iUTAH’s Meaning, Missions and Values
iUTAH - What’s in a Name?
iUTAH stands for innovative Urban Transitions and Aridregion Hydro-sustainability.
As a desert state, Utah’s economy and way of life depend very much on a reliable supply of clean water. The mission iUTAH focused on strengthening the science of water in Utah in ways to help sustain the state’s economy, and the lives and livelihoods of Utah citizens. Four key aspects of the project involved:
Conducting innovative research on Utah’s water resources – how our natural and constructed water systems function and are used, and how the connections between people and water can be sustainably managed.
Building and maintaining a sophisticated “cyber-infrastructure” can help scientists and water managers understand real-time conditions and changes in water systems.
Providing training programs for students and educators can help to build a water-savvy workforce that is prepared to meet the challenges of Utah’s water future.
Supporting interesting and informative educational programs and media outlets that share the latest information about water science with residents of Utah and beyond.
This huge task involved creating a culture of collaboration that extended to all areas of Utah. It included partnerships with researchers and educators at universities and nonprofit groups across the state. The result was a transformation of the nature of scholarly collaboration around water and environmental science, so that researchers at multiple universities, and in multiple fields of study, now work together to address problems that are bigger than a single branch of science. As Utah’s population has becomes increasingly diverse, the project reached out to members of groups that historically have been under-represented in science, so that their concerns and interests were given full consideration in shaping Utah’s water future. Above all, iUTAH worked to engage all of Utah’s water stakeholders in dialogue grounded in the best available water science.
