Sabbatical Announcement and Call for Engagement

Arizona is a leader in groundwater management within designated active management areas and in water banking and aquifer recharge and recovery. The state’s statutory framework and approach can serve as a model for other regions. Yet, challenges exist due to groundwater overdraft and the reduced availability of Colorado River water. This presentation provides an overview of current challenges and potential solutions, including a discussion of regional differences, and it provides information on free Water Resources Research Center educational resources available to assist communities in understanding their water situations and opportunities to conserve water.

The United States and Mexico have collaborated on assessment of their transboundary aquifers and groundwater. The multi-year effort has produced two binational, fully bilingual reports on aquifers shared by the US and Mexican states of Arizona and Sonora, respectively. The presentation provides an overview of the history and current status of the multi-state, binational program, with a focus on the Arizona-Sonora work in which the Water Resources Research Center has been engaged.

Identifying pathways to addressing complex or wicked water problems requires collaboration, interdisciplinary efforts, and multiple strategies. This presentation provides a discussion of wicked water problems and potential solutions to address them in the context of (1) the Colorado River Basin’s imbalance of water supply and demand and (2) groundwater invisibility and overdraft. Processes to address wicked water problems are explored through a discussion of factors that contribute to successful outcomes.

Careers can take unexpected twists and turns. This discussion, which could be a portion of other lectures, offers some storytelling and insights into how assuming risks associated with unexpected career opportunities, dealing with setbacks, and building upon varied professional experiences can lead to a productive career involving both academic and non-academic positions. This lecture could include discussion of engagement in international efforts, networks such as the Women in Water Diplomacy Network, and professional service.

There are numerous other topics that could be covered and presentations can be mixed and matched from the suggested topics listed above. For additional ideas, please consult the Publications and Presentations portions of my Curriculum Vitae, which is available at wrrc.arizona.edu/director.