Source: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE submitted to
WATER SUSTAINABILITY IN DESERT AGRICULTURE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0222272
Grant No.
2010-51160-21070
Project No.
CALE-2010-01739
Proposal No.
2010-01739
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
AA-N
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2010
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2015
Grant Year
2010
Project Director
Walker, S. L.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
(N/A)
RIVERSIDE,CA 92521
Performing Department
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Non Technical Summary
Through the USDA International Science and Education Program we will establish an international, interdisciplinary research and educational collaboration leading to innovative approaches for management of water for agricultural uses, essential both in Israel and the US. The effort will link faculty and graduate students at the University of California, Riverside (UCR)and Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) through the following mechanisms: 1) hands-on experience and exposure for students and faculty to Israel's water management and agricultural research and practices through short visits (faculty) and extended stays (students); 2) sharing curricular materials for undergraduate and graduate course development to enhance the international content of existing courses at both UCR and BGU; and 3) dissemination of information to assist US scholars in becoming acquainted scientifically and culturally with Israeli water management and research, particularly as it affects sustainable agriculture in desert regions. It is our intention that this project will not only result in a more informed scientific and engineering community at UCR, BGU, and beyond, but also lead to international relationship building and ongoing collaboration extending far beyond the grant period. The US lags behind much of the developed world in water efficiency; Israel is at the top. Issues of effective water management and quality are universal, particularly in desert regions, and we have an enormous amount to learn from our Israeli colleagues.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90360993020100%
Goals / Objectives
Through the USDA International Science and Education Program we seek to establish an international, interdisciplinary research and educational collaboration leading to innovative approaches for management of water for agricultural uses, essential both in Israel and the US. The effort will link faculty and graduate students at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in the Departments of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and Environmental Sciences (ENSC) and BGU in the Departments of Desalination, Hydrology and Microbiology, and Drylands Agriculture through student internships, faculty workshops, collaborative research, and instructional and curricular exchanges. Ben Gurion University (BGU) has a number of research institutes specializing in desert issues as part of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research in Sede Boqer, Israel. One of these institutes, the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR), has a particular mission to carry out interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research and graduate education in water sciences, aimed at improving human well-being in drylands through technologies and policies for sustainable use of water resources. The ZIWR has a dynamic, multi-disciplinary faculty and graduate student population addressing desert water issues through desalination, hydrology, and environmental microbiology. The specific objectives of the program are: 1. Providing hands-on experience and exposure for students and faculty to Israel's water management and agricultural research and practices through short visits (faculty) and extended stays (students); 2. Sharing curricular materials for graduate course development to enhance the international content of existing courses at both UCR and BGU; and 3. Disseminating information on effective practices to UC Extension personnel and interested stakeholders in the US. It is our intention that this project will not only result in a more informed scientific and engineering community at UCR and beyond, but also lead to international relationship building and ongoing collaboration extending past the grant period. Countries such as the US have a lot to learn from these proactive engineering and management approaches. Issues of effective water management and quality are universal, particularly in desert regions, and we have an enormous amount to learn from our Israeli colleagues.
Project Methods
This project will establish collaborative research and educational opportunities for students and faculty of UCR and BGU. Faculty from both institutions will make short-term visits (on the order of 1-2 weeks, during which they will deliver lectures and seminars and visit labs and field sites), and graduate students will participate in extended stays (on the order of 3-6 months). Both institutions will share curricular materials for both undergraduate and graduate courses in engineering and science. Finally, lessons learned by the faculty and students participating in the program will disseminated to the academic community, UC Extension personnel, and interested stakeholders in the US through a variety of means including the annual USDA Water Meeting. Project participants will be faculty members and graduate students who are affiliated with UCR and BGU cooperating departments. During these visits, each faculty member will give seminars to the academic departments (and Cooperative Extension at UCR) and offer a short workshop for graduate students based upon his/her particular expertise. Graduate students (MS and PhD) will be selected to visit the other institution for internships, during which time they will be mentored by faculty at the host institution on a collaborative project between UCR and BGU faculty. Each winter nominations for faculty and graduate students will be accepted for travel to BGU or UCR. Each nomination must establish how the time spent at the other institution will advance the faculty member's work and student's research along themes relevant to the USDA project. Two students and faculty from each institution to participate in the exchange during that particular year of the USDA project Participating faculty and students will be required to orally present their work during their visit to the sister institution. This will ensure that the host institution learns more about the range of studies, experimental, and theoretical approaches being used in the other country. During their stay, the faculty members and students will also be invited to relevant field sites (i.e., UC Extension sites) or participate in any field trips occurring during their stay to introduce them to relevant infrastructure and practices in the field related to water-reuse (i.e. desalination plants, farms, treatment facilities, etc.). During the internships, the students will also have the opportunity to register for coursework relevant to the theme of water quality, reuse, and desert agriculture. The courses will also require final approval by the student's faculty advisor at their home institution. The home institution will grant course credit as appropriate. Finally, the PDs will organize a specially-themed session on "Best water management and re-use practices for desert agriculture: Lessons from Israel and the American Southwest" to be held at the annual USDA Land and Sea Grant National Water conference. The proposed session will be a balance of both applied and fundamental work that has been conducted under this particular grant effort.

Progress 09/01/10 to 08/31/15

Outputs
Target Audience:During this period our target audience was 1. the research community and 2. the undergraduate students in the classroom. The research work that has been conducted through this grant's support has been written up and a number of manuscripts are published and others still in preparation. The target audience for these manuscripts is the environmental and agricultural communities and they are being reached through publications in peer reviewed journals. The undergraduate students have also been a target audience as they have been benefiting from course materials exchanged through the grant andworked into a course on "Water Quality" engineering at UCR taught by the PD (Walker). Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate students have had the opportunity for extended stays in a different country and exposure to different laboratories and working styles. Additionally undergraduates have had additional information/content with a global focus worked into their course materials. Overall, the grant has led to students - both undergraduate and graduate - to have a broader, global view of environmental and agricultural research and disciplines. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Five papers have been published to date based on the exchange. Multiple others are in preparation and advanced stages of review. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Over the course of this grant four six Israeli students and four Israeli faculty visited UCR. Additionally, three UCR students and three UCR facutly visited BGU. Since this grant commenced, Walker (the PD) has published with seven different BGU faculty and has two additional manuscripts in preparation with an eighth faculty member. Another UCR faculty member who visited BGU is actively collaborating with (and has papers in preparation) with three other BGU faculty. The exchange of faculty and students has created great momentum between the two institutions.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Gutman, J.; Walker, S.L.; Fregar, V.; Herzberg, M. 2013 Bacterial attachment and fluidity: Physicochemical and motility effects analyzed with QCM-D Environmental Science and Technology 47(1):398-404 DOI: 10.1021/es303394w
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Weisbrod, N.; Meron, H.; Walker, S.; Gitis, V., 2013 Virus Transport in a Discrete Fracture Water Research 47(5): 18881898
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Gutman, J.; Kawahara, K.; L. Walker, S.L.; Freger, V.; Herzberg, M. 2014 "Interactions between glycosphingolipids and lipopolysaccharides: Adsorption and viscoelastic properties. Biomacromolecules 15(6): 2128-37, DOI:10.1021/bm500245z
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Gutman, J.; Walker, S.L.; Herzberg, M 2014 Biofouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes: Positively Contributing Factors of Sphingomonas Environmental Science and Technology 48(23):13941-50, DOI: 10.1021/es503680s


Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: OUTPUTS: Through the USDA International Science and Education Program we are establishing an international, interdisciplinary research and educational collaboration working towards to innovative approaches for management of water for agricultural uses, essential both in Israel and the US. The effort links faculty and graduate students at UCR and BGU through the following mechanisms: 1) hands-on experience and exposure for students and faculty to Israel's water management and agricultural research and practices through short visits (faculty) and extended stays (students); 2) sharing curricular materials for undergraduate and graduate course development to enhance the international content of existing courses at both UCR and BGU; and 3) dissemination of information to assist US scholars in becoming acquainted scientifically and culturally with Israeli water management and research, particularly as it affects sustainable agriculture in desert regions. This year three Israelis have visited UCR, two PhD student (~3 months) and a faculty member (~1 week). All visitors presented seminars during their visits and met with UCR faculty and research staff, as well as regional USDA ARS researchers. The US scholar visits to Israel were postponed to the 2012-2013 year. However, ongoing interactions with Israeli faculty assisted with curricular material development for a soil physics course to be taught through the UCR Extension. PARTICIPANTS: Both PDs, Sharon Walker (UCR) and Moshe Herzberg (BGU), have been actively engaged in the project during the entire reporting period. They have recruited the faculty member and student for the exchange. They have also supervised the activities of the visiting scholars. The Israeli faculty member who visited was Professor Amit Gross. The Israeli PhD students were Jenia Gutman and Meirav Cohen. Additional American students are being recruited for the 2012-2013 year. One additional Israeli student is already scheduled for a fall 2012 visit to the UCR. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience of this project's outcomes is the environmental and agricultural science communities at UCR and BGU. Faculty and students on both campuses have the opportunity to interact with the visiting scholars and have done so. Students in classes will benefit from the curricular materials shared. Additionally, the graduate student and faculty that have visited the other campus now have an expanded perspective on research and issues in the area of water research and management in arid regions. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PARTICIPANTS: PDs: Sharon Walker (UCR) and Moshe Herzberg (BGU) Visiting BGU faculty: Noam Weisbrod Visiting BGU students: Jenia Gutman and Meirav Cohen TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
It is our intention that this project will not only result in a more informed scientific and engineering community at UCR, BGU, and beyond, but also lead to international relationship building and ongoing collaboration extending far beyond the grant period. The US lags behind much of the developed world in water efficiency; Israel is at the top. Issues of effective water management and quality are universal, particularly in desert regions, and we have an enormous amount to learn from our Israeli colleagues. Based upon the faculty and student exchanges to date, one new course curriculum has been completed, one paper manuscript is published, two paper manuscripts are in review, and one grant proposal is in development to continue the collaboration initiated with the visit.

Publications

  • Marcus, I.M.; Herzberg, M., Walker, S.L., Freger, V., 2012 Pseudomonas aeruginosa Attachment on QCM-D Sensors: The Role of Cell and Surface Hydrophobicities, Langmuir 28 (15):6396-6402


Progress 09/01/10 to 09/01/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Through the USDA International Science and Education Program we are establishing an international, interdisciplinary research and educational collaboration working towards to innovative approaches for management of water for agricultural uses, essential both in Israel and the US. The effort links faculty and graduate students at UCR and BGU through the following mechanisms: 1) hands-on experience and exposure for students and faculty to Israel's water management and agricultural research and practices through short visits (faculty) and extended stays (students); 2) sharing curricular materials for undergraduate and graduate course development to enhance the international content of existing courses at both UCR and BGU; and 3) dissemination of information to assist US scholars in becoming acquainted scientifically and culturally with Israeli water management and research, particularly as it affects sustainable agriculture in desert regions. To date two Israelis have visited UCR, one PhD student (3 months) and a faculty member (~1 week). Both presented seminars during their visits and met with UCR faculty and research staff, as well as regional USDA ARS researchers. One US scholar visited Israel (1 week) and also met with BGU scholars. During that visit, soil physics curricular materials were shared by Israeli faculty and will be the basis for a course to be taught through the UCR Extension in Spring 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Both PDs, Sharon Walker (UCR) and Moshe Herzberg (BGU), have been actively engaged in the project during the entire reporting period. They have recruited the faculty member and student for the exchange. They have also supervised the activities of the visiting scholars. The Israeli faculty member who visited was Professor Noam Weisbroad. The Israeli PhD student was Roy Posmanik. A UCR faculty member, David Crohn, co-hosted the visiting Israeli student with Walker during the summer of 2010. Additional students (both American and Israeli are currently being recruited for a 2011 exchange). TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience of this project's outcomes is the environmental and agricultural science communities at UCR and BGU. Faculty and students on both campuses have the opportunity to interact with the visiting scholars and have done so. Students in classes will benefit from the curricular materials shared. Additionally, the graduate student and faculty that have visited the other campus now have an expanded perspective on research and issues in the area of water research and management in arid regions. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
It is our intention that this project will not only result in a more informed scientific and engineering community at UCR, BGU, and beyond, but also lead to international relationship building and ongoing collaboration extending far beyond the grant period. The US lags behind much of the developed world in water efficiency; Israel is at the top. Issues of effective water management and quality are universal, particularly in desert regions, and we have an enormous amount to learn from our Israeli colleagues. Based upon the faculty and student exchanges to date, one new course curriculum has been developed (and will be taught at UCR in Spring 2011), one PhD student's paper manuscript is in preparation, and one grant proposal is in development to continue a collaboration initiated with the visit.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period