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Call for Proposals: WSU Faculty opportunity for water research in Egypt

WSU Water Researchers,

The State of Washington Water Research Center and WSU are partners with the American University of Cairo, three other US Universities, and five Egyptian universities to develop the Egyptian Center of Excellence for Water (COE-W), funded by the USAID.  As part of this effort, the COE will be funding collaborative research grants (up to $250,000) to facilitate science and innovation through joint US and Egyptian led projects.  Attached is a call for proposals for this program, and you can check out the FAQ page for this RFP at: https://bit.ly/2Uvo149.  If you are interested in the possibility of carrying our water research for and in Egypt, you should check these resources out!

Download the full Call for Proposals here.

There are a few basic things to know.
(1) Only partner university faculty are eligible for participating, so if you are a WSU faculty member with water expertise, you are in a relatively small, select group eligible for this program.
(2) The deadline for proposals is May 15, about a month from now.
(3)  The research must be focused on water and related to Egypt, and must involve Egyptian partner university faculty.   All partner universities are listed in the RFP.

The third requirement could be a hurdle or an opportunity for those not currently working on Egyptian water issues or have Egyptian research connections.  We are currently working on a process to facilitate networking among partner university faculty.   In the meantime, if you are seeking help identifying research collaborators among partner university faculty or would like to know what potential research projects are being proposed by others to which you would like to contribute, please provide your contact information and expertise here:

Contact information form for WSU water researchers interested in connecting with Egyptian water projects

Enter your contact information ASAP because the deadline is coming up quickly!  We will pass on your information to the COE-W, and will be in touch with updates for you as soon as possible.  If you have any further questions, email WRC Director Yoder at yoder@wsu.edu.

Washington Water Market Game

Water rights holders in the Okanogan, Methow, Walla Walla, and Yakima River basins are invited to participate in a 30-minute online water market game created by WSU! This game will help you become familiar with water markets, and you will receive $100-$200 for participating. Meanwhile, WSU researchers can better understand people’s connection to their land and water.

If you are a water rights holder or know someone in these basins who is, please reach out to Suhina Deol at suhina.deol@wsu.edu or (636) 688-9596 to access the game online or at an in-person location.

How do I participate?

  1. If you received a recruitment letter, we have verified you are a water rights holder in one of the basins listed above. Provide either your email or phone number in the self-addressed stamped envelope and Suhina Deol will reach out to you to access the game online or at an in-person location.
  2. If you have not been contacted but would like to participate, contact Suhina Deol at suhina.deol@wsu.edu or (636) 688-9596.

How do I receive payment for participating?

Once you complete the game, you will receive $100-$200 in the form of a gift card. You can select your gift card from a variety of stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, or Amazon.

WSU Water Market Research

This game is part of WSU’s ongoing water market research under Technology for Trade, a project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and led by the State of Washington Water Research Center, which focuses on developing new technology and practices that could provide better information to guide decisions about water – and ultimately, make more water available for people, fish and river flows.

In Spring 2021, Washington irrigators shared their thoughts in a Water Management survey . Responses to the survey showed that familiarity with water markets is relatively low and potential for computer-aided markets may be substantial. Overall, only one third of respondents said they were “comfortable” or “very comfortable” with buying, leasing, or selling water. Many people who had participated in a transaction reported facing challenges like regulatory hurdles and finding a willing partner to transact the water with.

Other insights from the 2021 Water Management Survey:

  • Irrigators have complex, and sometimes conflicting views about whether water should be treated as a private property right or a public resource. This likely reflects the inherent reality of water. The State of Washington holds water as a natural resource in trust for its residents, the public. A water right is authorization for an individual or entity to use water in a prescribed manner, and this right to use the water is privately held.
  • Understanding the value of a water right is difficult. Knowing the prices at which others have transacted water could help with this and encourage participation in water markets. However, there are a variety of views across eastern Washington about whether this should be required. When asked if they would support state-mandated price disclosure for water market transactions (like real estate transactions require), 60% of respondents said they would vote yes in a hypothetical county referendum mandating price disclosure. Support was higher in Methow (89% yes) and Walla Walla (65% yes). In Yakima, 60% said they would vote yes, but only a minority supported it in Okanogan (36% yes).

Questions/More information

Contact Suhina Deol at suhina.deol@wsu.edu or by cell at (636) 688-9596.

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Organizations

State of Washington Water Research Center

School of Economic Sciences

Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources

Washington State University – Pullman

 

People

Joseph Cook

Suhina Deol

Jonathan Yoder

Michael Brady

Georgine Yorgey

 

USGS Grant Opportunities: 104g General, and PFAS

The following grant opportunities are available with proposal submission through the WRC.

WRRA National Competitive Grant Program FY2023 (104g) General:
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346333
Applications due April 19, 2023 please submit an email of intent two weeks prior, April 5, 2023 to watercenter@wsu.edu.  Max award $310K.  Priorities this year include research on (a) legacy nutrients, (b) integrated water processes, and (c) water conflict.

WRRA National Competitive Grant Program FY2023 for Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS):
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=346326
Applications due April 19, 2023 please submit an email of intent two weeks prior, April 5, 2023 to watercenter@wsu.edu.   Max award $279K.

expanded WRC logo

Vacancies are currently open for interdisciplinary scientists and (or) physical scientists with the USGS HQ Water Mission Area

Water Mission Area  Interdisciplinary -GS-0401/1301/1529-11/12, Interdisciplinary -GS-0401/1301/1529-12/13,  Physical Scientist GS-1301-11/12  and Physical Scientist GS-1301-12/13 announcements has been set to open on Tuesday, February 28th , 2023

The announcement numbers are USGS-SAC-23-1185431-DHA-SR, USGS-SAC-23-11850397-DHA-SR, USGS-SAC-23-11850442-DHA-SR and USGS-SAC-23-11850405-DHA-SR  , or you may access the job announcement through the following links:

NOTE – The announcement will be open to:  Tuesday, March 14th, 2023***

Here are a few reminders for any interested applicants:

  • Resumes should also include a month/year and hours per week worked, along with their relevant work experience underneath each period of employment.  Their resume should contain enough details regarding their work experience for us to determine whether they have the specialized experience or not.
  • If they have current or prior federal service, they should list the grade levels. If this is left out, it won’t necessarily get them rated out, but it may help them get rated in easier. Submitting copies of their SF-50’s showing their current grade and series is also helpful OR if they were previously in the series, they should submit those SF-50’s too.
  • They MUST submit ALL required documentation prior to the announcement closing. All documents must be legible. They can always e-mail the contact person in the announcement to confirm that their documents have all been uploaded correctly. Sometimes the documents submitted are blurry and really hard to read, or the file is corrupt, and we can’t access their documents. We do NOT accept late documents.
  • If they receive an email to complete a secondary assessment (USA Hire Competency Based Assessment), they must complete the assessment within the timelines identified by the email, or they will not be considered.  Note, they should set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time.
  • Please Note: The ABOVE information and much more can be found on the HELP section of the USAjobs site. It goes more into detail regarding the federal hiring process, proper resume format and covers some of what I’ve listed above in more detail.    https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/

 

WSU water researchers: Would you like a funded trip to attend a water symposium in Alexandria, Egypt?

Nile, Water, Egypt

 

WSU water researchers,

You may have heard that the state of Washington Water Research Center is a collaborator on behalf of WSU in a USAID project to develop the Egyptian Center of Excellence for Water, now named the Alexandria Water Resilience Center of Excellence.  Julie Padowski (SoE, CEREO, WRC) and I are leading this effort.

WSU water faculty and students (you!) have two opportunities by virtue of WSU’s involvement in this project.  These include: 

1) An upcoming call for proposals for research funding available only to US faculty (and their students) of consortium members (including WSU). Proposal awards are for up to $500,000 and Egyptian-US partnerships are a requirement for these funding programs.   We will send the call for proposals when it is released (expect sometime this Fall 2022). 

2) The AWR-COE is hosting The Alexandria University International Water Symposium: Sustainable Water Solutions.  This is coming up soon — September 6-7, 2022.  The draft agenda is here.  We have funding to send one (perhaps two) representatives from WSU to this symposium. All travel and lodging would be paid.  While you will not have an opportunity to give a formal presentation at the symposium, this would be an excellent opportunity to meet Egyptian water researchers who could become collaborators on upcoming COE funded research.   

Please contact me at yoder@wsu.edu soon If you are potentially interested in attending this symposium in Alexandria, Egypt next month.  Note that funding is not guaranteed for any given individual, especially if we receive several interested faculty.

Columbia River Basin Long-Term Water Supply & Demand Forecast Delivered to Ecology

Data Access Website

Every five years, the WRC works with the Washington State Department of Ecology and researchers from WSU and other universities to produce a Columbia River Basin Long-Term Water Supply & Demand Forecast.  The 2021 forecast was released on August 1 2022.  The WSU press release is available here.  For more information including an Executive Summary, the full technical report (due out in late August), and a data repository, visit the WRC CRB Long-Term Water Supply and Demand Forecast Project page.

USGS Grant Opportunities: 104g General, AIS, and PFAS

Water Researchers,

The following grant opportunities are available with proposal submission through the WRC.  Please contact WRC Director Jonathan Yoder (yoder@wsu.edu) if you are considering proposal submission.

WRRA National Competitive Grant Program FY2022 (104g) General:
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=338699
Applications due May 10.  Max award $250K.  Priorities this year include research on (a) legacy nutrients, (b) integrated water processes, and (c) water conflict.

WRRA National Competitive Grant Program FY2022 for Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS):
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=338681
Applications due May 10.  Max award $250K.

WRRA National Competitive Grant Program FY2022 for Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS):
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=338700
Applications due May 10.  Max award $250K.

Register for the Washington Water Data Roundtable Discussion! 3/28

Forwarding from: Boise State University

As many of you know we have been working on a project to compile metadata about streamflow data across the Pacific Northwest. We would like to bring together data providers and managers together from each state to continue our conversations about the future of streamflow data in the region.

It would be great to have at least one representative from each major data provider, please register here and pass on to colleagues that would contribute to the conversation!

Roundtable Discussion Goals:
1) Identify uses and requirements for streamflow data,
2) identify challenges and opportunities,
3) Obtain feedback on Streamflow Data Catalog Visualization
4) Strengthen relationships in the streamflow measurement community.

Time: 9am – 3pm
March 28th: Tacoma, Washington
April 1st: Boise, Idaho

May: Oregon, tbd
July: Region-wide online meeting

flyer

 

Water-Energy-Food Nexus and its connectivity to SDGs

Tuesday, March 1st, 2022 at 6PM Cairo Local Time (CLT)

This webinar will focus on:

  • Development of an Integrated water – Energy – Food (WEF) nexus system
  • Developed Solar – agriculture greenhouse system that grows its own energy and irrigating water.
  • Novel and green solution for food and water crisis in arid areas
  • Importance of WEF Nexus
  • Nexus Elements Integration and tools.

WEF and its impact on SDGS

Speakers:
Prof. Brent Haddad: Brent Haddad, MBA, Ph.D. is a Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  He is the founding director of UCSC’s Center for Integrated Water Management.
Prof. Negm M.Abdelazim: A Professor of Hydraulics and (Water Resources) at Zagazig University and is very interested in sustainable water resources management and sustainability studies
Prof. Hassan Fath: A well-known MENA-GCC regional expert in Desalination and Energy Systems (DES) including Water-Food-Energy-Environment (WFEE) applications.

To Register: https://bit.ly/3GLnUYj