A time for collaboration and discussion: The Second Annual CI-WATER Symposium

Utah science fair winners present their research at the Symposium

"How do we interact? How do we collaborate and support each other?"

These questions were among the most important asked this week at the Second Annual CI-WATER Symposium. 

With over 40 researchers working at four universities in two different states, the CI-WATER project sometimes feels disjointed. The four teams, Cyberinfrastructure, Data and Modeling Services, Watershed Modeling and Education & Outreach,  work on various parts of the project and use virtual meeting spaces for collaboration. While these virtual spaces are essential for working together from the various universities, the flow of conversation is not quite the same as in face-to-face interactions. 

The Symposium brought together the scattered partners and allowed them much-needed discussion through face time.

Dr. Miriah Meyer talks to an audience at the Symposium

The Symposium, held in Salt Lake City at the Natural History Museum of Utah’s Rio Tinto Center, focused on the idea of modeling a sustainable future. Researchers from the four CI-WATER teams presented their research and work from the last few months including projects that have been completed and where they see the next steps for their work going. Discussions about models, cyberinfrastructure and the digital divide filled the two days. Among these highly technical discussions however, presenters and team leaders returned time and again to the necessity of presenting a more unified front through a concise, clear vision statement.

Dr. Fred Ogden preps for filming

“You never know when you are going to be asked what you are studying,” said Dr. David Tarboton of Utah State University, when stressing the importance of all CI-WATER partners knowing the vision statement. 

By presenting a more unified face, collaborative efforts can be increased and our researchers can work more definitely towards the ultimate goal of the project: helping plan for the future through a better understanding of water systems and water management in the western United States. 

This year’s CI-WATER Symposium was a great success in the conversations it generated among the CI-WATER researchers, the new partnership that formed between team members, the film footage we gathered for videos that will come out later this summer, and the public event featuring Dr. Miriah Meyer. Next week we will share more from Dr. Miriah Meyer’s talk. 

By Kali S. McCrackin 

Photos by Kali S. McCrackin

Faces of Science: Overcoming the difficultly of a path made in leaps and bounds

This is the sixth of a series of blogs about women in science at the University of Wyoming, as we initiate our new NSF-funded program.Throughout the year we will be blogging about women in engineering, earth sciences, biological sciences and beyond. 

Every scientist’s experience and career path is different. For Dr. Indy Burke, director of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming, the path was made in leaps and bounds rather than with careful, cautious steps. As Dr. Burke began her career as an ecosystem ecologist she was offered rare opportunities because she was a woman.

Dr. Indy Burke.

“At the time, there were very few women ecosystem ecologists,” says Dr. Burke. “Less than a handful.”

Dr. Burke started her PhD at Dartmouth, but when her adviser there, Dr. William Reiners, moved to Laramie to fill the Department Head position in Botany at tUW, she decided to change her graduate institution to UW as well. From UW, Dr. Burke went to Colorado State University for her post-doc and that’s when her career began to fast forward.

A year into her post-doc, she was offered a faculty position at another university. CSU countered their offer.

“CSU said, ‘Don’t go. We don’t have any women in our College of Natural Resources,’” Dr. Burke explains. “So, I got a job because I was a woman entirely. I didn’t have to compete for the job and that really interfered with the college relationship for a long time. I felt that I really had to over-earn respect.”

In addition to the challenge of strained collegiate relationships, Dr. Burke’s area of expertise did not quite match with her new position.

“I was a rangeland ecologist hired into a forestry department,” Dr. Burke says. Her area of interest is soil nutrient dynamics.

To overcome the difficulties of this opportunity, Dr. Burke worked to be the absolute best she could be.

“I was just really, really focused on trying to bring in more money than anyone else did, write more grant proposals, publish more papers, be a better teacher, and do more outreach,” Dr.  Burke explains. “It was clear to me that I needed to demonstrate that I was excellent.”

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dr. Burke earned respect in many other ways. In the course of furthering her science career, she married another faculty member in the college, began to raise a family and served on several national and international science boards, including the National Academy of Sciences Committees and Board.

“Being one of the only women ecosystem ecologists for at least the first 15 years of my career gave me the opportunity to get invited to do things before I was really ready in my career, in a way that can actually depress productivity,” Dr. Burke says.

This level of service detracted somewhat from the time she could spend her own research, writing and publishing as well as her personal life.Nonetheless, while the first few years of her professional career were difficult, she has overcome every obstacle. She has published over 150 peer reviewed articles, book chapters and reports, earned numerous large research grants and received prestigious teaching awards.

“I felt that I had to balance all that pressure of representing all women,” Dr. Burke says. “It seemed as though I represented the gender for the whole college (and science field). Fortunately, I have an extremely supportive husband, who is highly productive as a scientist and could do even more than his share at home.”

Today, Dr. Burke balances research, service and family in a different way. As the director of the Haub School and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she has the opportunity to focus her energy on areas of interest outside research.

 “We have one land grant university in the state of Wyoming. We have one four year institution in the state of Wyoming,” Dr. Burke explains. “When there is a natural resources issue, stakeholders and the decision makers look to this university. So, we have a real opportunity to do the relevant science and synthesize the science to inform decision makers in the debate.”

In addition to her work with science and outreach, Dr, Burke is focused on the future of science through working with students.

“Around 2000, I started to get very, very interested in teaching,” Dr. Burke says. “I felt as though my work was more likely to change the world if I affected people, rather than if I published another paper.”

Part of her teaching passion is encouraging young people from diverse perspectives and backgrounds to pursue science degrees and careers. Part of encouraging students is making them aware and helping connect them to the opportunities available.

Dr. Burke with her horse this summer in front of the Fontanelle Fire. 

“The Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources provides some great opportunities for students of all kinds,” Dr. Burke says. “I think that getting students into the field and overseas is one of the most important things you can do for anyone interested in the environment.”

The Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources provides students with field research opportunities as well as helps connect students to faculty and internships for research experiences. Encouraging students to participate in research, to develop their curiosity and institution, and to empower them to succeed in the science fields is important.

“I feel as though young women get told about challenges and young men get told about opportunities,” Dr. Burke says. “Every career is challenging. Every life situation is challenging. I don’t think emphasizing the challenges is the way to do it. I feel like showing your enthusiasm is the most important thing you can do.”

To all students, especially young women, Dr. Indy advises, “I would say that the best scientists are not those who are good at memorizing formulas or facts or definitions. The best scientists are the people with creative skills and talents. If what you’re interested in is questions and being creative, then science really is the place for you.”

By Kali S. McCrackin
Photos courtesy of Dr. Indy Burke

Faces of Science: Agricultural economics and the administrative side of science

This is the third of a series of blogs about women in science at the University of Wyoming, as we initiate our new NSF-funded program.Throughout the year we will be blogging about women in engineering, earth sciences, biological sciences and beyond.

Dr. Nicole Ballenger enjoys spending time with her horses in her free time

Scientific work takes a variety of forms, from biology to physics to agriculture. The diversity of fields offers a plethora of choices, especially for students looking to better the world. Dr. Nicole Ballenger was one such student during the global food crisis of the 1970s. As an economics major, she wasn’t sure how she could help amend the problems the world was facing, but when she combined economics and agriculture for her Ph.D., she found a way.

“Agricultural economics is the science of economics applied to agriculture,” Dr. Ballenger explains. “Agricultural economics requires knowing something about the science of agriculture and working with people who are agricultural scientists.”

Dr. Ballenger wrote her Ph.D. dissertation about how policies affected food self-sufficiency in Mexico, which led her to a career focused on trade relations, agricultural policy, and eventually administration of agricultural economics research. Using her understanding of economics, Dr. Ballenger informed agricultural policy.. Her interest in world hunger and other food problems became her passion, and that passion has driven her career.

“I think it’s good to pursue an area of science that’s related to something you really care about because that’s the way that you stay connected and that you continue to feel passionate about what you do,” Dr. Ballenger says.

Dr. Ballenger has worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA_, the Council of Economic Advisers in the White House, the National Research Council and UW’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Today, she is an associate provost at the University of Wyoming.

“It is tremendously interesting and fun to see how a university is run,” Dr. Ballenger says. “And being at this level of administration allows you to have some connection to every part of the academic mission of the university. In the previous jobs that I had, I didn’t get to work with students, and working with them is a great joy, especially when you hear from them a couple years after your class.”

For a significant part of her career, Dr. Ballenger worked in the government. Her path as a scientist is different from many, because she picked a path that led her to the administrative aspects of science rather than the bench side.

“I was having trouble imagining trying to raise a child and get tenure at the same time,” Dr. Ballenger says of her decision. “I think it was a time when academia was much less family friendly and I was in a profession that had very few women. Today, things are changing, and changing for the better.”

The administrative side of science is one that most people tend to forget about or overlook, but it is incredibly important for science and society. Scientists, especially women scientists, were instrumental in creating food safety regulations and diet and health recommendations, which we tend to take for granted today.

It’s because of contributions to society like these that Dr. Ballenger says, “Hopefully people who are on the bench side of things consider going into administration at some point in their careers because we need scientists in leadership jobs in academia, government agencies and the private sector.”

Dr. Ballenger’s career has been challenging, like all science careers are, but she found that the barriers many women face in scientific fields were not as big of an obstacle for her.

“I’ve been very lucky to have had a very successful career and in many ways I have found that being a woman is an advantage and it is an opportunity to stand out,” Dr. Ballenger says. “I was also fortunate to have a very supportive husband. He stayed home with our son and was the primary caregiver in those early years, which helped a tremendous amount.”

Dr. Ballenger’s career has been full of challenges, variety and diversity. Her opportunities and support structures were instrumental, but more importantly were her choices. Choices are the key to a happy, successful career, especially for students just starting university with their whole lives ahead of them.

“I would always encourage young people to explore and not close off their options,” Dr. Ballenger says. “Let your heart felt interests drive what you then decide to focus on. Don’t pick something just because you think it is lucrative, because at some point you will probably wish that you had picked something else.”

Along with passion, Dr. Ballenger has two other pieces of advice: Commitment and writing skills.

“You’ve got to work hard and you have to demonstrate your commitment and motivation,” she says. “You’ve also got to develop your writing skills. Those are going to help you no matter what you do. When you write well, it is a reflection of how your thought process is working. It mirrors the logic of your thinking and logic is essential in science.”

For girls in particular, Dr. Ballenger says, “Don’t get discouraged if your find things like math or analytical things challenging. You can do them, there is absolutely no reason that you can’t and gaining those skills will pay off for you. They will open doors.”

By Kali S. McCrackin
Photo courtesy of Nicole Ballenger

Faces of science: The outdoors, the Olympics and science

This is the second of a series of blogs about women in science at the University of Wyoming, as we initiate our new NSF-funded program.Throughout the year we will be blogging about women in engineering, earth sciences, biological sciences and beyond.

Have you ever wondered what Olympians do after the Olympics? Some probably relax, others probably look for new interests, but Laramie’s Olympic skier, Sarah Konrad, is a scientist. Sarah works in science labs at the University of Wyoming helping to conduct various research projects about the environment. Currently, Sarah works in Dr. Neil Humphrey’s geology lab constructing sensors to measure glacier movements. Glaciers happen to be Sarah’s area of specialty.

“I was into the outdoors long before I was a scientist,” Sarah says. “And that interest naturally progressed towards geology and glaciology.”

Rock climbing and mountaineering initiated Sarah’s interest in glaciers and now she helps to understand the way glaciers work in Greenland.

“The more we understand about how glaciers work and how they respond to different changes in the environment, the better we can understand how fast the water held in the glacier ice will get into the ocean and affect sea levels,” Sarah says.

Understanding how fast glaciers are melting is an important part of understanding climate change and its effect on people and where they choose to live. People disproportionally live near the ocean and this population will be the first to notice sea level changes. This problem is part of the reason Sarah loves being a scientist: it challenges her to think about solutions.

 Sarah’s favorite part of being a scientist is being able to think about things, such as climate change, creatively and understanding how things work. One of her current projects outside of Dr. Humphrey’s lab is creating a book about all the energy resources in Wyoming. This wouldn’t be any book, however. It would be a road-side guide to Wyoming’s energy resources that would use surface infrastructure (such as wind turbines or pump jacks) to explain everything in straightforward terms how Wyoming’s energy production works. Right now, Sarah is looking for funding to help her research Wyoming’s energy field.

While Sarah is a scientist, she continues to be a phenomenal athlete. “Science and sports complement each other really well,” Sarah says. “I’ll be out on a long run or bike ride, and it’s some of my best thinking time.”

Sarah Konrad at the Torino Olympics in 2006

While she was an Olympic athlete, Sarah realized that although skiing was her passion, she longed for the intellectual stimulation provided by scientific work.

 “I’m curious and I like a challenge,” Sarah says. “Those three years I was training for the Olympics I didn’t do any science at all and I missed it so much! I mean, I’d still read and have some sort of intellectual stimulation, but I really like having more involvement and having some sort of outlet for figuring things out. It was a relief getting back into science. It felt really good to get the balance back.”

Sarah balances her love for both science and physical activity by dividing her day between the two. Part of the day she works in the lab, and the other part she trains for her next athletic goal. Over the summer, Sarah trained for a two-day event, the Steamboat Stinger in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Most people do one or the other of the events, but Sarah decided to do both the 50 mile mountain bike race and the 26-mile marathon trail run.

“The real challenge was doing them back to back,” Sarah says.

Sarah’s athletic passion keeps diversity in her life, which she says is the key to both science and any career. “Take college electives to heart,” Sarah advises new college students, especially women. “Because even if you think you know what you’re going to do, it’s just such a good time to be exposed to new things.”

Exposure to new things is what opened the doors to the field of geology for Sarah. She started out as engineering major, and happened to take a geology class, which changed her whole career path.

“Until you’ve been exposed to an awful lot of things, you can’t judge what you want to do because you don’t know what choices are out there,” Sarah says.

By Kali S. McCrackin
Photo credits: USBA