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Pinnacle of the program

Workshop yields policy recommendations for real-world problems

Spring/Summer 2015

Through coursework, fieldwork and research practice, Water Resources Management students span a breadth of subjects and explore a variety of water-related topics, from watershed engineering to aquatic plants to hydrogeology. The program prepares students to face the complexities of managing water, while gaining lifelong knowledge and experience. A key aspect of this training: the WRM summer workshop.

In this culminating experience, students tackle a real-world, contemporary problem in water resources. The five-credit interdisciplinary practicum brings together students with diverse backgrounds and areas of specialization to serve as an unbiased and well-trained group of professionals contributing to water resources policy.

Since the 1960s, WRM workshops have addressed complex issues in a wide range of settings, from Native American reservations in rural northern Wisconsin to watersheds in urban areas. The most recent cohort of WRM students is focused on the rehabilitation of Dunn’s Marsh and Nine Springs Creek, prominent aquatic features of the Lewis Nine Springs E-way, an environmental corridor in Dane County that attracts cyclists, birders and nature enthusiasts but is hampered by historical channelization, urban stormwater inputs and encroachment of invasive vegetation.

The map below highlights WRM workshop locales and a sampling of the challenges that students have worked to address. Click the image to view a larger version.

To view a history of all workshop topics and locations, and the resulting student reports, visit go.wisc.edu/WRMworkshops.

 

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