WRRC Director Addresses Two Conferences on Binational Water

WRRC Director Sharon B. Megdal participated in two virtual programs the week of October 12, 2020. She joined two panelists from Mexico to provide remarks comparing groundwater depletion and water security in the Rio Grande Basin and Colorado River Basin at the United States - Mexico Transboundary Groundwater Conference held October 14-15. Focused on “Innovation and Creativity: Strategies for Unprecedented Challenges,” the conference was organized by the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters. The program featured a mix of thematic presentations and engaging panel discussions focused on questions related to key transboundary challenges. With El Dio de los Muertos just a few weeks away, a fun happy hour at the end of the first day consisted of sharing calaveritas. According to the conference website, poems written for the Day of the Dead are known as literary calaveras and are intended to humorously criticize the living while reminding them of their mortality. Visit the website for the poetry winners for a surprise winning entry! 

 

A few days later, Megdal gave a keynote address at a Duke University Water Network symposium on Water and Borders. The October 16th symposium was organized by graduate students at Duke University’s Nicolas School of the Environment. Many of the attendees were students enrolled in the Master of Environmental Management and Master of Public Policy programs. Dr. Megdal’s remarks on transborder issues in the United States followed a panel of representatives from the Upper Colorado River Commission, the Navajo Nation, and the Northwest Florida Water Management District.

 

At a virtual reception after the symposium, she had the opportunity to answer questions about how current students can pursue careers in water. One of the students in her breakout room was a junior at Duke from Tucson!