Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education Tiao J
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Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education http://www.orbcre.org Tiao J. Chang, PhD, Executive Director 147 Stocker Center, Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 Tel: 740-593-1462; Email: [email protected] The Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education (ORBCRE) has actively participated in the discussion of the Ohio River Basin Alliance (ORBA, previously Summit and Initiative). Indeed, we have published and provided the white paper for the Columbus meeting (http://www.ohio.edu/orbcre/news/WhitePaperforORBA.pdf; February 23-25, 2010). In further response to ORBA’s drive, we held a retreat at Ohio University (June 18-19, 2010) to discuss what ORBCRE can do to be an integral part of the ORBA for enhancing the general mission and achieving the common goal. The two-day retreat, participated by the executive committee members (http://www.ohio.edu/orbcre/gov/index-2009.html), has made a good progress that is summarized in the following. Inputs provided by guest participants, Ms. Amy Sharp of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mr. Alan Vicory of ORSANCO, Mr. Tim Lohner of AEP, Mr. Joel Allen of USEPA, and Ms. Jeanne Wilson of Senator’s Brown’s Office are gratefully acknowledged. Summary. The following is a brief list of our attributes, strengths and accomplishments that will assist the ORBA’s drive in meeting its goals. • We facilitate a peer to peer interaction in the academic realm. • We have convening authority regarding research and education efforts in the basin. • Applied research expertise with knowledge of emerging environmental and water resources engineering problems focused on the Ohio River Basin. • Best network among universities, colleges, governmental agencies, and industries in the Ohio River Basin. • Have scheduled a plenary session for an update by ORBA’s participants in our 2010 Scientific Symposium to be held at Northern Kentucky University (October 17-19, 2010). • ORBCRE members have access to a wide-variety of expertise. • Specific examples of what we have done- River Run (a.k.a. Boatload of Knowledge) gathering ten years of Ohio River data through the collaborations of several institution members in the valley; oversight of Ashland Oil Spill near Pittsburgh; collaborations by ORBCRE’s university members that have resulted in funding for Ohio River Basin programs (http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~chang/water200/WhatsNew/RecruitingPage.pdf). • Twenty-five years of history of success leading collaborations in the Ohio River Basin. • Provides a vision of research and education, and context of what has happened (flood, drought, oil spills, sludge spills, zebra mussel invasions). • Source of future experts and problem-solvers. • We enhance the training of students by getting them involved with agencies that may be future employers. Future employers provide applied collaborative research and training opportunities for students (e.g. summer opportunities to do coops and internships with agencies, companies, or other educational institutions). • Breadth of interdisciplinary water resource training through our institutional, corporate, and cooperating members. • Newsletter and other outlet advertise opportunities and emerging issues. • Willing to convene a conference, with the support of other ORBA’s members, for Ohio River Basin’s outstanding researchers to address contemporary water management and resource problems. • ORBCRE will continue, through awards (River Keeper, Student Travel), to recognize leaders and organizations with proven outstanding outreach or problem-solving ability in the region. • We can identify meritorious collaborative projects. • Research centers, institutes and stations of our member organizations have actively conducted research and educational projects from the mainstem to tributaries and watersheds and are ready for other future challenging tasks in the basin. • Many of the original 75 agencies or organizations that participated in the dialogue regarding the ORBA are currently or have been a member of ORBCRE. Conclusions. ORBCRE has decided to not presently advocate for any particular governance structure or designation of a specific lead agency/organization for the Ohio River Basin Alliance. OBRCRE is however fully supporting ORSANCO’s effort to expand its role to include water quantity related resource management within the entire Ohio River Basin. We realize that there are currently two significant efforts relevant to basin-wide research and education. The afore mentioned plan by ORSANCO to expand its mission to include basin-wide water resource oversight and the second is the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers plan to create a functioning Ohio River Basin Alliance. Neither of these efforts conflict directly with the mission of ORBCRE, both overlap with our mission. Recommendations. To further the dialogue and make constructive changes to the proposed framework of the ORBA, we recommend that present flowchart of the structure of the organization be amended as it is too linear and top-driven to be viable. ORBCRE’s placement in the structure is an example - rather than being placed in a “box” under Public Outreach, research and education (as epitomized by ORBCRE) should be integrated within all the key functions. We are requesting that ORBCRE be represented in each of the four working groups within the ORBA. Jeanne Van Briesen, Ph. D., Carnegie Mellon University, has volunteered to serve on the Sustainable Growth and Competitiveness Group. Offering their services on the other three working groups are: Jim Morris, USGS - Enterprise and Infrastructure Group; Mike Miller, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati, and Chuck Somerville, Ph.D., Marshall University - Restoration and Protection Group; Chuck Duritsa, Chair elect of ORBCRE and Chair elect ORSANCO – Water Availability and Management Group. ORBCRE is looking forward to the Charleston meeting to be held in Charleston, West Virginia in August, 2010. We intend to continue our enthusiastic support and constructive input to the establishment of a fully functioning Ohio River Basin Alliance. .