Center for Water Research (Research Center Profile)

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Research Center Profile

Last Modified Time: 04:47:30 PM Tue, 22 Mar 2011

Center for Water Research

About

Founded in 1986

Welcome! The Center for Water Research was established as the Center for Groundwater Research and Technology in 1987 by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The Center, a research component of the College of Sciences and Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio, is funded by a variety of public and private research funds. The name was changed in 1991 to reflect expanding research activities, staff capabilities and interdisciplinary character of the Center.

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Director / Primary Contact : Dr. Hammond, Weldon W, Professor-Department of Geological Sciences 4585471 WELDON.HAMMOND@UTSA.EDU

Research / Services
Scholarly Output
Facilities
Members
Accomplishment
Center Staff Information
Mission
Committee of Council Members
Inventions/Patents
Other Scholarly Work
Outreach Activities
Future Plans
Director's Corrective Actions

Research / Services

groundwater chemistry, water level data, well completion information, hydrogeologic information, service water, hydrology, modeling studies, environmental microbiologic research, geophysical studies, waste water treatment, water distribution systems

Scholarly Output

Category Publications per page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Year

Publication

Category

FY08

Reichle, R. H., W. T. Crow, R. D. Koster, H O. Sharif, and S. P. P. Mahanama, 2008: Contribution of soil moisture retrievals to land data assimilation products, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L01404, doi:10.1029/2007GL031986.

Refereed Papers

FY08

Sharif, H. O., L. Sparks, A. A. Hassan, X. Wang. J. Zeitler, and H. Xie, 2008: Hydrometeorological Analysis of the 2004 Flood of Bull Creek Watershed, Austin, Texas. Submitted to J. of Hydrology.

Refereed Papers

FY08

Weissling B.P., Xie H. and Murray K.E. (2007). A multitemporal remote sensing approach to parsimonious streamflow modeling in a southcentral Texas watershed, USA. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions, 4, 33.

Refereed Papers

FY08

Weissling B.P., Xie H. and Murray K.E. (2008). Evaluation of NRCS curve number and MODIS time-series proxies for antecedent moisture condition. Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems, 24(4), 29.

Refereed Papers

FY08

March 28, 2008 Waco, TX: Baylor University Department of Geology Colloquium – Oral Presentation titled Hydrogeologic Characterization and GIS Analysis of the Oakville/Jasper Aquifer.

Presentations at Learned Societies/Symposia

Facilities

Engineering/Hydrogeology Laboratory

The Engineering/Hydrogeology Laboratory is located at Room 1.03.04E in the Science Building. It has Permeameters, geophysical equipment, including resistivity instruments, reflection/refraction seismic instruments, atomic adsorption spectrophotometer, Global Positioning System equipment, well measurement devices and various portable field chemical testing equipment.

Members

Bin-Shafique, Md S	ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Birnbaum, Stuart J	DIRECTOR, DEAN - COLLEGE OF SCIENCES
Bush, Janis K	ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Diaz, Manuel A	ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Dutton, Alan R.	Associate Professor, Geological Science
French, Richard A.	Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Haschenburger, Judith K	ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Johnson, Drew William	ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Lambert, Lance L.	Associate Professor, Geological Science
Manz, Louis	LECTURER II, CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
Murray, Kyle E.	Assistant Professor, Geological Science
Sharif, Hatim	Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Shipley, Heather J.	Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Swanson, Eric R.	Professor, Geological Science
Young, David J	RESEARCH ASST PROF, GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Accomplishment

1. Weldon Hammond, Director, received the President's Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of his many contributions to various water related committees and organizations in the state.

2. Louis Manz, Lecturer II, Civil Engineering, received Distinguished Alumni Award from North Texas State University.

3. Center for Water Research has acquired the following geophysical research equipment:

Seismic resistivity instrument
Reflection/Refraction seismic instrument
Bore hole suite of geophysical logging devices

Response to External Evaluation of the Center for Water Research (CWR), dated November 8, 2007

Weaknesses:

1. Very low funding level: not sufficient to fund one graduate student per faculty member.

Associated faculty members have increased the number of submitted proposals during the past year in an attempt to increase funds obtained from grants. For the academic year 2007-2008 a total of $96,000 was received from grants and gifts. In addition, the CWR through the scholarship program funded over $90,700 to graduate students working under faculty members associated with the CWR. The total funds available for graduate student research through the CWR were approximately $186,000. This funding level amount should support 14 full time graduate students.

All faculty associates are aware of the system within their own departments in which grants and grant proposal actively weigh heavily in faculty merit awards and promotion considerations.

2. The CWR is involved in U.S.-Mexico water issues. Dr. Hammond worked with Dr. Harriett Romo on a NAD Bank proposal involving sociological impact of water quality along the Rio Grande. In addition, the CWR had been negotiating for months with a Mexico based company for the development of water resources in remote rural villages in the state of Jalisco. These negotiations were successful and the CWR received a one-year $40,000 grant in September, subject to renewal each year over the next three years. The CWR has participated in "pro bono" consulting activities with groups attempting to drill water wells in impoverished areas along the U.S.-Mexican Border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Obviously, we are hoping that such activities will lead to funding from groups who have become or will become aware of our activities along the Border.

3. The CWR, through the faculty associates, has been heavily involved with local, regional and state water issues, serving on advisory panels, technical advisory groups, Governor's committees, engaging in modeling efforts with local groups, advising County Commissioner's Courts on water issues, working with ground water districts, advising river authorities on environmental renovation, etc. The CWR will continue to take a very active role ion all aspects of community involvement in water resources issues. This has been our forte in the past and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.

Recommendations:

1.   The CWR has a Strategic Plan which sets forth the vision and possible collaborative opportunities in South Texas.

2.   The CWR was founded as an interdisciplinary CWR between Geology and Civil Engineering. This role greatly expanded with the new PhD program and the Institute for Research in Water and Environmental Resources, which was housed in the CWR. The Institute has now rotated to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as was stipulated in the original agreement for the PhD program. The CWR has submitted collaborative proposals with faculty from Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Geological Sciences. These have included funded research proposals for riparian vegetation in the several area streams, a proposal to SAWS for the operating parameters for the Highland Lakes system, a preproposal to the San Antonio River Authority on basin management and the numerous studies in Mexico and Honduras. These proposals and studies this academic year have all been collaborative studies between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Geological Sciences.

We have published with faculty members from the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH). UTSA has originated and extended five year research plans with UNAH in Tegucigalpa.

3.   Industry funding has been a problem. The Director of the CWR has traveled to Honduras and Guatemala with groups trying to establish off-grid solar powered water well pumps in remote regions. One faculty associate had a grant with the City of Kenedy investigating water well performance, remediation and repair.

4.   The CWR has always had a very great interest in water contamination issues. We suffered an unfortunate series of incidents regarding geochemistry capabilities at UTSA for the past five years and have not been able to pursue research endeavors in contamination issues. Our water samples had to be sent out to commercial laboratories or to other university facilities. We now (as of this year) have two new faculty members in Civil and Environmental Engineering, with well equipped laboratories who will definitely enable us to increase our interdisciplinary research efforts in contaminant studies. In addition, the CWR has entered into discussions with the Dean of Public Health for the University of Houston, located at the UT-San Antonio Health Science Center. The School of Public Health is very interested in Border health issues and collaboration in water quality studies in that area.

5.   The CWR has had a long history of low growth since its inception in 1987. We began with no lab facilities, one part-time hydrologist in Civil Engineering and one hydrogeologist whose time was split between being a department chair for 10 years and the interim Dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering. We began to be successful in obtaining some additional space. Until the advent of UTSA's very generous faculty start-up packages for new faculty, we had very little equipment and virtually no laboratory analytical capabilities. Since our new faculty have begun to arrive on board, our level of research interest and proposal submission has greatly increased.

6.   The Director is fully aware that he serves at the pleasure of the President and the Dean and will step down immediately should this action be deemed to be necessary for the good of the Center for Water Research.

1. Very low funding level: not sufficient to fund one graduate student per faculty member.

Recommendations:

Center Staff Information

Hermina Simpson
Title:Senior Administrative Associate Phone:210.458.5471 Role:Administrative/Clerical Staff % of Support:100.00

V. Stuart Foote
Title:Systems Analyist Phone:210.458.4962 Role:Administrative/Clerical Staff % of Support:0.00

Mission

Water is both a mystery and a romance in Texas.  Water has shaped the land as well as the character of the state.  Water, or scarcity of water, is also shaping the future for the State of Texas. Until the drought of the 1950's sparked a flurry of surface water storage, water was talked about in terms of weather.  Everybody talked about it, but no one did anything about it. The drought of the 1990's focused attention on resource management. As Texas is poised to implement water projects for the future, the Center for Water Research (hereinafter "CWR") is poised to build understanding and expertise to assess water resources. In 1987, the CWR was an idea, a vision of an education, research and data collection center for future water managers. The CWR has matured into an institution of highly qualified professionals, interdisciplinary research and exemplary programs. My colleagues and I have established a firm foundation.  We must continue to expand our efforts through new students, new faculty, laboratory equipment and laboratory space. We are now at a stage in the CWR development where careful planning will not only shape the future of the CWR, but the many different communities we serve.  This document is the result of a collaborative effort of the many disciplines represented in CWR.  GOALS <ul> <li>To expand the level of financial support and the scope of sponsored research  multidisciplinary research in all aspects of water resources.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Encourage, through our scholarship program and grant activity, expanded opportunities for interdisciplinary graduate student research and education.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Expand the opportunities for faculty members for interdisciplinary research in water resources.     </li> <li>Increase the opportunites for and the number of students seeking and education in water resources.</li></ul>  VISION <ul> <li>The CWR, serves as a resource for education, research, and information on issues related to water and the environment. The CWR is recognized as a nationally and international center of excellence in water resources research in South Texas, Mexico and Central America.</li></ul> CORE VALUES <ul> <li>Availability of adequate and sustainable supplies of water to all segments of society </li> <li>Assure that water resources are best utilized to meet societal requirements and environmental concerns. </li> <li>Academic and research integrity and collegial academic conduct between all disciplines involved in water research. </li> <li>Improvement of research abilities and scholarly achievements of faculty and students.  MISSION <ul> <li>The mission of the CWR is to emphasize multi-disciplinary approaches to the solution of practical problems related to water as a resource and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR is committed to advancing scientific and engineering knowledge in water resources through interdisciplinary research at local, national and international levels to help find solutions to complex interdisciplinary problems in water resources and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR is committed to providing excellent educational opportunities for graduate students, especially students from historically underrepresented and disadvantaged groups and professionals who are employed in the community and wish to further their educational opportunities in water resources; and</li></ul> <ul> <li>Using the knowledge and talents of students and faculty to meet the needs of society through participation and service with technical advisory groups and through service in national and international professional organizations.</li></ul> VALUES <ul> <li>The CWR offers the collaborative expertise of highly qualified engineers and scientists to determine efficient and effective strategies for research and data acquisition pertaining to water resources.  In addition to supporting water-related academic programs, CWR professionals and students use a multi-disciplinary approach to identify and to solve water resource problems.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Projects of the CWR provide challenging education and research opportunities in hydraulic, hydrologic, environmental, and other basic data requirements for water resource planning and management both in terms of costs and results.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Research and development at the CWR reflects an increasing concern for the enhancement and preservation of the quality of water resources for all facets of water usage and for all socio-economic groups.</li></ul> GOAL:  EDUCATION STRATEGIES:  <ul> <li>Expand the CWR as a focal point for education in water related resources and issues.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Enhance recruitment of students to support and further develop graduate and PhD programs.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Provide for education and technology transfer to other institutions and individuals using state-of-the art distance learning technologies and on-site education assets.</li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Develop significant new capabilities in geochemical, geomicrobiological, applied geophysics to research and education in water resources and;</li></ul> <ul> <li> Increase the levels of funding for the CWR through increased grant activity and funding from local regional and state sources and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>Increase the levels of collaborative research and education with other nations institutions of higher learning and increase the level of activity in research in water resources problems along the U.S. Mexico border and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>Improve our abilities to collaborate with public health institutions in San Antonio, South Texas, nationally and internationally.</li></ul>Five Year Goals: <ul> <li>Attain international recognition for research and educational opportunities in water resources at UTSA and;</li></ul> GOAL:  RESEARCH STRATEGIES: <ul> <li>Develop advanced technical and laboratory capabilities to substantiate information for research and solutions to water resource issues. Emphasize research in waste water treatment, contamination studies, remediation, environmental geomicrobiology, geochemistry and isotope studies. </li></ul> <ul> <li>Establish the Center as a repository of data collection and water resource information. Numerous agencies collect water resource related data. The CWR will provide an invaluable service to the academic community, governmental agencies and the general public as a central data point for information collection and retrieval.</li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Obtain required data acquisition hardware and software for a compatible regional data base.</li></ul> Five Year Goals <ul> <li>Through interagency agreements and funding establish a regional data base housed in the CWR at UTSA.</li></ul> GOAL:  WATER RESOURCE DECISION SUPPORT STRATEGIES: <ul> <li>Establish and maintain special data requirements to support decision making processes regarding water resources.</li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR can act as a research resource for water quality information and data including public health issues, water treatment, environmental microbiology and water chemistry. </li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR can take a leadership role in resource management, including the application of models to surface and groundwater resource management. Many local and regional entities do not have the resources to make sophisticated model studies of their water resources for short range and long range resource management and allocation.  </li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR can provide data and information relating to GIS applications including land use, soils, slopes, bedrock geology, vegetation, environmental issues, reclamation techniques, pollution prevention, and best management practices especially as these issues relate to rapid growth and resource demands of the border regions along the Rio Grande, areas around metropolitan San Antonio and developing Third World countries. The CWR is well suited to employ the multiple disciplinary aspects of the University to solve problems in water resource management. </li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Develop funding sources from local, regional, state, industrial and private sources. Establish office with applicable computer assets, data lines and satellite links to collect real-time data.</li></ul>  Five Year Goals: <ul> <li>Modify, expand and test existing decision support systems to provide data and information which will enable water resource managers to make informed decisions. </li></ul> GOAL:  PUBLIC SERVICES/ OUTREACH  STRATEGIES: <ul> <li>Provide services to local, regional agencies and to the general public especially as it relates to water resource planning.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Establish partnerships with local, regional, state, national and international governmental entities to address the health aspects of adequate and sustainable supplies of water of excellent quality.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Encourage research in and the application of simple, low cost solutions to problems in water resources in developing regions to include water treatment processes as they pertain to supply, reuse, and disposal.</li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Establish programs within the CWR to provide these services and to seek funding for research applications.</li></ul> Five Year Goals: <ul> <li>Ongoing programs of assistance to governmental agencies for water resource planning.                  </li></ul> GOAL:  COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES: <ul> <li>To develop information and programs to build a better understanding of water related issues. The CWR should sponsor educational aspects of water resources issues through media, public meetings and special short courses.</li></ul> <ul> <li>To establish positive public recognition of the staff and technical expertise of the CWR. This will entail a better liaison between University communications and publications through the media of the many activities and contributions of the CWR in the areas of water resources research.  </li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR must continue to expand and develop strong working relationships with local, state, and federal agencies and officials.</li></ul> </li></ul>MISSION <ul> <li>The mission of the CWR is to emphasize multi-disciplinary approaches to the solution of practical problems related to water as a resource and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR is committed to advancing scientific and engineering knowledge in water resources through interdisciplinary research at local, national and international levels to help find solutions to complex interdisciplinary problems in water resources and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR is committed to providing excellent educational opportunities for graduate students, especially students from historically underrepresented and disadvantaged groups and professionals who are employed in the community and wish to further their educational opportunities in water resources; and</li></ul> <ul> <li>Using the knowledge and talents of students and faculty to meet the needs of society through participation and service with technical advisory groups and through service in national and international professional organizations.</li></ul> VALUES <ul> <li>The CWR offers the collaborative expertise of highly qualified engineers and scientists to determine efficient and effective strategies for research and data acquisition pertaining to water resources.  In addition to supporting water-related academic programs, CWR professionals and students use a multi-disciplinary approach to identify and to solve water resource problems.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Projects of the CWR provide challenging education and research opportunities in hydraulic, hydrologic, environmental, and other basic data requirements for water resource planning and management both in terms of costs and results.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Research and development at the CWR reflects an increasing concern for the enhancement and preservation of the quality of water resources for all facets of water usage and for all socio-economic groups.</li></ul> GOAL:  EDUCATION STRATEGIES:  <ul> <li>Expand the CWR as a focal point for education in water related resources and issues.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Enhance recruitment of students to support and further develop graduate and PhD programs.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Provide for education and technology transfer to other institutions and individuals using state-of-the art distance learning technologies and on-site education assets.</li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Develop significant new capabilities in geochemical, geomicrobiological, applied geophysics to research and education in water resources and;</li></ul> <ul> <li> Increase the levels of funding for the CWR through increased grant activity and funding from local regional and state sources and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>Increase the levels of collaborative research and education with other nations institutions of higher learning and increase the level of activity in research in water resources problems along the U.S. Mexico border and;</li></ul> <ul> <li>Improve our abilities to collaborate with public health institutions in San Antonio, South Texas, nationally and internationally.</li></ul>Five Year Goals: <ul> <li> <div style="margin-right: 0px;" dir="dir">Attain international recognition for research and educational opportunities in water resources at UTSA and; STRATEGIES:</div></li> <li> <div style="margin-right: 0px;" dir="dir">Develop advanced technical and laboratory capabilities to substantiate information for research and solutions to water resource issues. Emphasize research in waste water treatment, contamination studies, remediation, environmental geomicrobiology, geochemistry and isotope studies. </div></li> <li>Establish the Center as a repository of data collection and water resource information. Numerous agencies collect water resource related data. The CWR will provide an invaluable service to the academic community, governmental agencies and the general public as a central data point for information collection and retrieval.</li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Obtain required data acquisition hardware and software for a compatible regional data base.</li></ul> Five Year Goals <ul> <li>Through interagency agreements and funding establish a regional data base housed in the CWR at UTSA.</li></ul> GOAL:  WATER RESOURCE DECISION SUPPORT STRATEGIES: <ul> <li>Establish and maintain special data requirements to support decision making processes regarding water resources.</li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR can act as a research resource for water quality information and data including public health issues, water treatment, environmental microbiology and water chemistry. </li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR can take a leadership role in resource management, including the application of models to surface and groundwater resource management. Many local and regional entities do not have the resources to make sophisticated model studies of their water resources for short range and long range resource management and allocation.  </li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR can provide data and information relating to GIS applications including land use, soils, slopes, bedrock geology, vegetation, environmental issues, reclamation techniques, pollution prevention, and best management practices especially as these issues relate to rapid growth and resource demands of the border regions along the Rio Grande, areas around metropolitan San Antonio and developing Third World countries. The CWR is well suited to employ the multiple disciplinary aspects of the University to solve problems in water resource management. </li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Develop funding sources from local, regional, state, industrial and private sources. Establish office with applicable computer assets, data lines and satellite links to collect real-time data.</li></ul>  Five Year Goals: <ul> <li>Modify, expand and test existing decision support systems to provide data and information which will enable water resource managers to make informed decisions. </li></ul> GOAL:  PUBLIC SERVICES/ OUTREACH  STRATEGIES: <ul> <li>Provide services to local, regional agencies and to the general public especially as it relates to water resource planning.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Establish partnerships with local, regional, state, national and international governmental entities to address the health aspects of adequate and sustainable supplies of water of excellent quality.</li></ul> <ul> <li>Encourage research in and the application of simple, low cost solutions to problems in water resources in developing regions to include water treatment processes as they pertain to supply, reuse, and disposal.</li></ul> Three Year Goals: <ul> <li>Establish programs within the CWR to provide these services and to seek funding for research applications.</li></ul> Five Year Goals: <ul> <li>Ongoing programs of assistance to governmental agencies for water resource planning.                  </li></ul> GOAL:  COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES: <ul> <li>To develop information and programs to build a better understanding of water related issues. The CWR should sponsor educational aspects of water resources issues through media, public meetings and special short courses.</li></ul> <ul> <li>To establish positive public recognition of the staff and technical expertise of the CWR. This will entail a better liaison between University communications and publications through the media of the many activities and contributions of the CWR in the areas of water resources research.  </li></ul> <ul> <li>The CWR must continue to expand and develop strong working relationships with local, state, and federal agencies and officials.</li></ul>

Committee of Council Members

Pamela Hodges
Title:former Chair of Board of Directors Organization:Guadalupe Blanco River Authority

Bruce Gates
Title:President Organization:U.S. EnerCorp., Ltd.

Neill Walsdorf
Title:CEO Organization:Mission Pharmaceutical

Inventions / Patents
# of Inventions Disclosures: 0 # of Copyrighted Software: 0 # of Patents Filed: 0

Other Scholarly Work

Hongjie Xie, Geological Sciences:

June-July 2008, Xie visited China for collaborative research, presentation and conference. June 9-15 at Lanzhou University, June 15-18 at China University of Geoscience Wuhan, June 18-21 at East China Inst. of Technology, June 30-July 2 at 2008 International Workshop on Earth Observation and Remote Sensing Applications Beijing, Xie chaired a session of Sensors and Systems.
June-July 2008, Phd student Bucu Cicek visited Turkey and Switzerland, and attended three workshops and conferences. June 2-6 attended the EARSeL (European Association of Remote Sensing Laboratories) conference at Istanbul, Turkey; June 29-July 4 attended ISSI (International Space Science Institute) workshop at Bern, Switzerland and presented a paper "The remote sensing of sea ice during SIMBA07"; and July 6-10 attended CCGW (Global Conference of Global Warming) conference at Istanbul, Turkey and presented a paper "Sea ice in climate change from space".

Hatim Sharif, Civil Engineering:

Organized an advanced three-week training program in water resources for a visiting faculty from King Saud University is Saudi Arabia.
Serve as an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program guide for UTSA.
Coordinated and lead field trips to different watersheds and river and aquifer authorities in south-central Texas during May 19-27. 17 civil engineering and geology students participated.
Coordinated and lead field trips to different watersheds and river and aquifer authorities in south-central Texas during May 19-27. 17 civil engineering and geology students participated.
Supervised two undergraduate students and one graduate student performing summer research through the MORE Science program.
Mentored an undergraduate student enrolled in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program (Anthony Torres).
Worked very closely with Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP) water science instructor, Ben Jurewicz since October 2007 in preparation of PREP IV that was held at UTSA summer 2008 and gave two lectures to students.
Mentored two students participating in the Engineering Summer Camp for High School Students program (Martin Ruiz and Vincent Sanchez).

Outreach Activities

Weldon W. Hammond, Geological Sciences:

Member, Board of Directors San Antonio River Foundation
Member, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Water Resources Committee.
Member, San Antonio Water Systems Citizens Advisory Panel (CAP).
Member, Edwards Aquifer Authority Technical Advisory Group.

Alan Dutton, Geological Sciences:

Member, Science subcommittee, Hydrogeology Group, Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program.
Project Coordinator, Hydrogeological potential of the fissured and karst aquifers of the north-central of Bahia State, Brazil. International Research Cooperation between UTSA and Universidade Federal da Bahia.
Project Manager, Hill Country Hydrogeology Research Program, C.L. Browning Ranch Trust, Johnson City.

Heather Shipley, Civil Engineering:

External Judging Panel for the U.S. Air Force General Thomas D. White Environmental Awards (11/2007).
Texas Science and Engineering Fair; Judge for Environmental Science and Analysis (4/2008).
Society of Military Engineers (SAME) Scholarship Event, volunteer (8/2008).
American Chemical Society and Environmental Chemistry Section (2004-Present).
Reviewer for the journals of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (2007-Present).
Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2008-Present).

Judy Haschenburger, Geological Sciences:

Member, River Styles advisory team, Instream flows program, Texas Water Development Board.
Special Awards Judge, Association for Women Geoscientists, Exxon Mobil Texas state science and engineering fair, San Antonio.

Hongjie Xie, Geological Sciences:

Member, AGU Hydrological Remote Sensing Subcommittee (August 2007-Present).
Co-convener, Sea Ice IV: Snow on Sea Ice session (C23B) of AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA, December 2007.
Session Chair, Sensors and Systems, 2008 International Workshop on Earth Observation and Remote Sensing Applications, Beijing, China, July, 2008.

Journal Reviewer and Referee:

Remote Sensing of Environment

International Journal of Remote Sensing

Journal of Environmental Management

Journal of the American Water Resources Association

Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing

Computer & Geosciences

Journal of Applied Remote Sensing

Journal of Hydrometeorology

Journal of Environmental Management

Environmental Modeling & Assessment

Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems

IEEE Transactions on Intrumentation & Measurement

Abstract reviewer for IGARSS 2008 meeting, Boston, MA, USA

Hatim Sharif, Civil Engineering:

Member, ASCE NWS WSR-88D Radar Rainfall Task Committee.

Member, ASCE Probabilistic Approaches Committee.

Presented a seminar entitled "Hydrologic modeling and forecasting - South Central Texas" at the Austin/San Antonio National Weather Service Office, New Braunfels, Texas, January 2008.

Sazzad Bin-Shafique, Civil Engineering:

Collaborative research

Collaborative research with UT-Austin (TxDOT projects 0-6094 and 0-6147)

Collaborative research with TAMU (TxDOT project 0-6375)

Collaborative research with Texas Tech (TxDOT project 0-6654)

Mentoring

Mentor for PREP program

Mentor for LSAMP Summer Research Program

Meeting and Seminar/Organizer

Member of the Executive Committee, 2nd international EST Conference, 2006

Chair, 2nd international EST Conference, Session: Metals, 2006

Attended more than 30 technical conferences

Reviewer for Journals

Journal of Environmental Quality

ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering

ASCE Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering

Journal of Environmental Science and Technology

Journal of Contaminated Hydrology

Community Service

Faculty Advisor, Bangladesh Student Association at UTSA, 2005-present

President, Bangladesh Association of Wisconsin, 2002-2003

Lance Lambert, Geological Sciences:

Member, Canyon Lake Gorge Scientific Advisory Committee.

Member, San Antonio Water System Technical Advisory Group.

Assistant Scout Master, Cub Scout Pack 903.

Future Plans

The Center for Water Research (CWR) intends to play an ever increasing role in water resources research in Mexico and Central America. In addition, the CWR expects to expand its role in water resources research related to water supply issues for the San Antonio and south Texas region.

The CWR would like to expand its activities relating to water quality/water quantity issues along the Rio Grande River in south Texas.

The CWR will expand its role in water resources research to other aquifers that supply water in the south Texas region in addition to ongoing water research projects involving the Edwards Aquifer.

Director's Corrective Actions

1. Operational plan is under development. Due to the shortage of faculty associates (the Center has lost five faculty associates since last year), this plan has not been completely developed.

2. The Center has applied to industry, National Science Foundation, and organizations such as World Vision and International Rotary Club for funding.

3. Nothing has been accomplished in developing collaborations with other research institutes at UTSA.

4. The Center is developing memorandums of agreement with Pan American Agricultural College in Zamarano, Honduras. In addition, the Director has met with Dean of Extension Services at Texas Tech University and the Director of the TTU research facility at Junction, Texas. It is hoped that these efforts will lead to further collaborations with TTU in the "Hill Country", Texas.

5. Due to the fluid political situation along the US/Mexican border, the Center has decided not to pursue at this time water issues along the border.

6. The lack of faculty members in water quality studies and the loss of faculty members with research programs in this area have resulted in no new research collaborations in water quality.

7. Operational plan is under development. Due to the shortage of faculty associates (the Center has lost five faculty since last year), this plan has not been completely developed.

8. The Center will continue to pursue UTSA's strategic plan.

9. The Center continues to serve on numerous advisory committees, for example: SAWS, Edwards Aquifer Authority, Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, San Antonio River Authority, and on the Water Committee of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. It is believed that this close association gives the Center insight into the desired directions and philosophies for research in water resource issues. The present membership of the Center for Water Research Advisory Committee gives us representation from government, industry, and citizens that is able to be flexible and react quickly to regional water resource issues.

powering - The Partnership

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