News Stories for 2008
McGavock speaks at 2008 AHS symposium
July 31 — The Arizona Hydrological Society (AHS) held its annual conference on September 20–24 in Flagstaff. The title of this year’s symposium was “Changing Waterscapes and Water Ethics for the 21st Century.” Co-hosted by the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), the event was particularly diverse and relevant. To learn more, visit azhydrosoc.org.
M&A’s Ed McGavock presented a talk entitled, “Desalination of Brackish Groundwater in Arizona.” Ed is a former Assistant District Chief with the USGS Water Resources Divisions in both Arizona and Washington States. During the past 14 years as a consultant with us, he has participated in statewide investigations of brackish groundwater resources, evaluated the potential for carbon dioxide sequestration in northern Arizona, and prepared a “groundwater atlas” detailing critical aspects of the Coconino Sandstone aquifer system of northern Arizona.
M&A supports internship at WRCC
July 31 — M&A is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the 2008 Summer Internship at the UA Water Resources Research Center (WRRC). The winner of this year’s award is Claire Landowski, who was selected from a total of 24 applicants. Claire is an undergraduate at the UA with a double major in Geoscience and Journalism. She has written for the Arizona Daily Star, served as news editor for a small monthly paper, and traveled to Antarctica on a National Science Foundation grant.
The M&A Summer Internship at the WRRC was inaugurated this year to give a student an opportunity to gain experience researching and writing about water and environmental science and policy for the general public. We will be seeking opportunities for Claire to get some additional “real-world” experience by participating in M&A projects. She will also write an article for Arroyo, a WRRC publication that focuses on critical Arizona water issues, published annually in the winter. Applications for the 2009 M&A Summer Internship at the WRRC will be solicited beginning in March.
2008 Montgomery Prizes awarded
April 25 — For the past several years, M&A has been pleased to present the Montgomery Prize to outstanding hydrology and geology students attending Arizona universities. This annual prize recognizes student achievement in the area of oral presentation of research. Winners receive a $1,000 cash award. The Montgomery Prize represents our commitment to promoting excellence in research and communication in the geosciences.
El Dia del Agua. This year’s Montgomery Prize winner chosen at El Dia del Agua symposium was Joseph R. Gustafson, a master’s candidate at the University of Arizona’s Hydrology and Water Resources Department. M&A’s Lizz Leon Mora presented the prize to Joseph for his outstanding presentation, “Quantifying Variations of SWE, Chemistry, and Water Isotopes in a Montane Snowpack: Valles Caldera National Preserve, NM.” Joseph attempted to quantify how vegetation, aspect, and storm track control spatial and temporal patterns in snow chemistry and water isotopes. Click here to download Joseph’s abstract.
2008 marks the 18th Annual El Dia del Agua, sponsored each year by the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources. The 1-day event showcases research and features both oral and poster presentations. Held on March 6, 2008, the symposium was well attended by both students and members of the professional hydrology community at large.
GeoDaze. At GeoDaze 2008, the Montgomery Prize was awarded to Geosciences Ph.D. candidate Andy Frassetto for his excellent presentation, “Flowing Asthenosphere and a Slab Window beneath the Coast Mountain Batholith, British Columbia.” Andy’s research involved using three well-developed techniques to analyze shear-wave splitting on high-quality teleseismic recordings. His objective was to develop a preliminary model of mantle deformation fabric beneath the Coast Mountain Batholith in British Columbia. Click here to download Andy’s abstract.
The GeoDaze symposium is an annual event organized for the last 36 years by students of the Department of Geosciences at the U of A. This year, GeoDaze was held April 3–5, featuring two days of student-presented research and a field trip.
Acronyms & Abbreviations
