Water Insights (Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences)

Water Insights is an interdisciplinary seminar series on water science, water management, and water policy sponsored by the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES). Speakers include researchers, water managers, and water policy makers from Penn State, other universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

The series engages the University and broader community in collaborative learning and discussion about critical water challenges from local to global scales.

All seminars are scheduled for Tuesdays from 12:00-1:00 pm and will be via zoom. Zoom room open from 11:45 for setup and log-in. Meetings (video, audio, and chat) will be recorded. No waiting room, and no passcode. Participants will be muted automatically upon entry.

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/98145879350

Spring 2023

January 24

Speaker: Peter Stempel, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, College of Arts and Architecture
Talk Title: What can we learn from alternatives to flood visualizations?
Watch the Recording Here: https://psu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Water+Insights+Seminar/1_dsnukimf
Link to Presentation Resources:

February 7

Speaker: Cibin Raj, Assistant Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, College of Agricultural Sciences
Talk Title: Circular Agricultural Systems: Potential of recycling organic nutrients in Pennsylvania and water quality benefits
Watch the Recording Here:
Link to Presentation Resources:

February 21

Speaker: Lisa Emili, Associate Professor of Physical & Environmental Studies, Penn State Altoona
Talk Title:
Watch the Recording Here:
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March 21

Speakers: Lilliard Richardson, Professor of Public Policy & Director of the School of Public Policy & Pin Sun, Ph.D candidate Department of Economics, College of the Liberal Arts
Talk Title:
Watch the Recording Here:
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April 4

Speaker: Jack Vanden Heuvel, Professor of Molecular Toxicology Pharmacology, College of Agricultural Sciences
Talk Title:
Watch the Recording Here:
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April 18

Speakers: Maurie Kelly, Director, Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access, Institute of Energy and the Environment
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May 2

Speakers: Nathaniel Warner, Associate Professor in Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Talk Title: Students Dig Microplastics Research
Watch the Recording Here:
Link to Presentation Resources:

Fall 2022

September 6-Flood Talks

Speakers: Lara Fowler- Director, Penn State Sustainability Institute & Senior Lecturer, Penn State Law; Andrew Warner-Director, Penn State Water Initiative & Alfonso Mejia-Associate Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Talk Title: An Introduction to Flooding
Watch the Recording Here: https://psu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Flood+TalksA+introductory+session/1_rdu8r07s
Link to Presentation Resources:

September 21- Emerging Issues

Speaker: Kim Van Meter, Assistant Professor of Geography, College of Earth & Mineral Sciences
Talk Title: Agricultural Wetlandscapes: Land-Use Legacies & Water Quality Futures
Watch the Recording Here: There is no recording for this session.
Link to Presentation Resources: Slide Show Presentation

October 5- Emerging Issues

Speaker: Kathy Brasier, Professor of Rural Sociology, College of Agricultural Sciences
Talk Title: Building & Researching Stakeholder Engagement for Water Quality & Quantity Management: The Water for Ag Project
Watch the Recording Here: https://psu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Water+Insights+Seminar/1_k64gez16
Link to Presentation Resources:

November 16- Emerging Issues

Speaker: William Hunt, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished University Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University
Talk Title: Stormwater Management Evolution in 20 Years (since I left State College)
Watch the Recording Here: https://psu.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/Water+Insights+Seminar/1_bya4gqq8
Link to Presentation Resources:

Fall 2021

October 5		Lauren Greenlee Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Nutrients from Wasterwater: Rethinking Contaminants as Resources to Recover Click here to watch the recording.
October 12		Jon Sweetman Assistant Research Professor, Ecosystem Science Management Water Insights into the Past: Extracting Environmental Information from Lake Mud Click here to watch the recording.
October 19		Jamie Colburn Joseph H. Goldstein Faculty Scholar, Professor of Law Pathological Jurisdiction Splitting: The Phenomena of Jurisdictional Waters Click here to watch the recording.
October 26		Christine Kirchhoff Associate Professor Civil & Environmental Engineering University of Connecticut Actionable knowledge production and improved governance to address water challenges Click here to watch the recording.
November		Christopher Scott Goddard Chair and Professor, Dept. of Ecosystem Science & Management Irrigation efficiency and water security: Promises, pitfalls and paradoxes Click here to watch the recording.
November 9		Alfonso Mejia Associate Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Michael Gomez Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Resilience and exposure of urban food supply systems to climate-induced food shocks Click here to watch the recording.
November 16		Kim Van Meter Assistant Professor of Geography Agricultural Wetlandscapes: Land-Use Legacies and Water Quality Futures This talk was cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
November 30		Margaret Kalcic Associate Professor in Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Translational Data Analytics Institute Core Faculty Lake Erie water quality goals and watershed modeling Click here to watch the recording.
December 7		Suat Irmak Professor, Department Head in Agricultural & Biological Engineering Climate Change and Impacts on Agriculture and Natural Resources

Spring 2021

February 16		Dave Swisher Office of the Physical Plant Water Sustainability: Penn State's Efforts – Past, Present and Future Watch Dave's presentation here
February 23		Andy Cole Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture & Ecology, Interim Department Head, Landscape Architecture College of Arts & Architecture Designing nature - the case of the weird wetlands Watch Andy's presentation here
March 2		Karen Fisher-Vanden Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics and Public Policy Director, Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) Co-Director, Program on Coupled Human and Earth Systems (PCHES) Matt Royer Associate Director of Partnerships & Engagement Associate Research Professor Director, Agriculture and Environment Center Current and Future Water Activities in SAFES: how can SAFES help catalyze coordinated research in water? Watch Karen & Matt's presentation here.
March 9		Nathaniel Warner Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering Can freshwater mussels monitor water quality? Watch Nathaniel's presentation here.
March 16		Li Li Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering The shallow and deep hypothesis: linking flow paths, biogeochemical reactions, and stream chemistry in the Critical Zone Watch Li's presentation here.
March 23		Paul Heinemann Professor and Head Agricultural & Biological Engineering Scott Richardson Associate Research Professor Meteorology & Atmospheric Science David Stensrud Professor and Head Meteorology & Atmospheric Science The Pennsylvania Environmental Monitoring Network Watch their presentation here.
March 30		Michael Shreve Postdoctoral Scholar in Bioconversion Engineering Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering Wastewater-based epidemiology and Covid-19 surveillance at Penn State Watch Michael's presentation here.
April 6		Ming Xiao Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Evaluation of erodibility of sand infill placed in synthetic grass using large flume testing Watch Ming's presentation here.
April 13		Alan Rotz Agricultural Engineer, USDA/ARS and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering An integrated assessment of farm management effects on air and water quality Watch Alan's presentation here.
April 20		Emily Pakhtigian Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy Water use tradeoffs along development trajectories: Applications of hydro-economic modeling in international river basins Hosted by Danny Brent Watch Emily's presentation here.
April 27		Jenn Fetter Extension Water Resources Program Team Leader, Penn State Extension Identifying and Addressing Pennsylvania's Water Resources Education Needs Through Extension Watch Jenn's presentation here.
May 4		Jim Shortle Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Economics Emeritus Agriculture and Water Quality: Better Results Require Better Policy Watch Jim's presentation here.

Fall 2020

Tuesday, September 22
Gerrad Jones, Oregon State University
Opening Pandora's box: machine learning applications for chemical forensics and non-target chemical analyses
Hosted by Heather Preisendanz

Tuesday, September 29
Tyler Groh
Nutrient Removal in Riparian Buffers: My Research Journey from Iowa to Pennsylvania
Hosted by Beth Boyer

Tuesday, October 27
Patrick Drohan
Ideas on a path for food production and society in the shadow of “big problems"
Hosted by Jon Duncan

Tuesday, November 3
Hongxing Liu, Lafayette College
Best Management Practices and Nutrient Reduction: An Integrated Economic-Hydrological Model of the Western Lake Erie Basin
Hosted by Danny Brent

Tuesday, November 10
Rob Brooks, Professor Emeritus Geography
Applying monitoring and assessment tools at multiple spatial and time scales on wetlands enforcement cases, with reflections on pending changes to the Clean Water Act
Hosted by Jim Shortle

Tuesday, November 17
John Tooker
Integrated Pest Management as a solution to a water quality challenge from neonicotinoid insecticides
Hosted by Jim Shortle

Tuesday, December 1
Michael Mashtare
Toilet to Field: Addressing Perceptions in the Age of Misinformation
Hosted by Cibin Raj

Tuesday, December 8
Herschel A. Elliott
Biosolids Land Application: Putting Risk in Perspective
Hosted by Jim Shortle

Spring 2020

Tuesday, January 21
Alfonso Mejia
The Multilayer Network Structure of Virtual Water Flows in the United States

Recording of Mejia Webinar- start at 1:00

Note: there is no sound in this recording

Tuesday, January 28
Heather Preisendanz
Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment: Understanding Occurrence, Risk, and Mitigation Strategies

Recording of Preisendanz Webinar - start at 1:30

Tuesday, February 4
Jeffrey Chanat
Exploring drivers of regional water-quality change using differential spatially referenced regression

Recording of Chanat Webinar - start at 3:18

Tuesday, February 11
Andrew Warner
What is Penn State Water?

Recording of Warner Webinar - start at 6:22

Tuesday, February 18
Rob Brooks & Tamie Veith
Riparian Forest Buffers of the Susquehanna-Chesapeake Watershed: Observations, Assessments, and Recommendations

Recording of Brooks & Veith Webinar - start at 4:13

Tuesday, February 25
Ben Hayes
Landscape Memory: The Legacy of Logging on Pennsylvania Streams and Implications for Adaptive Restoration Approaches

Recording of Hayes Webinar - start at 1:00

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