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CUAHSI e-Newsletter October 2026

Posted Oct 8, 2026

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CUAHSI CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

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 JP Gannon, CUAHSI Board of Directors, Chair.

JP Gannon

Associate Professor, Virginia Tech

CUAHSI has been a part of my academic journey since I was a PhD student. My first interaction with CUAHSI was probably attending a mixer at AGU around 2011. Throughout my career my interactions with CUAHSI have evolved. It went from a way to find other water scientists, to a funding source, to a place to preserve data (HydroShare!), to a way to expand my work on hydrology education, and now as an organization I’m happy to serve in any way I can. As chair of the Board of Directors, I have an even fuller appreciation for CUAHSI and the hard work of its employees, CEO, and Board, and I’m hopeful that it continues long into the future so others can continue to benefit.

I learned through serving on the board that the existence of CUAHSI is not a given. A LOT of community support and hard work keeps CUAHSI running. So, if I can use my spot in the newsletter to advocate: even though CUAHSI is crushing it right now, we can’t lose sight of the need for support. When decisions are being made by funders, we want it to be obvious that CUAHSI is critical. There are many ways you can support CUAHSI! Join or renew your institution’s membership, forward the newsletter or announcements to colleagues, send an email to new students or faculty introducing them to CUAHSI, nominate yourself for the Board or an advisory committee, or a colleague for an award, participate in one of CUAHSI’s programs, or host some data on HydroShare!

Cheers to CUAHSI’s 25th anniversary. I look forward to showing my support well after my time on the board comes to a close!

Read the full reflection on our website.

CUAHSI NEWS & EVENTS

Early Bird Registration for the CUAHSI Water Science Exchange Extended to October 15

November 12-14, 2026 | University of Missouri


Register by October 15 to receive the discounted registration rate.

What you’ll find at the Exchange:
For details, visit the event page.

  • Skill-Building Workshops: Hands-on sessions leveraging multi-agency water data from NOAA, USGS, and NASA, plus cloud computing and open data publishing on HydroShare.
  • Special Topics Forum: AI in the Water Sciences. Bring your opinions and needs. Jordan Read (CUAHSI CEO) presents on AI in modeling and collaboration, then hosts interactive discussions.
  • Poster Session: Present your research to up to 100 attendees spanning career stages. Students are especially encouraged to present. Submit a poster proposalby October 21.
  • Networking and Collaboration: Opportunities to create new connections across career stages, including students, faculty, agency scientists, and practitioners.

Field Trips:
See the event website for full descriptions.

  • Central Mississippi River Basin Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Site Tour
    Managed by: U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit

    Gain a comprehensive view of the tools and landscape used to study hydrology, agriculture, and environmental processes in a region defined by claypan soils that create high runoff potential and influence agriculture, erosion, and chemical transport.

  • Missouri Ozarks AmeriFlux (MOFLUX) Site Tour
    Managed by: University of Missouri and Oak Ridge National Laboratory

    Gain insight on how the science at MOFLUX enhances scientific understanding and prediction of plant function and responses to environmental conditions, how extreme events and droughts impact forests, and forest changes over time and responses to changing climatic conditions.

Travel Support and Lodging:

  • A limited number of travel stipends are available to help defray the cost of attending, on a first-come, first-served basis. Preference will be given to students and postdocs who are presenting a poster. When registering, please indicate if you require a travel stipend to attend, and CUAHSI staff will follow up.
  • Hotel Room Block Deadline October 15: Discounted hotel rates are available for event attendees at hotels near the University of Missouri. See the event websitefor hotel details and booking deadlines.

Registration closes October 29. Capacity is limited, please register early to secure your spot.

Register for the Water Science Exchange


CUAHSI Skills Certificate Pilot

Reproducible Workflows with Open Water Data: NASA, NOAA, USGS River Data Access

Date: November 3 to December 4, 2026

Location: Virtual and live sessions

Registration deadline: October 23, 2026

Water science researchers rely on datasets from federal agencies, but few have been trained in how to access this data using recommended and sustainable patterns. This Python-based course builds data literacy skills for programmatically accessing datasets from NASA, NOAA, and USGS, and understanding the strengths of each in water research applications. This pilot course has been developed with the recommendations of the data providers themselves.

This pilot training course will cover the following data sets:

This course is designed for graduate students, postdocs, early-career researchers, and professionals who use federal water data in their research and have basic experience using Python.

The course will consist of live virtual training sessions coupled with asynchronous assignments, totaling 20 hours of participation. Participants who complete the course and successfully demonstrate their understanding will receive a certificate of completion.

Learn More and Register for the Pilot Training Course


CUAHSI Virtual Open House

October 29, 2026 | 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET

Join us for our next Virtual Open House featuring brief updates on recent work and upcoming opportunities, plus group discussions on AI in the water sciences and CUAHSI’s education resources for instructors.

When: Thursday, October 29 | 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET

Where: Virtual. Register to attend.

Agenda (all times ET):

  • 12:00 pm: Welcome and event overview, CEO Jordan Read
  • 12:15 pm: Working with HydroShare data using the Python Client
  • 12:30 pm: Hydrologic Knowledge Process Hub
  • 12:45 pm: Upcoming Events and Opportunities
  • 1:00 pm: Breakout discussions (join the one that interests you):
    • AI in the Water Sciences
    • For Instructors: Teaching with CUAHSI's Open Learning Resources

Learn More and Register for the Virtual Open House


Water Data Forum: Durable Skills for the Water Workforce in the Age of AI

November 4, 2026 | 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET

In this free webinar, researchers, managers, and workforce development experts will examine which analytical and modeling skills remain durable, and why demand is growing for people who can check what AI produces, direct the work of AI alongside the work of people, and explain results to those who act on them. Panelists will also discuss what this means for hiring, for people already in water jobs, and for the pipeline of water sector talent.

Jordan Read, Chief Executive Officer at CUAHSI will be moderating the panel discussion.

Speakers include:

  • Dr. Alison Appling, Ecologist at U.S. Geological Survey

  • John Ikeda, Chief Mission Officer at Water Environment Federation

  • Ed Verhamme, Principal & Senior Engineer at Limnotech

The Water Data Forum is a free, interactive web series convened by Cleveland Water Alliance, the Water Environment Federation, and CUAHSI to demystify topics of water data for a broad professional audience. Topics range from specific technologies to broader application spaces, exploring the full breadth of the world of water data.

Register for the Water Data Forum


2026 Navigating (beyond) Academic Waters Cyberseminar Series

This year's Navigating Academic Waters series, developed by the AGU Hydrology Section Student Subcommittee, will help early career water scientists build the skills to advance their careers, with sessions on storytelling, the federal job market, and building networks across academia, industry, and beyond.

Join us today, October 8 at 1:00 pm ET for the second presentation in the series:

Navigating Today’s Federal Job Market

Speakers include:

  • Emily Smail, NOAA
  • Emil Cherrington, University of Notre Dame
  • Lauren N Schaefer, USGS
  • Shih-Chieh Kao, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Next in the series:


Watch the September presentation recording, The Scientist Behind the Science: The Power of Storytelling in Academic and Professional Spaces.

Visit the website for more details.

Register for the Cyberseminar


Opening Soon: Call for Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute Theme Leaders

Applications will open soon for research Theme Leaders for the 2027 Water Prediction Innovators (WPI) Summer Institute, a seven-week training program for graduate students on operational water prediction co-hosted by CUAHSI and The University of Alabama. The program will take place June through July 2027 at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Theme Leaders bring the big-picture research themes that guide how student teams form their projects and research questions. Researchers affiliated with U.S. institutions who have experience leading collaborative projects and mentoring students are eligible to apply.

Learn more on the WPI Summer Institute webpage.

Questions: Contact Julia Masterman,email hidden; JavaScript is required

Sign Up to be Notified When Applications Open


Join CUAHSI at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting December 7-11 in San Francisco, CA. CUAHSI will be exhibiting at booth #632. Talk with our staff about CUAHSI programs and tell us how we can better support your work.

Save the date for these CUAHSI events at AGU:

CUAHSI Town Hall, CUAHSI Turns 25: Shaping the Future of Water Science Infrastructure and Education.

Date: December 9, 2026

Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm PT

Location: MC, Room 2007 - West

CUAHSI Community Gathering

Join us for appetizers, games, and networking. Stay tuned for RSVP sign ups.

Date: December 9, 2026

Time: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm PT

Location: Underdogs Cantina, 128 King Street, San Francisco, CA

Visit our website for updates on our AGU activities.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Punwath Prum, a Graduate Student Researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, has launched the SWOT River Discharge Explorer, a web application for exploring, visualizing, and downloading river discharge time series for North American rivers. Built on satellite-derived data from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, the Hydrocron service from NASA's Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC), and the SWOT River Database (SWORD) river network, the tool supports researchers and water resource professionals in identifying hydrologic trends and understanding how rivers respond to environmental change. Learn more about the SWOT River Discharge Explorer.


Member Spotlight

CUAHSI member American Institute of Hydrology (AIH) is offering the AIH Fundamental Exam to qualified students and early-career professionals with no upfront exam or application fees from September to December, 2026. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, begin building your professional credentials, and take an important step toward becoming an AIH Hydrologist-in-Training (HIT).

There is no upfront cost to take the exam. If you pass the Part I (Fundamentals) exam and choose to accept your AIH HIT certification, the exam fee will be discounted 50%. If you do not pass, you pay no exam fee. Learn more about the exam on the AIH website.


COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Five CUAHSI staff attended the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) Science Meeting in Tuscaloosa, Alabama from September 14–17, 2026 and presented on the following topics:

  • Jordan Read, 1) Untapped and Undercounted: The Case for Coordinated CIROH Data Amplification, and 2) Hydrologic Process Synthesis to Inform NextGen Strategy
  • Tony Castronova, Advancing NOAA's NextGen HydroFabric Through CIROH Collaboration
  • Irene Garousi-Nejad, HydroShare in Practice: Accelerating FAIR-aligned CIROH Research Workflows
  • Courtney Di Vittorio, Presenting New HydroLearn Modules and Planning for the Next Phase of CIROH


The CUAHSI job board is open to recruiters and job seekers. To post an opportunity relevant to the water science community, fill out the job posting form. Current openings:

  • The Center For Western Weather And Water Extremes (Cw3e) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego seeks a Research and Operations Hydrologist. Apply by: October 12, 2026.
  • The Department of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine seeks a postdoctoral scholar to investigate the global spatial organization of precipitation, soil moisture, and vegetation using satellite observations and models. Apply by: December 31, 2026.
  • View more job posts here!


CALENDAR DATES