December 2022 e-Newsletter
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Letter from the Executive Director 
Jerad Bales, Executive Director, CUAHSI
Dear Friends of Water Science:
A few reflections for my last CUAHSI newsletter. First, channeling Greg Brown:
And I could hang on for a few years
Doing what I've done before, but
I want to hear the Laughing River
Flowing right outside my door.
One of the many pleasures of this position is the opportunity to work with the wonderful CUAHSI staff, and students and leaders in the water community. This gives me great hope, which is that
… thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all.
John Kennedy said in a speech commemorating Robert Frost at Amherst College, that many of us, particularly those in the academic community, were given “a running start.” He went on to say that
" . . . [because of] the great opportunity which society gives the graduates of this [Amherst College] and related schools, it seems … incumbent upon this and other schools' graduates to recognize their responsibility to the public interest. Privilege is here, and with privilege goes responsibility."
It is gratifying to see the water community recognizing their responsibility to both intellectual advancement and societal good and advancing both. It is a joy to be a part of that.
Take care, Jerad
Voices From The Community
Sam Zipper
 Assistant Scientist, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas
Back in 2014, I participated in an interuniversity groundwater course co-taught by Steve Loheide, Tom Gleeson, and Grant Ferguson. This course was tremendously impactful for me – Steve was my Ph.D. advisor and I went on to work with Tom for my postdoc – and also for the broader hydrologic community, as it eventually morphed into the CUAHSI Virtual University program. Since then, I’ve always wanted to provide the same inter-university networking experience to my own students, and this Fall I finally made that a reality with the launch of a Virtual University “node” here at the University of Kansas (KU). Through my module on Hydrologic Data Visualization, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and interact with dozens of students spanning the US and Europe and learn about the diverse and important research occurring at other universities across the CUAHSI network, while each of these students have greatly expanded their professional networks.
The strong and supportive community exemplified by the Virtual University program is the core reason I have engaged regularly with CUAHSI since then through numerous roles, including as a Virtual University instructor, site representative for KU, and more recently recipient of the HydroInformatics Fellowship. Scientific progress is often thought of as standing on the shoulders of those who worked on a project before you. To extend (and perhaps strain) that metaphor, CUAHSI is an invaluable rock in our hydrology community that helps students climb up onto those shoulders and create new knowledge and tools. I appreciate all the work done by Jerad, Veronica, Tony, Deanna, and the many other employees and board members I’ve had the opportunity to interact with over the years, and look forward to seeing how CUAHSI continues to evolve and serve the community with Jordan at the helm.
Web: https://www.samzipper.com
Twitter: @ZipperSam
General Announcements
2022 AGU Fall Meeting
CUAHSI will be hosting an in-person exhibit booth at this year's AGU Fall Meeting from December 12-16, 2022 in Chicago, IL. We will be located at Booth #1312 in the exhibitors hall.
Visit Us at a POD
National Water Center Innovators Program Summer Institute Meet & Greet - Stop by to see your fellow alums or to learn more about the program!
- POD 1 - 6:00 PM CST on December 12th
CUAHSI Meet and Greet - Join CUAHSI program participants to meet and chat off-screen. We look forward to connecting with CVU students, workshop participants, grant awardees, and any CUAHSI community members that stop by!
- POD 7 - 2:30 PM CST on December 13th
Attend a Help Desk Session Located at Booth #1901
- 10 AM, December 13th with Martin Seul, Technical Director
- Help Topics: General Data Management, General Cloud Computing, Data Quality Assurance, Persistent Identifiers, Seismic Data Access, Software Development
- 10 AM, December 15th with Clara Cogswell, Community Support Hydrologist
- Help Topics: General Data Management, Data Repositories, Data Management Plans, Data Publication, Ocean Data Best Practices, Metadata
CUAHSI Staff will be presenting at several online, oral and poster sessions. The complete list can be accessed here.
Recruiting Now for the 2023 Summer Institute
Recruitment for Theme Leaders
Come engage with motivated graduate students to help advance water prediction at the 2023 CUAHSI Summer Institute. Theme Leaders will spend about two weeks in Tuscaloosa, AL, June 12 – 23, guiding students, initiating projects, building teams, and providing training.
- Apply here.
- Deadline for applications is December 9, 2022.
Graduate Student Applications
The Summer Institute is a partnership between CUAHSI and NOAA that aims to engage the academic community in research to advance the mission of the National Water Center. Summer Institute participants work on projects related to water prediction and flood forecasting. Students work in small teams and are mentored by university faculty and other professionals.
- Apply here.
- Deadline for applications is January 6, 2023.
Details about the Summer Institute program can be found on our website, here. Questions can be directed to Jerad Bales at jdbales@cuahsi.org.
Snow Measurement Field School
Applications are open for the SINTER and CUAHSI Snow Measurement Field School March 5 - 10, 2023, Herber City Utah. Apply before December 19th to attend!
Apply here
Participants must apply for this workshop. Those previously accepted to the Snow Measurement Field School planned for January 2022 are pre-accepted and have received instructions to register.
Applications will be reviewed by workshop organizers and instructors, and participants will be notified of their application status in late December. Visit the website for full program details.
ICRW8 Call for Abstracts
CUAHSI Virtual University (CVU)
In CVU, a series of 1-credit, 4-week modules are taught by faculty in participating universities. Modules are self-contained and students enroll in the three modules most relevant to their interests to receive three hours of credit at their home university. Participating faculty teach their 4-week module and serve as instructor-of-record for students from their university who enroll in CVU. Students gain access to material that might not be offered at their home institution.
- Students: interested in participating in CVU? Encourage your instructors to apply.
- Faculty: Interested in participating? Appy here.
More details can be found on our website.
We welcome the formation of subject matter tracks! We are particularly interested in forming a series of modules related to any of the following topics: Critical Zone Science, Food, Energy, and Water Systems (FEWS), Remote Sensing, and/or Hydrogeophysics. If you are a specialist in any of these areas and are interested in teaching in CVU, please contact Veronica Sosa Gonzalez vgonzalez@cuahsi.org, for more information.
Propose a Workshop
Is there a specialized topic or method that you want to share with the Water Science community? CUAHSI can help you host a workshop! CUAHSI is now accepting proposals. To learn more about CUAHSI’s past workshops, visit the website here, and reach out to jmasterman@cuahsi.org with any questions about the proposal process!
Proposal deadline extended! Submit your proposal here by January 19, 2023!
Funding Opportunities
 
CUAHSI offers funding opportunities for students and researchers in the Water Sciences. While these awards and fellowships may be relatively small, the impact may be large. Get your application materials ready! The call for proposals is open now for both the Pathfinder and Hydroinformatics Innovation Fellowships. Deadline to apply for each: January 11, 2023.
You will find the links to apply in the information page for each of the Fellowships (linked above). If you have questions about any of CUAHSI fellowships, please contact Veronica Sosa Gonzalez at vgonzalez@cuahsi.org.
Attention Instructors!
CUAHSI is seeking to understand the needs of faculty who teach Water Science to undergraduate students. Any college-level instructor, regardless of academic discipline, institution type, or appointment status, who teaches at least one undergraduate-level class related to water science is welcome to participate. Your feedback may inform the development of new CUAHSI programs and services.
If you meet the above qualifications, we welcome your input. After you have reviewed the informed consent information, you may begin the survey. The online form will take about 25 minutes to complete.
Please share this opportunity with anyone in your network as appropriate. If you have questions or want to be notified when the survey goes live, please reach out to Deanna McCay at dmccay@cuahsi.org.
Education & Outreach Standing Committee
Are you interested in being a part of education & outreach initiatives in the field of Water Sciences? CUAHSI is currently looking for volunteers to serve on our Standing Committee on Education & Outreach. The Committee initiates and monitors CUAHSI’s activities related to membership, pedagogical topics and career development opportunities. For more information, please visit our website or contact Veronica Sosa Gonzalez at vgonzalez@cuahsi.org.
Apply here!
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Standing Committee
Have you been looking for a way to provide leadership on diversity, equity & inclusion in the field of Water Sciences? CUAHSI is seeking volunteers to serve on our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Standing Committee. Applications from individuals having a demonstrated commitment to broadening participation are especially welcome. For more information, please see our website or contact Veronica Sosa Gonzalez at vgonzalez@cuahsi.org.
Apply here!
U.S. DOL Occupational Information Network (O*NET) Seeks Volunteers
The O*NET Data Collection Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, is seeking the input of experts in two occupations: Hydrologists and Hydrologic Technicians. As the nation's most comprehensive source of occupational data, O*NET is a free resource for millions of job seekers, employers, veterans, educators, and students at www.onetonline.org.
You have the opportunity to participate in this important initiative and your participation will help ensure that the complexities of your profession are described accurately in the O*NET database for the American public.
If you meet the criteria outlined in this document, and are interested in participating, please contact RTI International, the O*NET data collection contractor, Nicole Glass at nglass@onet.rti.org or (919) 865-3440 ext. 108.
Upcoming Events
International Research Experience for Students- El Salvador
Join an interdisciplinary team of experts in a fully funded international summer experience to build field skills in hydrological and sociocultural research in El Salvador. MS and PhD students are encouraged to apply now for this opportunity.
This multi-year project addresses climate change-induced, water-related challenges in the Central American Dry Corridor with a focus on agricultural community adaptations to extreme hydrometeorological events.
Join us here at 6:00 pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, January 18, 2023 for an informational webinar to learn more.
Start your application here. The application deadline is February 3, 2023. Further program details are available on the website, here.
Cyberseminar: The Food-Energy-Water Nexus: Using HydroViz to Support Undergraduate Student Learning
This two-hour workshop aims to introduce undergraduate instructors to a course module and resources developed to engage undergraduate students in visualization of data grounded in the Food-Energy-Water-Nexus (FEW-Nexus). Course instructors will guide participants on ways to develop diverse local and regionally specific scenarios for teaching and learning that would involve decision-making about socio-hydrological issues.
Full workshop details are available on the website, here.
January 30, 2023, 2pm - 4pm EST
Register here
CUAHSI Biennial Colloquium
The theme for the 2023 biennial is, Discovering New Horizons in Water Science.
The broad field of Water Science is making important strides in addressing critical environmental and societal challenges in the face of growing stressors. As the connector among essentially all key systems on our planet, Water Science continues to reshape and evolve in its own unique way to address disciplinary and interdisciplinary challenges. The 2023 CUAHSI Biennial Meeting will focus on new horizons in Water Science that include: new ways of doing inclusive and collaborative research, new perspectives, new knowledge frameworks, new ways of learning, new tools, and new metrics of success.
The symposium offers a unique opportunity and a casual environment for participants to discuss ideas and interact with colleagues from different disciplinary fields from all over the country. Students are especially encouraged to attend! Here is some of what you can expect by attending:
- Hear the latest findings from CUAHSI community researchers
- Attend workshops and hands-on sessions
- Identify new opportunities and collaborations
- Present your work during a poster session
CUAHSI Member discounts and travel support will be available. More details coming soon, check back on our website!
Hydroinformatics Blog
Arc Hydro’s WIM: A Machine Learning Framework for Wetland Identification
By: Gina L. O’Neil, Ph.D.
Wetlands are a vital ecosystem that provide ecological habitat, improve water quality, and ease flood and drought severity. As rapid development and climate change continue to threaten wetland health, it is increasingly important to build and share tools for wetland management and conservation. Tools to identify wetlands with greater efficiency than traditional manual processes are particularly valuable. The National Wetland Inventory (NWI) recognizes this need and is working with the wetland science community to develop an updated, semi-automated wetland mapping workflow. Arc Hydro’s Wetland Identification Model (WIM) is a candidate toolset to meet this goal.
While there are many types of wetlands, all can be identified by common features, including the presence of hydrologic conditions that inundate the area, vegetation adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, and hydric soils. Remote sensing data offer new opportunities to observe these patterns at varying scales. LiDAR DEMs are particularly well-suited to modeling hydrologic drivers of wetland formation given their recent collection dates, wide availability, and high spatial resolution. Many studies have shown the ability of DEM derivatives to model flow convergence and act as proxies for near-surface soil moisture (e.g., Lang et al., 2013; Lang & McCarty, 2014; Millard & Richardson, 2013; Millard & Richardson, 2015; O'Neil et al., 2018).
Continue reading here.
HydroShare
HydroShare Data Spotlight
The water crisis in the Colorado River Basin is in the global spotlight. There are transboundary issues between states, between the Upper Basin and Lower Basin users, between the U.S. and First Nations, and between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as ecosystem management issues. This situation has been called a wicked water problem - one for which there may be a path forward, but no ultimate solution.
This month we highlight a HydroShare resource that seeks to engage the community in identifying a path forward for Colorado River basin users. The resource is meant to be used in a group setting with a facilitator and a set of participants utilizing a modeling tool and data. The desired outcome is an adaptive Colorado River basin reservoir management plan. This resource was the most downloaded, published resource on HydroShare during the last reporting period, demonstrating the value of the tool and interest in seeking a shared pathway forward.
HydroShare Publishing Update
With the next release 2.1 of Hydroshare in the middle of December, resources submitted for publication in HydroShare will undergo a check by a member of CUAHSI staff to ensure adherence to a minimum metadata standard and community guidelines. These guidelines and standards are available here in the HydroShare Help page and adherence will be required once the feature is in place. This change will allow CUAHSI to ensure that data published in HydroShare is appropriate and well described. Once a resource is submitted for publication, the process will likely always be completed within one business day but will not exceed two business days. Happy publishing!
New Release 1.60 & 2.0
In these releases we added new functionality, addressed several bugs and applied a major infrastructure update.
New Functionality:
- Added additional options for extraction files in folders
- As announced in the last newsletter we added functionality to add related spatial features to a resource. The available collections include e.g. Hydrologic regions, principal aquifers, counties and states and many more.
- Enhanced the discoverability using related spatial features.
System Upgrades:
- We upgraded the core software components (database, content management system and web framework supporting HydroShare to the latest versions to ensure performance, improve security and enhance sustainability.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed an issue with inviting users to a group.
- Corrected a form when creating a raster aggregation.
- Fixed a regression when removing profile images.
For more detail on this and previous releases, please check here.
Calendar Dates
Don't Miss These Opportunities
- Data Best Practices Help Desk Session - December 8, 2022, 3pm EST
- AGU Fall Meeting - December 12-16, 2022, Chicago, IL
- FEW Nexus: Using HydroViz to Support Undergraduate Student Learning - January 30, 2023
- Save the date for ICRW8 - June 5-8, 2023, Corvallis, OR
- Save the date for the CUAHSI Biennial - June 11-14, 2023, Tahoe City, CA
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