CEE Professor John S. Schwartz was recently named director of the Tennessee Water Resources Research Center (TNWRRC) located in UT’s Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE), which is one of 54 state water resources research institutes organized as the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR).
“I am confident that Dr. Schwartz, with his passion and experience, will lead the TNWRRC for excellence in research, education, and outreach,” said Ming Jin, Director of ISSE. “He has profound experience in water research and maintains a strong network with all stakeholders in the State of Tennessee.”
As director, his primary role will be to meet the NIWR mission goals to assist university faculty to plan, facilitate, and conduct research; aid in the resolution of state water resource problems; promote technology transfer and dissemination of research results to public and private stakeholders; and provide training for scientists and engineers through research participation. Part of accomplishing this mission will involve making others aware of opportunities to collaborate.
—John Schwartz
One of his first general initiatives will be to engage UT/UTIA faculty through increased involvement with the Watershed Faculty Consortium, formed in 2010 to build collaborative water resource activities across campus for research, education, and outreach that can be communicated, shared, and implemented. The consortium successfully created the Watershed Minor on campus, supports the student organization Hydrolunteers, and organizes the annual Watershed Symposium.
Schwartz will also be involved in building stronger relationships with water resources faculty at other state universities including Tennessee Tech, the University of Memphis, and the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, as well as USGS offices nationally.
“I look forward to making the TWRRC a campus-wide water resources community and see what can happen when faculty work together on challenging problems,” said Schwartz.