Graduate training in water science often focuses on a single field site, analytical or modeling approach. To assist graduate students in enhancing their research program by moving beyond this "one site, one view" approach, CUAHSI provides travel support for graduate students to make an extended visit (ca. 1 - 3 months) to broaden their research. CUAHSI awarded six 2010 Pathfinder fellowships in February, and is currently accepting applications for this year's fellowships. Research for many of last year's awardees commenced this summer, and their reports demonstrate the breadth and quality of research this fellowship enables.

This past summer, Pathfinder Fellow Avirup Sen Gupta traveled from his home institution at Utah State University, where he is part of the research group collaborating on the CUAHSI HIS project, to the Unidata Program Center in Boulder, CO. Avirup spent two months at Unidata to learn about the capability of Unidata tools and explore the Unidata approach to data modeling and publication compared to CUAHSI HIS. During his visit, Avirup completed a study investigating three different approaches to enhancing access to gridded data using HIS technologies.

Pathfinder Fellow Christa Kelleher's research focuses on modeling of controls on hydrologic response and function in headwater basins. The Pathfinder fellowship enabled Christa to travel from her home institution of Penn State to Montana State University, where she gained field experience and insight through observation, monitoring and collaboration with the research team of the Tenderfoot Creek Watershed. Christa writes of her experience "Overall, my experiences in Montana have exposed me to a number of different opportunities that I would not otherwise have had if I had not received the CUAHSI Pathfinder Grant. I was able to spend a few months interacting with experimentalists, and learning from them in the office and the field. This interaction has improved my use of the Tenderfoot Creek data, my modeling of the system, and my understanding of snowmelt-dominated watersheds. I had the chance to assist with field work as well as see both watersheds that I am currently modeling first-hand. This experience has definitely taught me about the importance of collaboration between modelers and experimentalists."

Applications are now being accepted for this year's fellowships. CUAHSI encourages applicants from across the broad range of water science, and supports both domestic and international travel to enable comparative research across sites, collaboration with a new research group using an alternate analytic or modeling approach and adding multi- or interdisciplinary aspects to water science research projects. CUAHSI will fund up to five graduate students, with a $5000 maximum award for each recipient, to cover travel costs. CUAHSI encourages applicants from across the broad range of water science. The deadline for submission of all application materials is October 7, 2011.

Additional application information is available at cuahsi.org/pathfinder.html. Inquiries and applications should be emailed to pathfinder@cuahsi.org.

CUAHSI will present a series of webinars this Fall on various topics related to using the CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System (HIS). These webinars will highlight how to use some of the features and functions of the HIS system. All webinars will be recorded and posted to the CUAHSI website. The following four webinars will be presented:

October 18, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Daniel P. Ames and Jiri Kadlec, Idaho State University
  Title: Accessing the Water Data of the World Using HydroDesktop

October 25, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Jeff Horsburgh, Utah State University
  Title: Data Visualization and Analysis Using the HydroDesktop HydroR Plug-in

October 31, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Tim Whiteaker, The University of Texas at Austin
  Title: HydroDesktop Metadata Fetcher - Accessing Services That Are Not Registered at HIS Central

November 08, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Jon Goodall, University of South Carolina
  Title: Component-based Modeling Using the HydroModeler Plug-in

Full descriptions and additional information about attending the HIS tutorials is available at cuahsi.org/his-webinars.html.

CUAHSI's fall Cyberseminars will commence in October. This year, CUAHSI is organizing an academic year-long (Fall and Spring) series, "Earth Observatories for Interdisciplinary Science: Reports from Critical Zone Observatories and Water, Sustainability and Climate Studies." The Critical Zone Observatories (www.criticalzone.org) , supported by the National Science Foundation, are environmental laboratories established to study the chemical, physical and biological processes that shape the Earth's surface and their coupling by modeling and monitoring at the watershed scale. NSF's Water, Sustainability and Climate Program supports research that aims to "to understand and predict the interactions between the water system and climate change, land use (including agriculture, managed forest and rangeland systems), the built environment, and ecosystem function and services through place-based research and integrative models." CUAHSI thanks the various principal investigators from the CZOs and WSC projects that have agreed to share their vision and experiences with the water science community. Scheduled for the fall are:

October 28, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Suzanne Anderson (Boulder Creek CZO)

November 4, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Jon Chorover (Jemez-Catalina CZO)

November 11, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Chris Duffy (Shale Hills CZO)

November 18, 2011; 3:00pm ET

• Mike Goulden (Southern-Sierra CZO)

Additional information about attending the CZO Cyberseminars is available at cuahsi.org/sem-current.html.

In June, NSF announced an innovative partnership between the Geosciences Directorate (GEO) and the Office of Cyberinfrastructure (OCI): EarthCube - Towards a National Data Infrastructure for Earth System Science. The goal of EarthCube is "to transform the conduct of research by supporting the development of community-guided cyberinfrastructure to integrate data and information for knowledge management across the Geosciences."

To guide the development of EarthCube, NSF has set up a community site (earthcube.ning.com/) to collect science requirements and design approaches from the geosciences community. From the Earth Cube website:

"Understanding geoscience user's requirements and unmet cyberinfrastructure needs is a required step in building EarthCube and advancing the frontiers of knowledge. Please help us by participating in our online questionnaire so we can better understand the scope and functionality that will be required by proposed approaches to the EarthCube system. The questionnaire can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GeoSciRequirements."

CUAHSI encourages all members of the water science community to fill out the survey so that community needs are well represented in the design process. Additionally, the website has forums for discussion, submission of white papers to inform the process, and updated documents and information on the EarthCube initiative. We encourage everyone to register and participate in this forum, which has "been set up so that that community groups, consortia, researchers, and educators can share ideas, introduce concepts, and find and develop collaborative efforts." Surveys and white paper contributions can be submitted to the website through October 17, 2011.

CUAHSI and Let's Talk About Water (www.letstalkaboutwater.com) have been hosting a series of film and water symposia on campuses around the country (University of California, Irvine, Duke University, Ohio University, University of Massachusetts, Boston, etc.). LTAW uses a variety of types of films and tries to identify the themes that best suit the host professor and campus. At the event, we encourage a lot of dialogue between the students and panelists, and try to make it FUN. But the key is to try to demystify the science of water to help empower students to become informed decision makers.

There are two events coming up:

Thursday October 13 4:30pm NYC
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center
Film: Gasland / Panelists include CUAHSI Chair Larry Murdoch

Saturday October 15 10:00am Boston
Blackman Theater
Northeastern University
Film: A Civil Action
Panelists include Jan Schlichtmann (upon whom the book & film is based)