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Introducing the Institute for Water Research, Sustainability and Policy
UTSA has launched the Institute for Water Research, Sustainability and Policy, bringing together faculty across UTSA to collaborate in the areas of water quality, water quantity, flood control and water policy. Researchers will study the effect of climate change on water resources in the San Antonio area, South Texas region, I-10 corridor and the United States–Mexico border. They have future plans to expand their studies to include national and international water issues and solutions.
“An institute based on water research is absolutely needed in the part of Texas where we live,” said institute director Dr. Saugata Datta, who is the Dr. Weldon W. Hammond Jr. Endowed Distinguished Professor in Hydrogeology. “There was a need for understanding water availability, quantity, and various other aspects of water in terms of public health and economics because water plays a big role in the economy of the city and state. The societal impact of water issues is significantly important in a state like Texas.”
The institute will investigate multidisciplinary water issues such as hydro-terrorism and the food-water-energy nexus across regional, national and international political boundaries.
“UTSA is in a pivotal geographical and political junction as well as the future sustainability scenario,” Datta said. “UTSA is playing a big role, and one of the roles that can bring multiple scholars, researchers and students together is the theme of water. Water permeates every aspect of the disciplines at UTSA. I couldn’t imagine anyone better than UTSA to take the lead on water.”
In addition to geopolitical water research, members of the institute will seek to understand the resiliency of San Antonio’s drinking water resources and coastal water resources. Researchers from various disciplines will study the effects of hydrological processes, flood control, water quality, human behavior, remediation, and impacts on human and ecosystem health arising from stressors on coastal water resources. “Since its very inception, this institute has been designed as a comprehensive and highly collaborative unit, with members across all disciplines representing every college at UTSA,” said Dr. Jose Lopez-Ribot, associate dean for research in the College of Sciences. “As such, the new institute is truly transdisciplinary in nature. The institute places UTSA in a unique position to address water challenges in San Antonio, Texas, and beyond, both in the present and the future.”
The institute’s core faculty includes researchers from the College of Sciences; College of Engineering; College of Health, Community and Policy; College of Language and Fine Arts; and College of Education.
“UTSA has a rich history of interdisciplinary collaboration in all areas related to water, which has strengthened our ties to the San Antonio community and our region and has poised us to guide water policies in similar regions,” said Dr. JoAnn Browning, dean of the College of Engineering. “This institute bridges multiple administrative structures to enable cross-cutting research that will shape the future of our cities and hometowns.”
Students will have access to cutting-edge technology in various laboratories across campus that are now part of the center’s umbrella of water research. They will also have the opportunity to participate in novel approaches to laboratory-, field- and modelingbased studies as they learn more about water science.
The institute plans to offer certificate-level courses and will implement master’s and doctoral programs in the near future.
“The Institute for Water Research, Sustainability and Policy is an essential resource for the San Antonio community,” said Dr. David Silva, dean of the College of Sciences. “Our growing population and ongoing drought issues demand creative, science-based solutions. I am confident that the collaborative research coming out of this institute will positively impact San Antonio’s future.”
