ASU Flow: Bridging the gap between water research and practice in Arizona

Each October 1, hydrologists mark the beginning of the water year. This way of describing the annual rhythm of the hydrologic cycle is useful to water managers throughout the United States. As the water year begins, snow starts to accumulate over the winter, followed by spring snowmelt and the associated runoff that is used as water supply through the summer until the next September 30.

To celebrate the new water year, the Arizona Hydrological Society, Phoenix Chapter and the Center for Hydrologic Innovations, a pillar of the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative, hosted the third annual ASU Flow, an event that brings together the water research and practitioner communities in Arizona. Each year, ASU Flow has grown in impact and reputation, becoming a sought-after opportunity in the water community.

ASU Flow 2025

This year’s ASU Flow was held as part of the annual symposium of the Arizona Hydrological Society at the We-Ko-Pa resort in Fort McDowell. More than 45 posters were presented on research spanning a variety of projects ranging from water management in the Colorado River to national-scale groundwater quality modeling. 

Participants included undergraduates, graduate students and research scientists from three Arizona universities – Northern Arizona University, Grand Canyon University and Arizona State University.

The poster presentation session at the ASU Flow Event serves as a dynamic platform for students to showcase their innovative research to a diverse audience of water practitioners, academics, and fellow students. 

As part of this annual event, which fosters meaningful interaction and knowledge exchange within the water sector, the poster session allows students to distill their complex investigations into clear, engaging visuals. By highlighting key findings, methodologies and implications, these presentations not only demonstrate the depth of student research but also invite dialogue, feedback and collaboration. 

This session is a vital opportunity for emerging professionals to communicate their ideas effectively, gain exposure and contribute to the broader conversation on water-related challenges and solutions.

During the vibrant poster session, participants were judged for their poster presentations and received feedback from water professionals, faculty and other audience members. Posters remained on display throughout the symposium to provide participants with more time to engage with the research outcomes.

At the end of the event, four prizes were awarded to participants. Jonna Urban, a Master of Science student in the ASU School of Earth and Space Exploration, won the first prize for her work on closing the water balance of small forested watersheds in northern Arizona. 

The second place award went to Qinyuan Dai, a doctoral student in the ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, for her work in modeling groundwater quality in Arizona using transfer learning. 

Finally, two third prize winners were selected, both Master of Science students in the ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. Nour Kandalaft for her poster on how climate projections affect the streamflow conditions in the Colorado River and Laura Gallegos for her work on modeling the hydrologic impacts of vegetation regrowth in ponderosa pine forests. 

These four winners represented the breadth and depth of research activities occurring in Arizona’s universities. 

As we reflect on another successful ASU Flow event, a few key lessons come to mind:

• Bridging the gap between research and practice is possible: Many early career researchers are working on topics that have immediate, practical impact and many water professionals see the value in the research activities that are presented.
   
• Building the next generation workforce is a shared responsibility: Interactions between academics and practitioners in industry, non-profit and government sectors help us identify how best to sustain our professional sectors. 
   
• Grassroot partnership is a winning strategy to bring sectors together: When individuals come together through shared visions and values, it is possible to incentivize a large group to come together for a common purpose.

Bridging research and practice

A few of the most impactful goals of the Arizona Hydrological Society are to support student success and promote a robust and talented workforce to help solve water challenges present to our state. As an effort promoting workforce development, ASU Flow helps to bridge the gap between water research and practice. 

In the future, undergraduate and graduate students will form the ranks of a profession that provides employment opportunities in the private sector, in government agencies at different levels and in non-profit organizations. Interactions between students and professionals highlight both the advances occurring in university labs as well as the developments in the practitioner sector that are driving the profession forward. This exchange across multiple generations can help retain vitality in the water resources profession for years to come.

Many questions remain for water resource professionals, including how do we continue to support economic development considering constrained water supplies? What are the best technologies and approaches for sustainable water use? How can we continue to thrive in our desert environment?

Just as the water year has an annual cycle, ASU Flow will return in fall 2026, once again uniting water professionals and student researchers from across universities to share insights and assess progress on our common questions and challenges. 

A special note: ASU Flow would not be possible without the grassroots collaboration of Mike Hulst, President of the Phoenix Chapter of the Arizona Hydrological Society. His passion to engage with students and support them is contagious. As a student-at-heart, Mike is a role model for how water practitioners can impact current and future generations.