Collaboration is central to water research at Utah State University, and the USU Water Initiative provides a forum for USU researchers to make a difference—together. The collegial interdisciplinary community of water scholars at USU engaged in water education, research and outreach includes academic departments, centers, and labs in six colleges.
Partners
USU departments and centers contributing to Water Research at USU, listed alphabetically:
Spring Runoff Conference
The USU Spring Runoff Conference is held annually to provide a forum for interdisciplinary sharing and exchange of ideas on water-related issues in Utah and the Intermountain Region extending to all aspects of water science, ecology, policy, engineering, and management. The Conference is held each March at the USU Eccles Conference Center on the Logan campus. Registration and abstract submissions are accepted starting in mid-January.
Water Research in the News
Find more Water Research News at Utah State Today.
Utah State Today | October 23, 2024
Utah State University photography students, under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Photography, Jared Ragland, are playing a key role to document challenges facing Bear Lake.
Utah State Today | September 12, 2024
Once the Logan River Observatory collects measurements, the small team is responsible for distributing them and educating individuals who will do additional work with the data. The observatory works with other researchers, in addition to local, state and federal agencies, to share data.
In 2022, Utah Water Research Laboratory graduate student Megan DiNicola and USU Professor Belize Lane began mapping 3D-printed replicas of freshwater mussels to study their preferred physical habitat conditions. This research will soon be applied over 1,000 miles away, where the San Antonio River Authority and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) plan to reintroduce freshwater mussels into the San Antonio River in early July, marking a first-of-its-kind conservation effort in the state of Texas.
Mission & History
The USU Water Initiative provides an overarching umbrella for the activities of the water community aimed at fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and collegial sharing of ideas related to water across the departments and colleges of Utah State University. Water related seminars in a number of colleges and departments occur on a regular basis.
The USU Water Initiative emerged from a task force appointed by University President Kermit Hall in Fall 2002 charged with recommending ways to strengthen water programs at USU that take advantage of the diversity and breadth of water activities at USU. The task force initiated a number of collaborative activities that advanced water strengths at USU and persist in the research and education activities of Water Initiative Partners, and the Spring Runoff Conference.