H₂OSU is available at http://water.oregonstate.edu/newsletter/.
June 2006

News from Around Campus

Michael Campana, new Director of the IWW, is here! - Michael sends the following greeting...

The View >From 210

"Until I came to New Mexico, I never realized how much beauty water adds to a river."
- Mark Twain.

It’s great to be here – permanently! I am more enthusiastic about the IWW than I was when I visited last July. My week-long trips during the past seven months have done nothing but whet my appetite for the IWW and OSU. I would like to thank the many people who initiated and nurtured the IWW in my absence: the members of the Executive Committee; Todd Jarvis; Julie Bain; Gail Achterman; and especially John Bolte, the interim director, and Susan Dobbie, who served as the IWW’s office manager.

I am pleased to announce that soon-to-be “Dr.” Todd Jarvis will stay on at the IWW to help get it off the ground. We already have ongoing work and a couple of projects pending, including a bid to lure the fifth center of U.S. Department of Energy’s National Institute for Climatic Change Research to OSU. I hope to have good news in the next newsletter.

Again, it’s a joy to be here. And it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a place where the rivers actually have water in them. Please feel free to drop in to see me (Strand 210), or call (737-2413), or email (aquadoc@oregonstate.edu).

Water Resources Graduate Program honors students and alums - The WRGP held its 2006 Scholarship and Awards Ceremony on May 31st. The IWW would like to congratulate the following award recipients:

• Todd Jarvis, Ph.D. candidate in Geosciences with a minor in Water Resources - Todd is the recipient of the The Kenneth J. Williamson Water Prize for academic excellence and leadership in interdisciplinary research in a water-related field. His advisor is Dr. Aaron Wolf, Geosciences.
• Jeffrey ‘Glenn’ Mutti, a 2006 PhD graduate in Water Resources Science, and Mark Porter, a PhD candidate in Water Resources Engineering – Glenn and Mark are recipients of Faculty Excellence Awards. Glenn's advisor is Dr. Roy Haggerty, Geosicences and Mark's advisor is Dr. Dorthe Wildenschild, Geosciences and Environmental Engineering.
• Erika Kraft, PhD candidate in Water Resources Engineering - Erika is the recipient of the first Water Resources Graduate Program Scholarship in recognition of her leadership and service to the hydro-community during 2005-2006. Erika is the president of Hydrophiles and her advisor is Dr. John Selker, Biological and Ecological Engineering.
• Scott Waichler, a 2000 PhD graduate in Bioresource Engineering - Scott is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award for his leadership during 2005-2006 as an alumnus of OSU and his role as the the initiator of the WRGP Scholarship Fund.

Hydrophiles holds the first Leal Mertes Memorial River Trip - On Sunday, May 21st, Hydrophiles and friends held the First Leal Mertes Memorial River Trip. Leal Mertes (1957-2005) was an interdisciplinary scientist whose geomorphic and hydrologic research focused on wetlands and floodplains in large river systems and development of innovated remote sensing techniques for monitoring these on a global basis. She directly and indirectly influenced the scientific direction of numerous scientists at Oregon State University and her life was an inspiration to many. This river day was held on the McKenzie River and the group boated the ten-mile stretch from Finn Rock to Helfrich Boat Landing. Dr. Gordon Grant (USFS, Pacific Research Station) shared his expert knowledge of the McKenzie system from his drift boat and spoke about the river's springs, peak and low flows, and extreme floods. The day was a glorious mix of big water, sun, and a few showers ending with excitment of the Class III Martens Rapid. Hydrophiles invites you to participate in a trip on the Clackamas River in northern Oregon next year.

In the News

Science research strong in Corvallis - Study ranks city second in nation (Corvallis Gazette Times, 5/27/06) - Like many college towns, Corvallis has a reputation of being a highly educated community. A recent survey by the National Science Foundation indicates there’s evidence to back up this perception. Corvallis is second in the nation in percentage of scientists, behind only Boulder, Colo., according to the study. With employers such as Oregon State University, Hewlett-Packard Co., CH2M Hill, AVI BioPharma and SIGA Technologies hubbed here, 12.7 percent of Corvallis residents work in science and engineering. Read more...

Upcoming Events

Monday, June 5, 9:00 AM. You’ve Come a Long Way Baby - A foreshortened history of forestry and fish interactions--1850 to 2000. Speaker: Jim Hall, Fisheries and Wildlife. Stream Team Monday Morning Meeting Seminar. Held in Nash 10.

Wednesday, June 7, 4:00 PM. Panel Discussion: Opportunities in the Hydrological Sciences - issues facing the community locally and nationally. Final session of the Spring Hydrology Seminar Series. Held in ALS 4000.

Tuesday, July 18 - Thursday, July 20. 2006 Universities Council on Water Resources Annual Conference. Conference Theme: Increasing Freshwater Supplies. Held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. FMI: http://www.ucowr.siu.edu/.

Get Involved

Attend the 2006 Spring Hydro BBQ! - The Hydrophiles Spring BBQ will be Wednesday June 7th at 6:00 pm at Marys River Park in Philomath. To get there, turn left as you enter Philomath from Corvallis on 11th street. Continue South past the library and you will see the park. BBQ and libations will be provided, and 2006-2007 Hydrophiles officers will be elected. If you are inclined, bring your instruments for an informal acoustic jam session. Information about transportation will follow via the hydro email list.

Funding Opportunities

Student Sustainability Project Grants Available - Apply for up to $5000 for projects that can be completed by the end of the 2006-2007 academic year. Projects should promote conservation and direct action at OSU. Perhaps this is an opportunity for an Oak Creek or other water-related project? Grants are offered by the Student Sustainability Advisory Board (SSAB). Informational meeting, June 1, 6 pm; applications due June 16. FMI: Darci Connor, Student Sustainability Advisory Board, student.sustainability@oregonstate.edu.

NSF Geoscience - Geomorphology and Land Use Dynamics - "Geomorphology and Land-Use Dynamics supports innovative research into processes that shape and modify natural landscapes over a variety of length and time scales. The program encourages research that investigates the coupling and feedback between such processes and their relative roles, especially in the contexts of variation in climate and and changes in human impact." Deadline: July 16, 2006. FMI: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13412&org=GEO&from=fund

A list of water-related external funding opportunities is available on the IWW website...opportunities are arranged by deadline and include short program descriptions and links to RFPs. see: http://water.oregonstate.edu/funding/externalfunding.htm

Featured Student

Willem van Verseveld is a fourth year PhD student in The Hillslope and Watershed Hydrology Lab in the department of Forest Engineering and is working with Professor Jeff McDonnell. Willem’s thesis project project focuses on hydrological controls on nitrogen (N) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) transport at the hillslope and catchment scale. Willem's studies involve both natural rain storms and controlled hillslope scale sprinkler experiments at Watershed 10 of the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon. The 10 ha headwater catchment is well-suited for exploring questions of how hillslope hydrological processes control stream nutrient response. Hydrological work has been underway there for many decades and the study site is well instrumented. The hydrologic simplicity of the site also makes it a good place to study the hydrological and biogeochemical coupling between the hillslope and catchment. Recent landslides have removed the riparian zone so that hillslopes issue directly into the headwater stream and flow is unimpeded by riparian zone groundwater dynamics.