image description

←News

CUAHSI e-Newsletter 2026

Posted Aug 14, 2026

Sign up here to receive CUAHSI's monthly e-newsletter in your inbox to stay up to date on news and events!

You are viewing the Plain-Text version. To view the HTML version click here.


Letter from the Chief Executive Officer

Rick's reflection last month asked what hydrologic science needs in order to advance, and his question was timely. The answer in 2001 came from a community that had to organize itself to respond, and four ideas emerged. One of the ideas evolved into the water data services CUAHSI runs today, and the other three did not survive.

The surviving idea solved an immediate problem that was projected to compound. Researchers needed somewhere to put data and a common way to describe it in order to unlock opportunities for more impactful science. It was known at the time that the scale of water data, the demands on computing, and the need to work across disciplinary boundaries would all grow. Some of that early work led to standards this community developed that now sit underneath NOAA's water forecasting and USGS's monitoring locations. That is a deeper societal impact than anyone promised in 2001.

I think addressing this question now is harder for us, partly because it is less clear who we are answering to. Federal priorities are shifting quickly and funding is shrinking. AI is changing what a research community needs from shared infrastructure, and is eroding some of the ways researchers find each other and work together. A lot of what CUAHSI built over the last 25 years will matter more in this environment. Some of it will matter less. I see our challenge as bringing this water community together and helping it align on work that matters, at a time when the field is dispersing and institutional bonds are thinning.

Over the remainder of the year we will be creating more places for this conversation to evolve, and we'd love to hear from you.

Regards,
Jordan


CUAHSI Celebrates 25 Years

Convening the Community in the New Era of Water Science

As part of CUAHSI's 25th anniversary, we're featuring a series of reflections from some of the people who have helped shape CUAHSI's story over the years. Our next invited contributor is Hoori Ajami, CUAHSI Board of Directors, Chair-Elect 2027.

I first heard about CUAHSI as a graduate student at the University of Arizona, during my first AGU Fall meeting in 2007. My co-mentor, the late Professor Thomas Meixner, always reminded us that Tuesday evening was reserved for the Hydrology Section and CUAHSI reception, and he strongly encouraged us to attend. I remember going to that first reception and feeling inspired hearing about the latest developments and opportunities within the hydrologic science community, and what opportunities CUAHSI offered. AGU meetings are huge, so having a more focused networking event, one that put real emphasis on graduate student engagement, meant a great deal to me. This event quickly became a tradition, and I made sure to attend every year after that.

I became formally involved with CUAHSI in 2021, as a faculty member at the University of California, Riverside, when I joined CUAHSI's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee, which was new at the time. As part of the Committee's initiatives, I worked with colleagues across the country to revisit the criteria for some of CUAHSI's student grants with the intention of increasing engagement with underrepresented groups in the water science community.

That work led to an invitation to join the Board of Directors, and I became a Board member in January 2023. I eagerly accepted this opportunity to serve our community as I deeply believe in CUAHSI's mission. As a faculty member, I had already benefited from CUAHSI's webinar series, long-form lectures on the latest research in our field, recorded and made freely accessible to the community. Furthermore, during the challenges of the pandemic, the teaching materials generously shared by members of our community via CUAHSI platforms became an invaluable resource for navigating the sudden shift to online instruction. My first Board task was contributing to CUAHSI's strategic plan, a two-day exercise dedicated to thinking deeply about the future of water science and how CUAHSI could help shape it. Since then, I've served as a Board of Directors liaison for the Education and Outreach Committee, worked on revising CUAHSI's governance and bylaws, and served on the Executive Committee. This journey has shown me how expansive CUAHSI's impact is beyond education. Especially as funding environments shift, our Board spends real time thinking about how to keep organizations like CUAHSI sustainable, and how to bring more of the community into that conversation.

Please continue reading Hoori Ajami's article here and keep an eye out for additional reflections through the remainder of the year.


CUAHSI News & Events

Mark Your Calendars for the First-ever CUAHSI Water Science Exchange!

November 12-14, 2026 | University of Missouri

This two-and-a-half day gathering will bring together water science researchers for skill-building workshops, field trips, and poster sessions.

The Exchange will feature workshops and presentations led by CUAHSI staff, water science community members, and partner organizations, including:

  • A poster session open to all attendees, with graduate and undergraduate students especially encouraged to participate.
  • Hands-on skill-building workshops leveraging multi-agency water data from NOAA, USGS, and NASA, plus cloud computing and open data publishing on HydroShare.
  • Advanced and specialized methods in field work, computing, and analysis, for those looking to go deeper.
  • Regional expertise from local researchers and practitioners working on Midwest water challenges, including time at nearby field sites.
  • Instructor-focused sessions and breakout groups on getting more from CUAHSI Virtual University and HydroLearn in your own courses.
  • A welcoming setting to grow your network across career stages, including students, faculty, agency scientists, and practitioners.

A limited number of travel stipends will be available to help defray costs. Details will follow on the event website.

What's next:

  • Stay tuned for updates on registration and poster submissions! Registration is expected to open in September. Visit the CUAHSI website for the most up to date information.
  • Call for workshops: Help upskill the water community and bring your expertise to a broader audience by leading a 2-6 hour workshop! Topics can include foundational, innovative, or specialized methods in water science or the Water in Working Landscapes theme. Contact Community Relations & Training Coordinator, email hidden; JavaScript is required for more information.

More details to follow — for now, save the date, watch for updates on the CUAHSI website, and help us spread the word.

Applications Are Now Open for the CyberWater2 Workshop Event

Apply here by August 28th.

The CyberWater2 workshop is a hands-on model training program led by the University of Pittsburgh, Indiana University Indianapolis, and CUAHSI. Participants will learn how to build, run, and adapt water science workflows in CyberWater through guided demonstrations and practical activities.

The trainings will be held the week of September 21–25, 2026. Participants will attend live virtual sessions on Monday (9/21) and Wednesday (9/23), complete self-paced training exercises throughout the week, and reconvene for a final check-in on Friday (9/25).

There are two training tracks to choose from:

  1. Training + Certificate/Stipend: attend all training events and work to complete extra, asynchronous hands-on training exercises to be eligible to receive a $200 participant stipend.
  2. Training Only: attend the training events only.

The workshop is designed to help participants become productive CyberWater users by emphasizing reproducible workflows, model integration, and scientific problem solving. The specific learning objectives for participants in this workshop are the following:

  • Learn how to navigate CyberWater interface and build workflows
  • Learn how to run a model simulation in CyberWater
  • Learn the components of the generic model agent toolkit and model integration
  • Learn how to use CyberWater to answer new scientific questions

Applications will close on Aug 28, 2026. Visit the website for more details and reach out to email hidden; JavaScript is required with questions.

Call for Nominations: CUAHSI Board of Directors

The CUAHSI Board of Directors Nomination Committee are soliciting nominations from the CUAHSI community for the election of four Directors to serve terms from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2029.

Nominations must be submitted no later than October 2, 2026.

The Board welcomes self-nominations as well as nominations of others from affiliates of our member institutions, members of our hydrologic community from a wide range of perspectives, career stage, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and other identities. Nominees with experience in fundraising, non-profit fiscal management and the non-profit legal realm, as well as those from the wider water science community who have not previously been eligible to run for the Board, including government and non-profit employees are especially welcome.

Visit the website for complete nomination criteria and eligibility. Nominations as well as any questions regarding participation or eligibility may be directed to Hoori Ajami at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

Community Awards Banner

Community Service Award Nominations Deadline Approaching!

Nominations for the CUAHSI community awards will close on August 31st. The Education and Engagement Award and the Community Service Award recognizes individuals who have made meaningful contributions to hydrologic science education or to the CUAHSI community.

Nominations are welcome from across the water science community at any career stage, and self-nominations are accepted for both awards. Nominees for the Community Service Award must be affiliated with at least one CUAHSI member institution.

Nominations are due by August 31, 2026.

Visit the website for more details and nomination instructions.

2026 Navigating Academic Waters Cyberseminar Series

Register here for the series.

This year's Navigating Academic Waters series, developed by the AGU Hydrology Section Student Subcommittee, will help early career hydrologists identify skill sets for non-academic careers, locate and secure project funding, and explore new data science tools for hydrology.

All cyberseminars will take place from 1-2 PM ET:

Visit the website for more details.

New Publication from the CZNet Synthesis Working Group

A new paper was published in Earth's Future, "Dominant Controls on Preferential Flow and Their Implications for Future Soil Water Fluxes," by lead author Bonan Li, Associate Professor, Northeast Normal University. The study uses a deep learning model trained on data from 33 U.S. sites to predict when and how quickly preferential flow occurs, finding that precipitation characteristics and soil clay content are key drivers, with climate projections suggesting this flow will speed up in the future. This research was supported through a synthesis project funded by the CZNet Hub, housed at CUAHSI, which convenes teams of scientists at the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis to address Critical Zone science questions that cross disciplinary and site boundaries.


Announcements

Register Now for the Second OpenET Applications Conference

November 17-18, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah

The OpenET Applications Conference will bring the OpenET user community together to showcase successes across diverse applications, foster collaboration and shared learning, and continue building a strong community of practice.

Early-bird registration is open through August 15th. More information and registration details are available on the event website.

The National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) issued two calls this month:

Industrial Water Reuse Request - Request for Proposals (RFP): NAWI seeks proposals to accelerate the development and demonstration of affordable, innovative, onsite water-reuse systems that can significantly reduce industrial water demand. Interested applicants must submit a concept paper by Sept. 15, 2026 to be eligible to submit a full proposal. View additional information on the RFP.

Regional Water Systems - Request for Information (RFI): NAWI seeks to gain a better understanding of potential regional water system studies that can assess the role of non-traditional and decentralized water sources in affordable, energy-efficient, and reliable water systems. Responses are due Sept. 9, 2026. Read the full RFI.

Take a Photo to Help Build a Global Image Dataset

Support the Worldwide Hydrobiogeochemistry Observation Network for Dynamic River Systems (WHONDRS) by submitting photos to the Global River Image Network, a distributed science effort collecting river shoreline photos from around the world.

Access the protocol here to get involved. Contributions are welcome through December 1, 2026. You do not need to be a domain expert to participate - scientists, students, educators, and anyone with access to a river site can get involved.


Member Spotlight

We are pleased to announce that the University of Calgary has joined as a CUAHSI International Member Institution! Welcome University of Calgary!



Community Engagement

CUAHSI staff attend and present at meetings and conferences across the water science community. Be sure to say hi if you're also attending and look for highlights and recaps in upcoming issues.


CUAHSI staff will attend the Near-Surface Geophysics Joint Workshop on August 25th in Albuquerque, NM. The workshop will bring the near-surface geophysics community together to shape future science support and collaboration. This event is sponsored by the NSF National Geophysical Facility (NSF NGF, operated by EarthScope) and planning is being done jointly by multiple organizations involved in near-surface geophysics (NSF NGF, CTEMPs, CUAHSI, NHERI, OpenTopography, and AGU Near-surface Geophysics Section).

CUAHSI staff attended meetings last month connecting with community members sharing ideas, and giving presentations.


Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute Capstone Event

The Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute (WPI SI) Capstone took place July 22, 2026 at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. A collaboration between CUAHSI, The University of Alabama, Alabama Water Institute, and NOAA's Office of Water Prediction, the WPI SI is a seven-week hands-on program that trains graduate students in tools and methods related to water prediction. Now in its 11th year, the WPI SI draws 100+ applicants annually, with fellows and alumni representing 100+ universities.

The 2026 Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute took place June 8 - July 22, 2026. 24 graduate student fellows from 21 unique U.S. institutions formed research teams under the guidance of seven Theme Leaders, spanning topics from precipitation forecasting to flood risk communication. Research outcomes are summarized in the 2026 WPI SI final report.

CEO Jordan Read and Community Relations and Training Coordinator Julia Masterman attended the Capstone event where fellows presented their research to an audience that included representatives from the NOAA Office of Water Prediction, CIROH, and The University of Alabama, as well as the fellows' advisors and peers.

Congratulations to the 2026 WPI SI student fellows, Theme Leaders, Course Coordinators, and all project team members and mentors on another successful program!

Photo: Brock Parker, UA

Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Meeting

CEO Jordan Read presented a lightning talk on AI uses for CUAHSI operations, Lead of Software Engineering (acting) Martin Seul presented a talk on how small, cloud-dependent domain repositories like HydroShare can benefit from shared storage and compute arrangements with larger NSF facilities, and Lead of Research Tony Castronova presented a poster on community-driven hydrofabric innovation in NOAA's NextGen Framework, at the ESIP Meeting that took place from July 28 - 31 in Austin, TX.


Jobs

CUAHSI facilitates the sharing of resources, information, and expertise across a diverse range of disciplines to collaboratively solve problems from different perspectives. The job board on the CUAHSI website is a shared resource for both job recruiters and job seekers. If you would like to post an opportunity that is relevant to the broader water science community fill out this form. Current open opportunities:

  • The Blue River Watershed Group is seeking a Projects Director to lead the group's project development, implementation of restoration projects, collaborative initiatives, and thoughtful planning.
  • DELTA-HUB at the University of Bucharest is seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher in Global Delta Dynamics from Satellite Observations.
  • View more job posts here!


Calendar Dates