Weekly Wave: WRRC Webinars Have Flourished During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Attendance at WRRC Brown Bag seminars - webcast live on Zoom since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic - has more than doubled (see figure). Brown Bag seminars, which have covered a wide range of important water-related topics over the years, saw their average attendance increase by 50% from 2006 to 2019. The transition to a fully virtual platform in April 2020 was fairly easy because the WRRC has been webcasting its seminars since 2013.

 

In 2020, before the Brown Bag Seminars were moved to online, 60% of the in-person attendees were affiliated with the UArizona. Post-COVID-19 participation statistics show that more non-UArizona people are attending (80%). Going fully virtual has allowed the WRRC to extend its reach to a more diverse public, while maintaining a robust UArizona audience. Now speakers and attendees can join from anywhere!

 

To date, 277 Brown Bags have been organized by the WRRC since the series was created in 2002. More are planned for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021. Visit our website to see a list of our upcoming webinars, including “Water for Nature,” a presentation from Kristen Wolfe, coordinator for the Sustainable Water Network.

 

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