Highlights from the upcoming WaTER Conference

The sixth biennial OU International WaTER Conference builds on the theme:

Water Quality, Quantity and Equity: Paths to Security

The Conference will explore global water security from many angles and perspectives. This year's Conference features (by the numbers) -

• Six (6) outstanding keynote speakers - John Cherry, Soroosh Sorooshian, Jenna Davis, Leila Harris, John Butterworth, and Kyle Harper
• Twenty-six (26) breakout sessions
• Sixteen (16) oral presentations on "Hydrology and Water Security"
• Eighteen (18) poster presentations on various aspects of water security, and 
• Ten (10) members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Children's Choir for our Banquet entertainment.

Household WASH systems will be explored in an interactive game on Tuesday of the Conference - Sessions 15 and 18.

The completed, updated session schedule can be found on the Conference web page.

A few special sessions are highlighted here:

Monday - Sessions 4 and 8: Global Water Issues in the U.S. and Abroad: Similar yet Distinct

• Dr. Jason Vogel (Oklahoma Water Survey) leads a session in which presenters compare water challenges in a developing country with a similar challenge in the U.S. 
• Environmental flows - India and Oklahoma
• Surface water quality improvement - Kenya and Oklahoma
• Working with youth - Bolivia and Oklahoma

Tuesday - Sessions 15 and 18: Follow the Systems Road: A Game, Discussion and Presentations on WASH Systems

• Hosted by the Hilton Foundation, Stanford University, IRC-WASH, and Milennium Water Alliance
• Includes both a fun and interactive game (featuring music from the Wizard of Oz) to engage with the complexity of WASH. Presentations and discussions will focus on WASH systems components, practical on-the-ground examples of systems work and the role of partnerships in systems work. 

Tuesday - Session 26: Peace Corps Session with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs)

• Volunteers reflect on their experiences abroad while answering questions about the mission and excitement of Peace Corps service

Education with youth in schools in Bolivia will be highlighted in Session 8.

In-stream flows - measurement and monitoring - will be discussed in Session 4.

Online registration closes on September 11. 

Participants may register onsite at the NCED Conference Center and Hotel.