet and exchange ideas. We appreciate your input and are setting up committees to organize some of the events you're interested in. Among the ideas people brought up were a trip to the Elwa Dam, organizing carpools to attend WA AWRA State Dinners (at Pyramid Ale House) and a restoration design project. We'll keep you posted on how these develop.

Summary of Talk by Derek Booth at Student-State Mixer, June 1, 2006

Dr. Booth spoke about "Some Intercontinental Observations on Rivers Through Cities", from his recent experiences while on sabbatical.

UW AWRA Chapter wins the 2006 National Outstanding Student Chapter Award!

The National American Water Resources Association presents the Outstanding Student Chapter Award each year to recognize the student chapter that has provided outstanding service in the furtherance of the Association's objectives. It is based on activities held during an academic year, rather than a calendar year. The award will be presented at the National AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference scheduled for November 6-9, 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Chris James and Stephanie Kampf win Washington State AWRA Fellowships for 2005-06!

The Washington State Section of the American Water Resources Association offers two annual Fellowships of $1,500 to full-time graduate students completing an advanced degree in an inter-disciplinary water resources subject. The Washington Section's annual fellowship awards were granted at the November 8, 2005 student night event of last fall's AWRA annual conference.

Award Winners:

Chris S. James, an MS student in Forest Engineering and Hydrology at the University of Washington, received the "open" section award for his project titled: Assessment of Four Types of Stream Restoration Projects at the Reach Scale. Dr. Susan Bolton oversees the work on this project. The focus of the work is a comparison of post construction functioning of stream restoration projects with the functioning of undisturbed streams.

Stephanie K. Kampf, a PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, received the student chapter award for her PhD dissertation titled: Synergistic Measurement and Physically-based Hydrologic Modeling. This work is being done under the direction of Dr. Stephen J. Burges. The primary goal of this work is to develop field measurements relating precipitation, surface runoff, and infiltration/subsurface flow that can be used to evaluate modeling tols designed to estimate one of more of these flow components.