Elia M. Tapia's Conference Summary

Elia M. Tapia's Conference Summary

 

      Elia Tapia
      Ph.D. Student
      Arid Lands Resource Sciences GIDP

      Conference Summary
      IWRA XVI World Water Congress
      Cancun, Mexico

 

 

Thanks to the Herbert E. Carter Travel Award I was able to attend to the XVI World Water Congress organized by the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) the National Water Commission of Mexico (CONAGUA) and the National Association of Water and Sanitation Utilities (ANEAS).

The conference was held in Cancun, Mexico during from May 29 to June 3, 2017 and during the sessions I was able to listen to policymakers, technical specialists, engineers, social and natural scientists express their thoughts towards bridging science and policy to address different water issues over the world.

My poster entitled The Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program and the Binational Study of the San Pedro Aquifer is an example of how successful international agreements can lead to the development of a binational scientific report where two nations worked together for a common benefit and fitted perfectly with the main theme of the conference.

 

Two special sessions on the Shared Borders of North America were of particular importance for my academic development, especially the ones that discussed and analyzed the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program, a joint effort between Mexico and the United States to evaluate shared aquifers and the program that I have been working on since I started my Ph.D. studies.

I must also say that this experience had a deep impact in my career since I was able to meet the Principal Engineers of the International Boundary and Water Commission, the international agency that is behind the transboundary aquifer study that I was presenting at the conference.

Thanks to this opportunity I was able to see the face of many authors I have studied as part of my Ph.D. studies and to listen to their valuable contributions, something that couldn’t have been possible without the support of the Herbert E. Carter Award and the Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs.