Network-wide Meetings
Researchers and stakeholders come together to hear from experts on critical issues related to Texas Water Resources, to give and hear updates on research activities and research and collaboration needs, and to network with each other to build trust and relationships that promote collaboration in addressing the grand challenges related to Texas water resources in a changing environment.
December 8, 2023 Online
The 2023 Heat Wave and Drought: Causes, Attribution, and Impacts on Major Sectors of Texas
Invited Speakers and Topics
- Welcome Remarks and Meeting Agenda. Jay Banner and Jose Abella-Gutierrez [link]
- Part I Climate Mechanisms for the Heat and Drought
- Pat II Impacts of Heat and Drought on Major Sectors
- Part III Impacts of Heat and Drought in Communities
- Heat vulnerability and EMS response in Austin: Uncovering spatial disparities and shaping resilience strategies. Kijin Seong (UT-Austin) [link]
- Current and future needs in Colonias and impacts of climate change. Lena Schlichting (Rural Community Assistance Partnership) [link]
- Workforce impacts of excessive heat. Patrick Behrer (The World Bank) [link]
- Part IV Monetizing the impacts.
- Does drought reduce economic activity? Evidence from a global analysis. Sheila Olmstead (UT Austin). [link]
- Part V Workshop and general discussion. [link]
May 16, 2022
Online
Goals
- Provide a setting for new and existing members to network and collaborate
- Promote fruitful interactions between researchers, stakeholders, and policy influencers
- Provide learning opportunities on key issues in Texas water resources
Invited Speakers and Topics
- Welcome Remarks
- Jay Banner, University of Texas at Austin
- Presentation
- Meeting Agenda, Logistics and Introduction of F-Team and EJ Committee
- Darrel Tremaine, University of Texas at Austin
- Presentation
- Panel: Environmental Justice and Water in the 21st Century
- Kimberly Jones, Howard University
- Ayanna Jolivet McCloud, Bayou City Water Keepers
- Diverse Leadership Development: The Future of Texas’ Water Workforce
- Roland Ruiz, Edwards Aquifer Authority
- Sarah Schlessinger, Texas Water Foundation
- Participatory Research for Environmental Justice
- An Updated Social Vulnerability Index for Texas
- R. Patrick Bixler, University of Texas at Austin
- Presentation
- Ensuring Justice and Sustainability in Texas Water Infrastructure and Policy
- Margaret Cook, Houston Advanced Research Center
- Diversity within the TWRN: Discussing the role of students
- Darrel Tremaine, University of Texas at Austin
- Transboundary Water Management
- Rosario Sanchez, Texas A&M University
- Land Trends, Equity and Water in Texas
- Roel Lopez, Texas A&M University
- Workshop
- Synthesizing conference proceedings
- Mapping out challenges and opportunities for JEDI
- Identifying mechanisms and areas for future growth
- Monica Ramirez-Andreotta, University of Arizona
December 9, 2021
Online
Goals
- Provide a setting for new and existing members to network and collaborate
- Promote fruitful interactions between researchers, stakeholders, and policy influencers
- Provide learning opportunities on key issues in Texas water resources
Invited Speakers and Topics
- Welcoming Remarks
- Jay Banner, University of Texas at Austin
- Meeting Agenda, Logistics and Introduction of F-Team
- Darrel Tremaine, University of Texas at Austin
- Panel: Sustainable Infrastructure in 21st Century Texas
- John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas A&M University
- Ryan Bare, Houston Area Research Center
- Gilbert Trejo, El Paso Water
- Patrick Bixler, University of Texas at Austin
- Panel: The Future of Equity in the Infrastructure Funding Landscape
- Michael Young, University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology
- Letitia Carpenter, US Water Alliance
- Mapping the Texas Water Policy and Governance System
- Lightning Talks
- Water Infrastructure Integration: building capacity through multiple approaches
- Nathan Ohle, Rural Community Assistance Partnership
- Harold Hunter, Communities Unlimited
- Memories lost and found: Encounters with Water and Environmental Injustice in Southeast Texas
- Tianna Bruno, University of Texas at Austin
- Presentation
- RESIN Climate Impact Planning Portal
- Stephanie Glenn, Houston Area Research Center
- Winter Storm Uri – JOEE Recap
- Yael Glazer, University of Texas at Austin
- Water Infrastructure Integration: building capacity through multiple approaches
- Coalition Building, Funding Advocacy, and Communicating for Action
- Amanda Fuller, National Wildlife Federation
- Jonathan Seefeldt, National Wildlife Federation
- Workshop
Synthesizing conference proceedings and outlining a white paper. Topic: What changes in infrastructure and policy are needed to ensure water resilience in Texas/other arid and rapidly growing climate sensitive urban areas, in the 21st century? - Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Texas Water Foundation
May 19, 2021
Online
Agenda
Goals
- Provide a setting for new and existing members to network and collaborate
- Promote fruitful interactions between researchers, stakeholders, and policy influencers
- Provide learning opportunities on key issues in Texas water resources
Invited Speakers and Topics
- Welcoming Remarks
- Jay Banner, University of Texas at Austin
- Meeting Agenda and Logistics
- Darrel Tremaine, University of Texas at Austin
- Panel: Texas’ Response to the February 2021 Polar Vortex
- Michael Webber, University of Texas at Austin
- Vanessa Puig-Williams, The Environmental Defense Fund
- Maya Patel, State Representative Gina Hinojosa’s Office
- Dallas Morning News Article: What Happens Next?
- Katharine Hayhoe, Texas Tech University
- Ginny Catania, University of Texas at Austin
- Cascading Impacts of COVID-19 on Water Infrastructure Systems
- Lauryn Spearing, University of Texas at Austin
- The Legislature + Water
- Todd Votteler, Texas Water Journal
- Robert Mace, Texas State University, Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
- The Impacts of Winter Storm Uri and COVID on Frontline Communities
- Dave Cortez, Sierra Club
- Climate Change and Hydraulic Modeling in Water Forward
- Helen Gerlach, City of Austin, Austin Water
- Marisa Flores-Gonzalez, City of Austin, Austin Water
- Texas Water Conservation Scorecard: Using Data to Assess Progress on Conservation
- Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation
- STAR-ESDM: High-Resolution Station- and Grid-based Climate Projections
- Anne K. Stoner, Climate Center, Texas Tech University
- Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Center, Texas Tech University
- Ian Scott-Fleming, Climate Center, Texas Tech University
- Workshop: Synthesizing conference proceedings and outlining an article for submission to
Journal of Extreme Events (Eds. Bill Solecki and Joern Birkmann)
May 30-31, 2019
University of Texas at Austin
Agenda
Goals
- Provide a setting for new and existing members to network
- Provide learning opportunities on topic issues in Texas water resources
- Promote effective interactions between researchers and stakeholders
Invited Speakers and Topics
- Welcoming Remarks
- Jay Banner, Professor, Jackson School of Geoscience, University of Texas at Austin
- Water technology and new approaches to classic problems
- “Cyber infrastructure and Texas water”, Suzanne Pierce, Research Scientist, Texas Advanced Computing Center, University of Texas at Austin
- “Prospects for Managed Aquifer Storage in Texas”, June Mirecki, Hydrogeologist, US Army Corps of Engineers
- “Dendrochronological indicators of drought and urbanization in riparian zones”, Bryan Black, Associate Professor, University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
- 2019 Texas legislative session updates
- Ken Kramer, Sierra Club – Lone Star Chapter
- Texas water policy
- “Governance of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the San Antonio region”, Kent Portney, Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy, Texas A&M University
- “Transboundary aquifers between Mexico and Texas: Challenges and the way forward”, Rosario Sanchez, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M University
- “Water markets – how to use them to achieve environmental goals”, Sharlene Leurig, Chief Executive Officer, Texas Water Trade
- “Pipelines, Policy, and Hill Country Resources”, Katherine Romans, Executive Director, Hill Country Alliance
- “Legislative challenges and opportunities for ASR in Texas”, Rep. Erin Zwiener, Texas House of Representatives
- Artist in residence
- “Graybelt; Exploring the Colorado River”, Marie Lorenz, Artist in Residence, Planet Texas 2050
- National Science Foundation – Sustainable Urban Systems Conference
- “Challenges to and Opportunities for Developing Resilience in Rapidly Growing Urban Corridors in Semi-Arid Regions”, Jay Banner & Darrel Tremaine, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin
- TWRN Network Analysis
- “Assessing integrated sustainability research: Use of social network analysis to evaluate scientific integration and transdisciplinarity in research networks”, R. Patrick Bixler, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin
- Texas Climate Projections
- “Climate is hard to predict, and so is the subject of this talk”, John Nielsen-Gammon, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University
- Advanced Utility Planning
- “Evolution in water reuse, El Paso’s plans for advanced water purification”, Gilbert Trejo, PE, Utility Chief Technical Officer, El Paso Water
- Government Regulation
- Michael Honeycutt, Texas CEQ and US EPA Science Advisory Board
- Lightning Talks
- “Use of fluorescent tracers as a groundwater investigation tool”, Geary Schindel, Chief Technical Officer, Edwards Aquifer Authority
- “Social demand and cross-scale interactions in central Texas rivers”, Jason Julian, PhD, Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Geography, Texas State University
- “Reservoirs, Groundwater, and eDNA: is there something positive about Zebra Mussels?”, Joe C. Yelderman Jr., Baylor University
- “Invasive Mussels in Texas” Stefan Schuster, Senior Hydrogeologist, Aqua Strategies, Chief Marketing Officer, Environmental Quality Operations
- “Urban expansion and intensification across the US”, Steven Richter, University of Texas at Austin, Community and Regional Planning
- “Resacas: The varied and vital roles played by remnant distributaries of the Rio Grande delta”, Jude Benavides, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Hydrology and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- “Building community-based sustainability and resilience for water resource management and education: Case studies in Lower Rio Grande Valley”, Chu-Lin “Mike” Cheng, School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- “5Vs of Big Data and what they mean to water resource management”, Venki Uddameri, Director, Water Resource Center, Texas Tech University
- “Hot topics at the Texas Water Development Board”, John T. Dupnik, P.G., Texas Water Development Board
- “On use of InSAR for natural hazards prediction and risk mitigation influences on the Texas coastal resilience”, Ann Chen, University of Texas at Austin
- Roundtable: Current Synergies and Future Initiatives
- Closing Remarks
- Jay Banner, Professor, Jackson School of Geoscience, University of Texas at Austin
September 13-14, 2018
University of Texas at Austin
Agenda
Goals
- Provide a setting for new and existing members to network
- Provide learning opportunities on topic issues in Texas water resources
- Promote effective interactions between researchers and stakeholders
Invited Speakers and Topics
- A new era of flooding – Challenges for large municipalities
- John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas State Climatologist
- John Dupnik, Texas Water Development Board
- Kevin Shunk, City of Austin
- Planning for water resilience in small municipalities and rural communities
- Martha Herden, Mayor, City of Blanco
- Ian Taylor, New Braunfels Utilities
- Gram Moore, Alliance Water
- Trent Hightower, Texas Rural Water Association
- Water Markets
- Michelle Lapinski, Earth Genome
- Sheila Olmstead, LBJ School of Public Affairs, Univ. of Texas at Austin
- David Yoskowitz, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M Corpus Christi
- Gabe Collins, Baker Research Institute, Rice Univ.
Followed by ESI community engagement series Hot Science – Cool Talks
- Hurricane Harvey: Flood Emergency Response by David Maidment
January 11-12, 2018
Pickle Research Campus, University of Texas at Austin
Agenda
Goals
- Provide a setting for new and existing members to network
- Provide learning opportunities on topic issues in Texas water resources
- Promote effective interactions between researchers and stakeholders
Invited Speakers and Topics
- Emily Cloyd, Amer. Assoc. for the Advancement of Science – Benefits and methods for engaging, stakeholders
- Steven Gray, Michigan State University – Participatory modeling
- Sharlene Leurig, City of Austin – Water Forward
- Gretchen Miller, Texas A&M University – Ecohydrology
- John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas A&M University – Climate impacts on Texas water resources
- Deana Pennington, University of Texas, El Paso – Transdisciplinary communication and co-design
- Sarah Richards, Mitchell Foundation – Texas Water Data Initiative
- Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts – Groundwater data standardization platform
- Venkatash Uddameri, Texas Tech University – Integrated Watershed Modeling
Resources
- One-page informational summary graphic
- Links to Water Data Initiative Resources
May 8-9, 2017
Pickle Research Campus, University of Texas at Austin
Agenda
Goals
- Establish and advance relationships between researchers
- Explore the science of communication relating to interdisciplinary research and stakeholder interactions
- Explore issues of importance to water policy makers and managers
- Learn about shale development implications on water
Invited Speakers
- Danny Reible, Texas Tech Univ.
- Dan Mueller, Environmental Defense Fund
- Jean-Philippe Nicot, Univ. of Texas at Austin
- Carlos Rubinstein, RSAH2O
- Ken Kramer, Sierra Club
- Robert Puente, San Antonio Water System
- Katherine Hayhoe, Texas Tech Univ.
- Bob Duke, Univ. of Texas at Austin
Meeting Notes
August 18-19, 2016
Pickle Research Campus, University of Texas at Austin
Agenda
Goals
- Explore organizational and scientific network best practices to address water resiliency challenges
- Establish and advance relationships between researchers
- Understand interactions of social and biophysical systems to better identify research that can inform decision-making
Invited Speakers
- Jay Famiglietti, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Todd Halihan, Oklahoma State Univ.
- Kelli Larson, Arizona State Univ.
- Marilu Hastings, Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation
Meeting Notes
December 3-4, 2015
University of Texas at Austin
Agenda
Goals
- Interact and discuss current/future research
- Understand intersection of the NSF grant and the network
- Refine grand challenges
- Agree on mission statement
- Agree on long-term goals and short-term strategies
- Plan the network structure and next steps
Invited Speakers
- Bech Bruun, Texas Water Development Board
- Kip Averitt, Averitt & Associates
Meeting Notes
May 20, 2015
University of Texas at Austin
Agenda
Goals
- Take the first steps to establish a Texas water research coordination network by:
- building relationships
- discussing the network’s purpose
- exploring the greatest challenges to water resiliency in Texas
- consider innovations and research advances to meet these challenges
Invited Speakers
- Robert Mace, Texas Water Development Board