The Nebraska Water Center, in partnership with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources, will begin its annual Spring Water Seminar Series in February.
The series, “Tributaries: Race, Justice and the Environment,” will feature Nebraska, national and international speakers. Each seminar will weave water issues into the larger picture. While the series has long been open to the public, due to COVID-19 it will be delivered virtually via Zoom at its regularly scheduled time of 3:30 p.m. every other Wednesday.
In addition, the series — with writing assignments and in-class, student-led discussions on alternate weeks — doubles as a one-credit hour undergraduate/graduate course listed under NRES/AGRO/GEOG/GEOL 484/884 and WATS 484. Students interested in registering should be junior level or above.
The 2021 seminars feature one of the most diverse lineups in series history. Collectively, the speakers represent engineering, water chemistry, environmental studies, legal, policymaking, tribal and student backgrounds. They are also geographically diverse, with lecturers hailing from Oklahoma, North Dakota, Arizona, Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan. Nebraska speakers include legal scholars and several tribal representatives, many of whom will participate in a Tribal Water Summit on April 14.
Established in 1968, the series provides a forum to increase awareness and allow for meaningful conversation regarding these issues. The series is a cornerstone of Nebraska Water Center‘s mission to help the University of Nebraska become an international leader in water research, teaching, extension and outreach.
More information, including links to register for the seminars, will be forthcoming.
This year lecturers included:
Feb. 3* — Anthony Schutz, associate professor, College of Law, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Feb. 17 — Doug Crow Ghost, water resources administrator, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
March 3 — Marty Matlock, executive director, University of Arkansas Resiliency Center, chairman, Cherokee Nation Environmental Protection Commission
March 17 — Rebeca de Jesús Crespo, assistant professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University
March 31 — Bolat Uralbekov, professor, Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan
April 14 — Tribal Water Summit, Nebraska tribal youth will present on water topics as part of the summit and seminar series
April 28 — Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta, assistant professor, Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona
May 5 — Hank Miller, math and science division head, Nebraska Indian Community College; Martha Shulski, Nebraska state climatologist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
