Water Diplomacy Workshop: Strengthening Science and Enhancing International Partnerships in a Globalized World, Medford, Massachusetts, June, 2011

Tufts University, Medford MA

Investigators

Abstract

1132053 This project supports participation of three foreign experts in a meeting: Water Diplomacy Workshop, Strengthening Science and Enhancing International Partnership in a Globalized World scheduled to be held in Medford, MA June 13-17, 2011. The workshop is organized by Dr. Shafiqul Islam, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Tufts University, with participation by faculty from MIT and Harvard University. The objective of the three-day workshop is to bring experts in water issues in the physical sciences (e.g. civil and environmental engineering and geological scienes), with experts in water issues in social and economic sciences (e.g. economics, sociology, anthropology, political science) to identify issues and solutions that can be provided to decision-makers. A major objective is to facilitate and encourage collaborations between researchers in physical sciences and in social sciences in identifying solutions to problems of water resources and use in the US and other countries. The foreign participants will be from Egypt, Sudan and Pakistan, countries with significant water- related border disputes. Intellectual Merit: The workshop has two main goals: (a) to integrate knowledge about science, policy, and politics to formulate and frame questions about water network management; and (b) to generate actionable knowledge that will help stakeholders and decision-makers negotiate solutions to water management problems. It is hoped that participants will engage in real-world problem-solving, through domestic and international partnerships, as a way of merging theory and practice. Broader impacts: The workshop is to help a Water Diplomacy initiative started at Tufts University, aimed at preparing a new cadre of interdisciplinary water professionals who are not only scholars with strong disciplinary grounding but also problem-solvers with interdisciplinary expertise and negotiation skills. The proposed workshop (WDW) will show members of the growing informal network of water professionals how to present what they learn to groups and organizations back in their communities. Spreading this actionable knowledge and helping as many people as possible is essential to addressing the world?s water problems. The diversity of the national and international participants involved will ensure that people with different backgrounds and viewpoints will be engaged. Such sharing of knowledge is critical to solving boundary crossing water problems in a globalized world. The format of the workshop will allow US scientists an opportunity to build collaborative partnerships that are not attainable within the typical international workshop format.