Idaho EPSCoR Objective: The primary objective of EPSCoR is to stimulate research in niche areas that can become fully competitive in the disciplinary and multidisciplinary research programs of the National Science Foundation and other relevant agencies.
• 1 • WINTER 2011 Message from the Director Idaho has been selected to host the 22 nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference, October 24-27, 2011 at The Coeur d’Alene. The three themes of the conference are Energy, Water and Environment, and Workforce Development. Cyberinfrastructure (CI) will be an integrative and pervasive theme throughout the entire meeting, reflecting the value that the National Science Foundation places on CI for accelerating knowledge discovery, building scientific communities, and engaging K-12 students in STEM activities. The National Steering Committee has developed an ambitious program that showcases the contributions of the EPSCoR jurisdictions to the national research agenda and emphasizes opportunities to discuss inter-state collaboration. The program is expected to include speakers from the National Science Foundation, Apple’s iTunes U, IBM, and Department of Energy as well as students, faculty and some of the nation’s leading experts on STEM education and engagement of under-represented minorities. EPSCoR is the only state-based program funded through the National Science Foundation, and essential components of any EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) award now include direct links with the State Science and Technology Plan and a demonstrated strong track record of how EPSCoR dollars have contributed to the State’s research enterprise. In the current economy, states have particular interest in how research is contributing to regional economic growth and start- up companies. The conference provides a forum for members of state EPSCoR Committees, state legislators and governors to explore the federal and private sector links with state programs and exchange ideas on how synergies can be developed to better leverage state investments with federal opportunities. Many people have contributed to making this Idaho conference a reality, but I would particularly like to acknowledge Althea Flegel, Program Coordinator in the Idaho EPSCoR Office, for months of background planning and for developing the conference web page (please also check out Althea’s makeover of the Idaho EPSCoR web page) and Drs. Doyle Jacklin and Laird Noh for their leadership, contributions to the local program, and innovative ideas for integrating State Committees. We look forward to a large representation from Idaho and are eager to showcase the major achievements that EPSCoR has made possible. Continuing the theme of inter-state collaboration, researchers, educators, and students from Idaho, Nevada and New Mexico will gather for the third annual Tri-state EPSCoR conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM, April 6-8, 2011 (details included in this Newsletter). The meeting will include observers from other states interested in learning about the successes that have emerged from one of the first EPSCoR Track 2 RII grants in the nation. Idaho EPSCoR is also inviting faculty and students from Idaho’s colleges and universities and can provide travel awards for many who would like to attend. Please visit the Idaho EPSCoR website for more details. Idaho has been selected to host the 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference, October 24-27, 2011 at The Coeur d’Alene (pictured above). Peter Goodwin, Project Director
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WINTER 2011
Message from the Director
Idaho has been selected to host the 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference, October 24-27, 2011 at The Coeur d’Alene. The three themes of the conference are Energy, Water and Environment, and Workforce Development. Cyberinfrastructure (CI) will be an integrative and pervasive theme throughout the entire meeting, reflecting the value that the National Science Foundation places on CI for accelerating knowledge discovery, building scientific communities, and engaging K-12 students in STEM activities. The National Steering Committee has developed an ambitious program that showcases the contributions of the EPSCoR jurisdictions to the national research agenda and emphasizes opportunities to discuss inter-state collaboration. The program is expected to include speakers from the National Science Foundation, Apple’s iTunes U, IBM, and Department of Energy as well as students, faculty and some of the nation’s leading experts on STEM education and engagement of under-represented minorities.
EPSCoR is the only state-based program funded through the National Science Foundation, and essential components of any EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) award now include direct links with the State Science and Technology Plan and a demonstrated strong track record of how EPSCoR dollars have contributed to the State’s research enterprise. In the current economy, states have particular interest in how research is contributing to regional economic growth and start-up companies. The conference provides a forum for members of state EPSCoR Committees, state legislators and governors to explore the federal and private sector links with state programs and exchange ideas on how synergies can be developed to better leverage state investments with federal opportunities.
Many people have contributed to making this Idaho conference a reality, but I would particularly like to acknowledge Althea Flegel, Program Coordinator in the Idaho EPSCoR Office, for months of background planning and for developing the conference web page (please also check out Althea’s makeover
of the Idaho EPSCoR web page) and Drs. Doyle Jacklin and Laird Noh for their leadership, contributions to the local program, and innovative ideas for integrating State Committees. We look forward to a large representation from Idaho and are eager to showcase the major achievements that EPSCoR has made possible.
Continuing the theme of inter-state collaboration, researchers, educators, and students from Idaho, Nevada and New Mexico will gather for the third annual Tri-state EPSCoR conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM, April 6-8, 2011 (details included in this Newsletter). The meeting will include observers from other states interested in learning about the successes that have emerged from one of the first EPSCoR Track 2 RII grants in the nation. Idaho EPSCoR is also inviting faculty and students from Idaho’s colleges and universities and can provide travel awards for many who would like to attend. Please visit the Idaho EPSCoR website for more details.
Idaho has been selected to host the 22nd National NSF EPSCoR Conference, October 24-27, 2011 at The Coeur d’Alene (pictured above).
Peter Goodwin, Project Director
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New Website Integrates Research with Education about Climate Change The McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) recently received funding from the Tri-State Consortium EPSCoR Track 2 RII grant to create a cyberlearning website to help students learn about the impact of climate change on water resources in Idaho. The team that worked to get this project off the ground includes Dr. Karla Bradley Eitel, Director of Education at MOSS, Todd Buxton, a graduate student at the University of Idaho, who created the content for the site, and Jason Torgrimson, a teacher at Twin Falls High School, who did the website programming and development.
This new cyberlearning site (http://mossi.tfhsbruins.com), although a work in progress, is an excellent example of how cyberinfrastructure can be used to integrate research and education. The cyberlearning site will contain:
• educational content (e.g., climate predictions for Idaho; importance of water to Idaho’s economic, ecological and social systems; definitions of variables of interest to water researchers)
• data collection protocols
• a user-friendly interface for uploading water data to the Hydrologic Information System (HIS)
• lesson plan ideas for the classroom and for the field (with the ability for teachers to upload plans that they develop)
There are many methods being used to engage students both inside and outside the classroom environment. MOSS is developing material to support teaching and learning about Water Resources in a Changing Climate at MOSS and in schools across the State. Lesson plans are being developed for the website that will engage learners in classroom activities – for example, using physical models to explore the impact of
climate change on snowpack and summer stream flow. The lesson will use the website to connect students to sources of data for exploring the relationship of snowpack and stream flow, to researchers who are working on this topic, and to information about the ecological impact of decreased summer streamflow. Lessons are also being developed for outdoor field settings to get students collecting water-related data that can be uploaded to a database through the interface on the website. The database, also known as CUAHSI HIS (CUAHSI - Consortium of Universities for Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. and HIS - Hydrologic Information System) helps create a standardized way to facilitate the sharing of hydrologic data nationwide. Dr. Dan Ames, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University, also worked with MOSS on the HIS interface.
The cyberlearning site is also designed to meet state educational standards with curriculum that will address important Nature of Science standards, such as: 1) Understand Concepts and Processes of Evidence, Models, and Explanations, 2) Understand Constancy, Change, and Measurement, and 3) Understand Common Environmental Quality Issues, both Natural and Human Induced.
In the future, MOSS will be seeking funding to support teacher trainings related to HIS and the cyberlearning site, with the goal of developing a network of teacher/student/citizen scientists across the State who are collecting data, contributing to the HIS database, and using each other’s data for comparative studies of different watersheds. They also hope to add more interactive features on the site, such as social networking tools for teachers to share challenges and successes, videos of students and scientists working in the field, and a map of participating schools with links to their data.
Graduate Student Profile: Xiaozh ShenXiaozh Shen, an Applied Economics major from the P.R.China, is currently working with Dr. Levan Elbakidze to develop a market mechanism to help crop farmers maximize access to water during shortages. According to Shen, “EPSCoR provides me an opportunity to work with a talented economist to solve problems with significance to the academic community and the people who live and work in Idaho. “
Dr. Levan Elbakidze, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Idaho, is building computer models that integrate hydrologic and economic factors to evaluate the role that markets could play in addressing water shortages and water conflicts in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer. The model uses nearly 2.5 million variables for its simulations.
The research is based on a master’s thesis recently completed by one of Dr. Elbakidze’s graduate students, Xiaozhe Shen. Dr. Elbakidze also collaborates with Dr. Gary Johnson, associate professor of Geological Sciences and Assistant Director for the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at the University of Idaho, Idaho Falls, and Dr. Bryce Contor, research hydrologist at the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at Idaho Falls.
One of the problems that motivated this research is that water levels are dropping in the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer. This effect could get more pronounced as the climate changes. Declining aquifer levels affect the quantity of water obtained from springs in the area. As water is pumped from the aquifer by groundwater users there is potential for reduced flows from springs when the aquifer is low.
New Economic Model Considers Impact of Market-Based Approach to Water Use
Lower aquifer levels could lead to more conflicts between senior and junior water users. By law, senior water users can issue a “water call” which demands that junior water use be curtailed to accommodate the senior water users’ needs.
One way to address this problem, and a way that the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) has considered, is to
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curtail junior water users according to Prior Appropriations Doctrine. This kind of policy may be implemented, but, as one can imagine, this can be a contentious and expensive strategy as it doesn’t account for all economic considerations.
The research team is evaluating alternative mechanisms for coping with such situations. The research asks whether or not the spatial distribution of pumping reductions necessary to fulfill senior water rights according to Prior Appropriations Doctrine might be different if irrigators were allowed to lease water rights from one another. Would market based reduction in pumping produce a similar distribution of pumping reduction in space and time as would a strictly prior appropriations based curtailment?
Preliminary model results are significant. They indicate that market-based mechanisms would produce a different spatial distribution of reduction in water use compared
to administrative curtailment based strictly on Prior Appropriations Doctrine and achieve greater economic efficiency. Discounted present value of crop production profits over the next 100 years increases by 0.3, 2.5 and 7 percent under market based mechanism relative to Prior Appropriations based administrative curtailments lasting 1, 10, and 100 years, respectively. At the same time pumping under market based, mechanism could be 0.3, 3, and 40 percent higher than pumping under prior appropriations based administrative curtailment lasting 1, 10, and 100 years, respectively.
This model is unique in that it covers all of the Eastern Snake River Plain and links economics and hydrology in a spatial framework. This research is just one example of how computer modeling and simulations could provide more information for use in water management decisions.
Tri-State Consortium Meeting Offers Opportunity to CollaborateThe 3rd Annual Tri-State Western Consortium Meeting for the NSF EPSCoR Programs in Idaho, Nevada, and New Mexico is coming up on April 6-8, 2011 at the Tamaya Resort in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM. This meeting provides an opportunity for researchers, educators, and students to meet with counterparts within our Consortium to 1) advance understanding of climate change and its impacts on the Western U.S. by leveraging resources, data sharing, and data management in our three states, and 2) develop joint research, education, and outreach capacity in the broader region. Workshops and professional training opportunities will also be provided. In particular, Idaho EPSCoR faculty will showcase their research efforts, including:
Dr. Dan Ames, associate professor in the department of Geosciences at Idaho State University (in conjuction with Dr. Benedict, and Dr. Dascalu), will discuss “Cyberinfrastructure (CI) and Research.” Participants will discuss ways that EPSCoR researchers can take advantage of opportunities for CI-enabled research. They will also present “Data Portals for Research and Education Users/CI Policy” which will include a demonstration of the data portals developed, or under development in the three states. This will emphasize data discovery and access, service use, and processes and procedures for adding new data products into the data portals. Dr. Ames will also present the Hydrologic Information System (HIS) workshop which is limited to 20 participants interested in using this internet-based system to share hydrologic data.
Dr. Kevin Feris, and Dr. Marie-Anne de Graaf, associate professors in Biology at Boise State University, will present “Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Semi-Arid Ecosystems: Responses to Climate Change from Mechanisms to Landscape Processes.” Presentations in this session will focus on the mechanistic drivers of carbon and nitrogen cycling in semi-arid ecosystems in the wake of climate change and their corresponding effects on landscape level processes. Discussions will identify future research directions about the fundamental ecological mechanisms driving the atmospheric-terrestrial carbon cycle.
Other presentations taking place are as follows:
• Dr. Robert Heinse, assistant professor of soil and environmental physics at the University of Idaho (along with Dr. Laurel Saito and Dr. Amanda White), will present “Water Resouces: State and Change,” which will focus on novel ways to move interdisciplinary science forward.
• Sarah Penney, Idaho EPSCoR Diversity, Outreach, and Education Coordinator will present “Connecting Education and Outreach with Research.”
• Dr. Jen Pierce, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Boise State University and Dr. Ben Crosby, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Idaho State University will host a session titled, “Climate Drivers and Landscape Response.”
• Dr. Kelly Cobourn, research professor at Boise State University, will present on “Economics of Water and Land Use,” and
• Dr. Tim Link, associate professor of hydrology at the University of Idaho will also present “Integrated and Interdisciplinary Modeling.”
Of special note, there will be a Student Poster Session. All Idaho EPSCoR undergraduate students and graduate students are being encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase their excellent research efforts.
To increase participation of other Idaho academic institutions, including 2 and 4 year colleges, in this collaborative effort, Idaho EPSCoR is inviting students and faculty from Idaho’s colleges and universities to attend. The EPSCoR grant will provide travel awards for many students and faculty who are interested in participating. For more information simply contact Althea Flegel at [email protected].
To register, or for a detailed agenda, please visit the following link: http://nmepscor.org/content/nm-epscor-conferences-meetings. There is limited availability, so we encourage you to register early!
New Economic Model continued from page 2
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THE PEOPLE OF IDAHO EPSCoR
Marie-Anne de GraaffMarie-Anne de Graaff recently became an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Boise State University. Before coming to Boise State, de Graaff was a postdoctoral research associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. She earned her Ph.D. in environmental science, her
master’s degree in nature conservation and development, and her bachelor’s degree in forestry and nature management at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Her research seeks to quantify and better understand how plant-microbe interactions affect fluxes of carbon and nutrients in terrestrial ecosystems in the wake of global change. She is a manuscript reviewer for Global Change Biology, Geoderma, New Phytologist, Journal of Applied Ecology, Soil Science, Ecosystems, Soil Biology & Biochemistry, and Plant and Soil.
Kathleen LohseKathleen has recently become an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University. Lohse is an ecosystem/soil scientist who works at the interface of ecology, earth system science, and hydrology to study the processes shaping watersheds and their responses to human-induced changes.
Lohse earned her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in Soil Science with a focus in ecosystem ecology. Kathleen comes from the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona where she served as an assistant professor for more than 3 years.
Paul GesslerPaul Gessler is a professor of remote sensing and geospatial ecology in the Department of Forest Ecology and Biogeosciences at the University of Idaho. He conducted soil-landscape modeling research for seven years at CSIRO Australia and earned his Ph.D. in environmental modeling at the Australian National
University in Canberra. He then worked as a visiting researcher at the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis at UC Santa Barbara before joining the faculty at the University of Idaho in 1997. As co-director of the Geospatial Laboratory for Environmental Dynamics in the College of Natural Resources, Professor Gessler helps guide geospatial information needs for current Idaho NSF EPSCoR grants as lead of the cyberinfrastructure (CI) working group and the U.S. Geological Survey-funded IdahoView program. His own research specialties include remote sensing and LiDAR analysis for forest ecosystem mapping and monitoring, wildland fire fuels and fire hazard mapping, and soil landscape modeling and mapping.
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
Graduate Student Profile: Ian LeslieIan Leslie, who is originally from Clovis, California, is currently a graduate assistant majoring in Soil and Land Resources at the University of Idaho. He is working with Dr. Robert Heinse, assistant professor of soil and environmental physics at the University of Idaho. The focus of Ian’s
research is to examine a new method for describing water flow pathways in forest soils.
More specifically, Ian’s research uses a minimally destructive geophysical method called electrical resistivity tomography to characterize the distribution of pathways for water flow within forest soils. These pathways often form from tree root decay following tree harvesting and combustion due to fire. Electrical resistivity tomography produces a three dimensional representation of the soil subsurface, which may allow for a better understanding of the distribution of these underground pathways. A good understanding of these pathways is critical for more accurately predicting changes in stream flow from precipitation and snow melt. Initial results indicate that at least some of these subsurface pathways are detectable using electrical resistivity tomography.
Ian’s research has broad implications. The availability of water will be altered due to land use changes, ecological shifts, and regional climate change. A detailed understanding of the pathways in which water travels to streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs will help us predict future water resource availability and help us to use our current water resources as efficiently as possible.
Ian’s involvement with the NSF-EPSCoR program has been very beneficial to him. He recently won the S1 Soil Physics student presenter award at the annual Soil Science of America meeting in Long Beach, CA for his NSF-EPSCoR sponsored work. According to Ian, “EPSCoR has allowed me to pursue a graduate degree in my field while conducting interesting and cutting-edge research on a topic that is important to Idaho and the world.”
RESULTS FROM PRIOR EPSCoR SUPPORT
NSF Grant Develops New Ways to Study Complex Terrain
A team of University of Idaho researchers previously and currently supported by NSF EPSCoR funding recently received a $563,000 Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant from NSF to study mountainous terrain complexity. Because much of Idaho is mountainous, there is a need to understand how climate change will impact these highly variable ecosystems. The project, “Development of a Smart 3-D Wireless Sensor Network for Terrain-Climate Research in Remote Mountainous Environments“ is a continuation of work that began with a
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previous NSF EPSCoR RII award that indicated a need for data that better characterize terrain complexity.
According to Dr. Kathleen Kavanaugh, one of the Co-Principal Investigators on the project and associate professor in Forest Ecology at University of Idaho, the goal for this instrument development project is to link environmental sensors with wireless controls and communications, thus creating a single large “instrument” arrayed on an elevational transect in a wilderness area at the Taylor Ranch Research Station in central Idaho. The sensor micronets will be distributed along a watershed transect capturing the range of ecological variability characteristic of mountainous ecosystems and will measure environmental parameters such as soil moisture, precipitation, temperature, relative humidity plus many others. The first level of sensors will be deployed in the soil, through the canopy and atmosphere to provide a 3-D vertical profile at a meter scale. At the kilometer scale, the configuration of the sensor nodes in the watershed will provide very detailed 3-D views of biophysical conditions associated with terrain complexity. Sensor node sites will be spaced 0.5-1 km apart, while sensors within the sites will be closely spaced (e.g., 30-50m).
Eight faculty from various disciplines are part of the equipment development team:
• Physical Science: Dr. Timothy Link, Hydrometeorology, U-Idaho
• Physical Science: Dr. Alistair Smith, Envirophysicist, U-Idaho
• Biological Science: Dr. Kathleen Kavanagh, Forest Ecology, U-Idaho
• Biological Science: Dr. Beth Newingham, Community and Ecosystem Ecology, U-Idaho
• Biological Science: Dr. Anthony Davis, Restoration Ecology, U-Idaho
• Electrical Engineering: Dr. Herbert Hess, Sensor Networking and Power Systems for Remote Sites, U-Idaho
• Cyber-infrastructure: Dr. Paul Gessler, database science, U-Idaho
There are also two graduate students involved in this project. The development of this equipment will enable the project Investigators to entice and engage undergraduate and graduate students to conduct research relevant to the current climate change challenges in mountainous terrain. They also will encourage students in several existing UI interdisciplinary degree programs (BS: Ecology, Conservation, and Biology; MS: Environmental Science and the Waters of the West GK-12 NSF project) and existing REU programs to conduct targeted research projects related to the deployment of this equipment.
There will be many significant outcomes from this project both regionally and nationally. Regionally, the instrument network proposed is of great interest to the U.S. Forest Service. Researchers and managers currently lack the data necessary to understand the potential impacts of climate change on our nation’s forests. On a longer time scale, this data can be used to drive several biogeochemical models. Nationally, the location of a sensor network in relatively pristine ecosystems will serve as a national benchmark for the impacts of climate change.
This award is another great example of how previous investments in research infrastructure have led to new competitive grant funding to further build on the foundation laid by NSF EPSCoR and how this infrastructure sets the stage for scientific research that helps address important environmental questions for many years to come.
As Dr. Kavanaugh states, “The research questions we need to address are not simple – complex environmental challenges require a new way of monitoring the environment – and that’s what this project makes possible.”
COLLABORATIONS
ISU Research and Outreach Improve Stewardship of the Portneuf River Basin
Dr. Colden Baxter, assistant professor of ecology at Idaho State University (ISU), along with many other concerned citizen groups and community members in the Portneuf River Basin area, are working together in a coordinated effort to improve the stewardship of local water resources. This is no easy task,
Dr. Herb Hess, professor in electrical engineering at the University of Idaho, and a student discuss possible locations at the Taylor Ranch Research Station in central Idaho.
Dr. Colden Baxter and daughter Arwen Baxter participate in Portenuf River Clean Up, fall 2010. They filled a canoe full of trash, including this sign with its rather appropriate message!
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Portneuf River Basin, continued from page 5
however, with expectations of urban growth and a changing climate, the Portneuf Watershed faces some real challenges in terms of the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater resources.
According to Dr. Baxter, there is a substantial body of science that has been conducted with respect to these resources, and that science is beginning to be used in local and regional policy and planning. However, the general citizenry does not feel as involved as they’d like—the translation fom science to policy (and sometimes associated regulation) can seem like a “deal” between scientists and government agencies. Buy-in and participation from a willing public is essential for improving stewardship of water resources. Thus, there is a real need for the community to become more active watershed stewards.
A consortium called the “Portneuf Watershed Partnership” was formed to address these issues. This group has both a monitoring and outreach-education component, and is a cooperative effort of private industry, educational institutions, scientists, and government agencies at numerous levels (City, County, State, Tribal, and Federal). The partnership serves to coordinate research and monitoring of water resources and translate that science to management agencies on a regular basis. It keeps all of these folks “on the same page,” but it also serves as the basis for coordinated outreach efforts to the community.
The long list of cooperators (see http://www.portneufriver.org/) includes ISU, City of Pocatello, State of Idaho Dept. of Environmental Quality, Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts, Idaho Fish and Game, Portneuf Soil and Water Conservation District, U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Three Rivers RC&D Council, Inc., the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and the J.R. Simplot Company. Citizen groups that are regularly involved include the Portneuf Greenway Foundation, Valley Pride, and the Sagebrush Steppe Regional Land Trust. Previous Idaho NSF EPSCoR support also contributed significantly to water monitoring capabilities in the watershed.
Many outreach activities have already been completed, with many more on the horizon. Every year hundreds of students are reached at field days and classroom presentations. Hundreds of citizens are also engaged through annual events in which ISU is strongly involved such as the Portneuf Riverfest, the Portneuf
Valley Environmental Fair and the Portneuf River Clean-up. Smaller groups are reached and trained for participation in citizen science efforts by Idaho Fish and Game’s “Master Naturalist” program. With support from Idaho ESPCoR, Dr. Colden Baxter and his team from ISU are completing a new web page to facilitate community outreach and citizen involvement in watershed science. This will complement, and also make better use of, the existing site which is geared toward making the water monitoring data for the basin publically available.
Other coordinated efforts include 1) a new community plan for restoration and management of City Creek, an urban fringe watershed principally managed for recreation and 2) establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration with the Shoshone Bannock tribes and involvement of tribal students in water resource science to address issues of concern to the Native community. Idaho EPSCoR also provides funding to support Native interns at ISU who participate in this endeavor.
There have been many positive outcomes as a result of outreach efforts. They have seen increased citizen involvement in stewardship activities and public buy-in for new policies and programs. These have included numerous fencing projects to reduce agricultural impacts, new stormwater runoff regulations in Pocatello, improvements in planning and zoning that will decrease impacts of septic systems on water quality, and many more. They have also found City and County government, as well as major local industries, more willing participants in planning. According to Dr. Baxter, “These positive outcomes are the result of more than our outreach alone—they are the product of a grassroots and multi-faceted effort that permeates our community. Scientist-driven outreach has been effective here because it is part of a much larger, well coordinated effort.”
According to Dr. Baxter, “These positive outcomes are the result of more than our outreach alone—they are the product of a grassroots and multi-faceted effort that permeates our community. Scientist-driven outreach has been effective here because it is part of a much larger, well coordinated effort.”
Former ISU graduate student Jessica Hopkins facilitates microscopic exploration of stream organisms during the Portneuf Riverfest.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Cyberinfrastructure Needs Survey – Seeking InputThe Idaho EPSCoR Cyberinfrastructure (CI) team can provide or arrange for training on a variety of data management and CI topics to help researchers and educators manage and share data. Idaho EPSCoR faculty, students and postdocs are encouraged to complete an online survey by March 18th, 2011. Please click on the link that follows to indicate which topics would benefit your research, collaboration and data management needs. For more information on the survey contact Greg Gollberg, CI Coordinator, at [email protected] or call (208) 885-9756.
Women Who Light the DarkIdaho EPSCoR recently provided Dr. Sian Mooney, professor of economics at Boise State University (BSU) and a group of 7 female students from BSU the opportunity to attend a Women’s Leadership Event in Boise, Idaho on October 7, 2010. The event, “Women Who Light the Dark” was presented by Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation in collaboration with Boise State University and featured speakers who shared inspirational stories. The keynote speaker, Paola Gianturco, a photojournalist, author, speaker and women’s advocate, presented her work featuring intimate images and stories of inspiring women designed to motivate the audience to engage with, learn from and support women around the world. Participation in this event is part of Idaho EPSCoR’s effort to develop future leaders who are prepared to address the complex challenges facing our nation.
Idaho EPSCoR recently supported a group of Boise State University students to attend a Women’s Leadership event in Boise, Idaho. Pictured L-R: front row – Geralidin Crispin (Chemistry), Reiley Ney (Human Resource Mgt.), Esther Contreras (Civil Engineering); second row – Dr. Sian Mooney (professor of economics at BSU), Martika Flores Ramos (Civil Engineering), Carely Leon (Elementary Education), Stephanie Frahs (Chemistry), and; third row-Claudine Sipili (Biology).
KUDOS
Bruce Finney, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University is coauthor on a paper, “A 6,000-yr Lake Record of Drought from the Pacific Northwest” which will be featured in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Scott Lowe, Department of Economics at Boise State University recently co-authored a paper, “The City-Level Effects of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments” which will be published in the journal Land Economics.
Check Out the New Idaho EPSCoR Website!Great News – The EPSCoR website has been redesigned! The URL is still the same at www.uidaho.edu/epscor so be sure to check it out and see some of the new and improved features:
• Submit an event online for: Events, Funding Opportunities, CI Training Opportunities, or News
• RSS Feed for News and Announcements – sign up on the website
• Newsletter Subscription –now available on the newsletter page
• Cite EPSCoR – logos and sample text are available online to ease poster preparation, etc.
• Travel reimbursement and other forms are now located on the financial forms page for easy access.
If you have any suggestions for the new website please contact Althea Flegel at [email protected] or call 208-885-4144.
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www.uidaho.edu/epscor
Idaho EPSCoRPO Box 443029
Moscow, ID 83844-3029
*KBK865$M*
Idaho EPSCoR Contacts:Peter Goodwin, Director Idaho EPSCoR Program (main office)[email protected] /208-364-6164 Ph: (208) 885-5842/Fax: (208) 885-5111
