UA receives grant for new water research program

By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Kyle Hamrick

The University of Alabama received a multi-million dollar grant to start a new water science and research program.

According to a press release, the $3 million National Science Foundation Research Traineeship award will finance Water-R2O, the new program, and bring together master’s and doctoral students for multi-disciplinary research projects to address today’s water issues.

“We’re facing major water challenges, and this provides an opportunity, a model, for how we can prepare students to enter into the workforce, address those challenges and to help cutting edge water research be fast-tracked for use in water operations and forecasting,” said Dr. Steven Burian, the director of the Alabama Water Institute, in a statement.

Water-R2O will welcome its first students in the fall semester of 2023. Those enrolled will earn credit towards an operational hydrology program certificate.

The program aims to have students from civil engineering, computer science, geography and other backgrounds who can bring diverse experiences for creative problem-solving.

Several public and private entities like the Tennessee Valley Authority, NOAA’s National Water Center and Jupiter Intelligence have partnered with the program.

“We’ll be looking for a cohort with strong interests in applying research to create solutions to ongoing and future water challenges facing society,” Burian continued.