August 10, 2023
Hutchinson leads ERVA task force, releases report on water security
Stacy Hutchinson, associate dean for research and graduate programs and professor of biological and agricultural engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, is the chair of a thematic task force of the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance, or ERVA, that recently released a new report on engineering research priorities to address the complex issue of water security.
The report, titled "Engineered Systems for Water Security," identifies critical research priorities related to engineering and water security:
- Develop, test and implement a water management framework that considers the nexus between engineered, natural and human systems.
- Build/create new, resilient, scalable and adaptable infrastructure with the flexibility to opportunistically integrate legacy systems.
- Improve data gathering and analysis and leverage predictive modeling and data-informed operations.
"Water is the essence of life, but our infrastructure around it is often disjointed and in disrepair," Hutchinson said. "The severe stress we're seeing on water resources by warmer temperatures and overuse call for an 'all-in' effort by society to develop solutions to ensure future water security. Engineers, as designers and builders of the future, must take the lead and catalyze new research to enable water security."
As part of this effort, Hutchinson will moderate an expert panel during a public webinar to discuss the findings of the report at 11 a.m. CDT on Aug. 15.