Education & Engagement

Graduate Education

Graduate students in a variety of fields received mentoring and carried out research as part of the WW2100 project team. Their studies resulted in eight MS and five PhD theses (Table 1). In addition, we conducted two graduate-level courses, one on the use of focus groups in stakeholder engagement (WRP 599) and a second on multi-scale hydrologic modeling (WRS 599). We also delivered two special seminar courses (WRS 507) focused on water sustainability, and climate projects and issues, one in spring term 2011, the other in spring term 2015. An average of 25 students enrolled, and the seminars were also open to and attended by the public. Further description of these courses is provided below.

WRP 599 course enrolled ten students, WRS 599 enrolled 12 students at OSU and was cross-listed at Portland State University where an additional 12 students were enrolled.

WRP 599 Practicum in Conducting Focus Group Interviews - Spring 2012

Course Description from Syllabus: This graduate-level practicum course is centered around an NSF funded water experts stakeholders engagement workshop, applies the theory and practice of focused group interviews to elicit expert information and capture expert knowledge through the use of concept maps of water management in a major river basin. The course begins with a set of targeted readings and an introductory lecture to provide an overview of (1) the theory and practice of focus group process, including elements of IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval (2) the specific goals of the focused interviews in the context of the NSF funded Willamette Water 2100 research project. In the second and third week students will participate in interactive discussions to help refine interview questions and follow-up questions. In weeks four and five, students will assist in facilitation of a practice focus group followed by a written critique of the process. In Week 6 students will use the techniques learned to facilitate and record up to 6 different focus group interviews at the Willamette Water 2100 May 9 symposium. Following the symposium Week 6, students will critique and report on interactions in their own focus group. In weeks 7-10, Denise Lach will present a guest lecture on inter-investigator consistency in coding interview responses, students will code and summarize the data collected from their focus group notes and flip charts. The course final will be a report from the focus group you facilitated, and class discussion and synthesis of the major findings.

WRS 599 Multi-scale Hydrologic Modeling - Spring 2013

Course Description from Syllabus: This graduate-level course addresses issues related to water resource scarcity under changing landscape conditions. To accomplish this, the course focuses upon the theory and practice of hydrologic modeling at various spatial scales from small catchments to a major river basin such as the Willamette River Basin, and compares different modeling approaches used to evaluate potential future impacts of global change.The models discussed and presented represent different elements of a complex water resource system, and are linked by their use in a common project, the Willamette Water 2100 project.The course begins with a set of readings and an introductory lecture to provide an overview of (1) the specific goals of modeling approaches used in the context of the Willamette Water 2100 research project and (2) the theory and practice of hydrologic modeling. In weeks 2-9, collaborators on the WW 2100 project will each give two lectures discussing their modeling approach in the specific context of the Willamette Water 2100 project. Each lecturer will address the same set of key topics and themes in their lectures, using their modeling approach to illustrate the advantages and constraints imposed by that approach, how the model “plugs in” to Envision or if the model is not coupled as a plug-in, the way that this model helps to inform the larger project and other modeling efforts. Each lecturer will provide a homework assignment. In the laboratory sessions students will learn to use Envision and the associated HBV-FLOW model. For the group projects, groups of 3-4 students will select and focus on an interdisciplinary research question that can be addressed by the Envision model and use Envision to explore the potential outcomes associated with this research question. Students will prepare a group technical summary and give a 30 minute presentation on the results of their project. In week 10, the course wrap-up, students will examine and critique reference runs of the Envision model and prepare in class a joint assessment of the application of this model in the WRB and recommendations for its improvement. On the final day of class, we will discuss technology transfer and application of Envision and other models in other regions.

WRS 507 Seminar - Spring 2011 and WRS 507 Seminar- Spring 2015

Course Description from Syllabus:The seminar is a chance for students to learn from and interact with water resources professionals with many different experiences and perspectives. Speakers were chosen both to cover specific topics and to represent different disciplines and career tracks. Students are expected to be engaged listeners and to ask questions about the presentation. Learning Objectives include:

1. To become familiar with current research in the area of Water Resource Science, specifically with respect to interdisciplinary water resources research on Water Sustainability and Climate

2. To observe various ways of presenting research results

3. To practice critiquing presentations and developing questions to ask of presenters

4. To provide students with opportunities to meet scholars and practitioners in the field

Table 1. Graduate student theses supported by the Willamette Water 2100 project.

K-12 and Public Outreach

Understanding the importance of engaging and informing broader audiences about regional water issues, we also conducted activities and generated products relevant to both public education and K-12 education in water. Dr. Mary Santelmann and her graduate student, Maria Lewis Hunter, wrote a children’s book about water with illustrations both by a professional artist and art drawn by K-12 students. The student artwork was prepared under the direction of the artist through artist-in-residence sessions. The book, entitled Water was published as an eBook by the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS), and includes a Spanish language version, Agua.

K-12 WW2100 WISE Teacher Professional Development: Addressing Emerging Issues on Water and Climate Change through STEM and Service Stewardship

We also collaborated with an Oregon Sea Grant teacher’s professional development program called WISE (Watershed and Invasive Species Education) that is co-funded by NOAA. In FY 2013-2014, we used the WW2100 project as a framework to design WISE teacher professional development. We adapted WISE teachers workshops and included new elements on framing, understanding, and using a model to ask what-if questions about water and the influences of people. Segments included:

1. Causes of water availability through climate change, population growth, snow, and land use. Taught by Dr. Sam Chan, OSU Sea Grant

2. Implications of the drivers of water scarcity in our watersheds: science system learning, social perspectives. Taught by Dr. Sam Chan, OSU Sea Grant

3. Don’t be afraid of the mechanics of models and modeling (Learn how we can use models to predict future water scarcity and quality). Taught by Dr. Scott Wells, PSU Civil Engineering

4. Let’s model! Curious about the patterns of flow, water quality and the role of humans on the Willamette River? Taught by Dr. Scott Wells, PSU Civil Engineering

5. Modeling through a jar of jellybeans. The science of making predictions about water sustainability and climate change. Taught by Laura Ferguson, graduate research assistant, OSU CEOAS

A total of 12 teachers participated (about our capacity) over three full days of WISE workshops, including a two-day workshop (October 11-12, 2013 in Beaverton, OR) at the beginning of the school year, and a one-day workshop (May 28, Tualatin, OR) at the end of the school year to share learning activities developed by the teachers. Several of the WW2100 WISE teachers also participated in the project as teacher-researchers, attending project field trips and workshops and in some cases working with Dr. Anne Nolin’s snow monitoring research group on winter snow surveys in the Cascade mountains.