Education & Research Council Refocuses its Mission

The Education and Research Council (ERC) of EWRI met at the February 2005 Council Weekend to broaden its mission and also focus future activities. The old mission statement of the Council was to promote educational and research activities in the environmental and water resources areas, and to identify areas of potential research and facilitate the advancement of environmental and water resources education. The newly adopted mission is to advance environmental and water resources education, identify areas of potential research and facilitate technology transfer. The primary roles of advancing education and identifying research areas are unchanged. There is currently no group within EWRI that is formally engaged with technology transfer to developing countries, so this was added to the Council's mission.

The ERC will work to promote environmental and water resources education at all levels, via subcommittees and coordinated efforts with other Councils within EWRI. There are four educational areas where the Council focuses its promotional efforts:

• K-12 education - Standing Committee on the Education of Future Environmental and Water Resources Professionals, chaired by Cassie Klumpp
  
  
• Higher Education - EWRI Student and New Professionals Activities Council (SaNPAC)
  
  
• Continuing & Professional Education - EWRI Technical Councils & Staff General Public Outreach - EWRI Governing Board
  
  

With the aid of EWRI Technical Councils and external stakeholders (e.g. government agencies, consulting firms, academia), the ERC will identify potential research areas, and stimulate broad discussion and investigation into these "unasked" questions. The ERC hosted a successful panel discussion on research needs at the 2004 EWRI Congress in Salt Lake City. Panelists from the US EPA, USDA-NRCS, USBR, and West Consultants provided their perspectives on research needs of importance to their organizations. The ERC will host a similar panel at the 2006 EWRI Congress in Omaha.

To facilitate technology transfer, the ERC established a new Task Committee on Technology Transfer, to be chaired by ERC Immediate Past Chair Dean Otto Helweg. The Task Committee plans on meeting at the 2005 EWRI Congress in Anchorage to further define its goals, objectives, and future activities.

EWRI members who would like additional information or are interested in participating in the Education and Research Council or its subcommittees can contact the council chair, Joe Orlins, at orlins@rowan.edu.