Research Needs in Water Resources and Environment: A Panel Discussion

Authors

Otto J. Helweg, F.ASCE Living Water IntFollow
Joseph Orlins, M.ASCE Rowan UniversityFollow
Dale Bucks, Water Quality/Water Management U.S. Dept. of AgricultureFollow
Regan Murray, Research Scientist, EPAFollow
David Trueman, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Raymond Walton, M.ASCE WEST Consultants, IncFollow

Date of this Version

2006

Comments

Published in the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering © Asce / September/October 2006 / 387

Abstract

Practicing engineers sometimes criticize researchers for answering questions that no one is asking, or at least for conducting research on questions of personal interest or in areas that funding agencies think are important. Although such research has a place in the overall picture of things, it is instructive to consider the practical issues that engineers in the field face. The fields of water resources and environment are very broad, and only a small number of research users could be included on the panel seated by the Education and Research Council at the 2004 World Water and Environmental Resources Congress. One of the panel members pointed out that the private sector was underrepresented. We hope that a future panel will correct this problem. The PowerPoint presentations given by panel members may be accessed from the Education and Research Council’s Web site, http:// engineering.rowan.edu/~orlins.EWRI. Because of time constraints, each participant could relate only a small portion of his or her agency’s interest; consequently, this report is not intended to be comprehensive, even for the various agencies represented on the panel.