U.S. Geological Survey Director Dr. Ned Mamula toured The University of Alabama’s campus in late April, taking in the concentration of federal and local water research facilities that call it home. Five months into his role leading USGS, the visit marked his first opportunity to see the agency’s Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility in person. The Alabama Water Institute took the opportunity to introduce Mamula to its three research entities and the partnership work already underway with USGS.
“The University of Alabama is hands down one of the leaders in the country in this endeavor,” Mamula said. “This is not classic academic hydrology. This is way beyond that.”
Where Three Giants Share a Campus
UA’s campus is home to a rare concentration of water expertise. AWI, the HIF and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center each occupy space near each other, forming a physical hub of federal and academic water research that Mamula described as exceptional.
His first stop was the HIF, his agency’s own facility, where he toured the instrumentation labs, met with USGS employees and joined them for lunch. From there, he visited NOAA’s NWC before heading to AWI.
At AWI, Dr. Bryan Boudouris, UA vice president for research, hosted Mamula for meetings with leaders from the Global Water Security Center, the CONSERVE Research Group and the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology.
“The presence of both the USGS and the NOAA National Water Center on our campus creates a rare hub of water expertise,” Boudouris said. “Together, we are committed to ensuring the future of water resources through our combined expertise and research.”
The visit deepened a partnership already in motion. The Future Leaders in Observation of Water Academy, or FLOW, is an immersive eight-week summer program that brings undergraduate and graduate students from across the country to the HIF to work alongside CIROH, UA faculty and federal scientists.
UA faculty also collaborate directly with USGS scientists on water research, extending the relationship beyond any single program.
GWSC Director Michael Gremillion presented the center’s capabilities and vision for expanded federal partnership to address global water opportunities.
CONSERVE Director Dr. Michael Fedoroff showcased that entity’s work, including critical mineral research plans alongside Dr. Rebecca Totten, CONSERVE Faculty Fellow and UA associate professor of geological sciences.
Dr. Sagy Cohen, deputy director of CIROH and UA professor of geography, and Dr. Erin White, CIROH associate director of science and research operations, among others, shared how it connects research with operational water prediction.
Critical Water: A National Conversation
One theme emerged consistently across Mamula’s time on campus. He views water as a critical national resource, on par with energy and critical minerals.
“I want people to think in terms of critical water,” Mamula said. “It’s a resource. It’s not something you just turn on your tap and there it is. We have to use it wisely.”
Mamula also expressed genuine surprise at the depth of AWI’s interest in critical minerals and said he was pleased to learn of the institute’s plans to continue growing that work.
He closed the visit with a call for the kinds of public-private-academic partnerships he believes produce the most consequential outcomes.
“I want more consortiums with our federal partners, universities and private sector,” Mamula said. “Some of the greatest things in American history come from public-private partnerships with academics involved.”
AWI shares that commitment. With the next USGS FLOW Academy coming in early June, the institute looks to expand its work with USGS on the nation’s critical water.
The Alabama Water Institute is one of The University of Alabama’s research institutes. AWI acts as a forum for interdisciplinary research and education by bringing together University researchers, students and staff to foster collaboration and a broad interdisciplinary focus on water issues that face our world today. AWI-affiliated researchers specialize in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, water security and quality, remote sensing, biodiversity and watershed management and human health through synergies with AWI research programs, including the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology, the Global Water Security Center and the CONSERVE Research Group.