WATERS Network: Increasing Vertical Collaboration within Hydrology Research and Education Communities

The WATer and Environmental Research Systems (WATERS) Network is envisioned to be a networked infrastructure of environmental field facilities that will establish a national environmental observatory and engineering analysis network to facilitate a more collaborative approach to addressing the challenges of large-scale human-stressed environmental systems. WATERS will transform our scientific understanding of how water quantity, quality and related components of the hydrologic cycle are impacted by natural and human influences by providing easily accessible real time environmental data and analysis tools to engineers, scientists, educators and policymakers. These tools include knowledge networks, a collaborative environmental modeling environment, maintenance of a real time data collection network, and a cybercollaboratory. WATERS will greatly enhance opportunities for the integration of research and education at all levels by facilitating collaboration between all the following groups: K-12 students and educators, university students and faculty and community, government, and industry stakeholders. The goal of facilitating collaboration is to strive for an evolution of educational reform objectives covering delivery of instruction, learning outcomes, and teacher/instructor training and professional development. WATERS will facilitate this advancement by providing: 1) A mechanism for communication and collaboration between educators, researchers and students via new and existing communication tools such as chat boards, blogs, etc; 2) A visually oriented data retrieval system/search engine for users to locate and collect relevant documents, images, and other forms of knowledge that exist in the public domain; 3) Access to real time data and analytical tools for discovery purposes by students from K-12 through graduate audiences; 4) A repository of lesson plans, learning activities, and learning materials that allows resource sharing; and 5) Professional development for educators on how to incorporate current scientific data, cybercollaboratory tools and analytical techniques into classrooms. Via this education evolution, WATERS can help attract and train the next generation of environmental scientists and engineers.