- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
The 2025 Facing the Next Generation of Urban Wastewater Treatment, a one-day workshop sponsored by the Botín Foundation and Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, a program of UC ANR, was held on Jan. 29 in Madrid, Spain.
Vice President Glenda Humiston; Alberto Garrido, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid professor and director of the Water Observatory of the Botín Foundation in Spain; and Rosenberg Forum Chair Soroosh Sorooshian, Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science Departments at UC Irvine and director of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing, welcomed the international water experts.
In her opening remarks, Humiston emphasized the importance of international collaboration on science, as well as the importance of getting science into policy discussions.
Erik Porse, director of the California Institute for Water Resources, gave presentations on U.S. and California policy approaches to wastewater management.
The European Union recently passed an update of its Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, which raises standards for removal of contaminants and control of pollution due to rainwater, while seeking to boost circular economy goals and energy neutrality of wastewater treatment plants.
The technology is mature, though the cost of the treatment and the upgrading of the plants introduce a huge governance challenge and the need to explore new ways of financing such as the Extended Producer Responsibility.
The participants discussed the institutional and socioeconomic challenges posed by the implementation of this Directive in Spain and compared policy approaches of the EU, the US and Chile in the treatment of urban wastewater.They also explored opportunities for cross-learning and inspiration for innovative practices.
A recording of the Rosenberg workshop will be posted at 2025 Facing the Next Generation of Urban Wastewater Treatment - Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy
- Author: Atef Swelam
During the second week of February, I had the pleasure of hosting an insightful exchange of knowledge with distinguished heads of water user associations and growers from Ukraine. Their focus was on learning about water-use efficiency and collective water allocation approaches in California's Central Valley and exploring opportunities for collaboration. This opportunity was facilitated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Center of Investment in Rome and supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development.
The visit began at our UC Kearney Research and Extension Center, where the delegation learned about our cutting-edge research programs, particularly in water resources management. Khaled Bali, UC Cooperative Extension specialist, engaged the group in a discussion on his artificial intelligence and data-driven program and how AI can enhance water-use efficiency at both supply and demand levels.
The visitors also exchanged knowledge with local row crop growers in the West Side region of Fresno County. These interactions provided invaluable insights into California's water management practices and the innovative approaches that local growers employ to optimize water use under challenging climatic conditions.
A significant part of this visit was an interactive workshop with our UC ANR senior leadership – Vice President Glenda Humiston, Associate Vice President Brent Hales, Associate Vice Provost Daniel Obrist and Director of County Cooperative Extension Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty. The participants learned about UC ANR's unique research and extension system, and they expressed their interest in collaborating with UC ANR.
The Ukraine delegation also attended the 2025 World Ag Expo in Tulare, the world's largest show of agricultural innovation and technologies. It was a great opportunity for them to explore the most advanced technologies in the agricultural sector, including demonstrations of state-of-the-art irrigation systems and precision agriculture tools and equipment.
As their interest was in water allocation business models, the Ukrainians also visited several irrigation water districts in the San Joaquin Valley. They gained practical knowledge on water allocation, distribution and monitoring, including infrastructure and policies that ensure efficient water use at both system and farm levels.
We concluded the tour with a visit to UC Merced hosted by Joshua Viers, associate vice chancellor for Interdisciplinary Research and Strategic Initiatives and executive associate dean for the Agricultural Experiment Station, and his team. Our Ukrainian guests learned about water management research programs at UCM's Experimental Smart Farm.
Then we had an inspiring visit to the Turlock Irrigation District's Irrigation Solar Panel Canal Project, where UC Merced project scientist Brandi McKuin and TID Senior Engineer Bill Penney provided an in-depth overview of the solar project's objectives and impact. This initiative, which integrates solar energy with irrigation infrastructure, is a forward-thinking solution that optimizes the water-energy-food nexus.
Thank you to my staff and scientists, UC ANR leadership and Joshua Viers and his team for their time and great efforts to make this educational tour such a success.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
The UC ANR Fire Network invites UC ANR colleagues to a “Cooperative Extension Fire Peer-Learning Exchange” in Wawona, (within Yosemite National Park), April 15-17.
This interactive workshop is designed specifically to provide participants with the knowledge, tools and skills necessary to bring fire-related educational programming to the communities they serve.
“Join us in this peer-learning exchange to learn about wildfire preparedness, mitigation and recovery,” said Katie Low, UC ANR Fire Network statewide coordinator. “You do not need to work in fire or have experience doing fire-related programming to join this event.”
Through train-the-trainer style presentations, demonstrations, field tours and discussion panels, attendees will gain the confidence and resources to serve as community leaders in wildfire education. Sessions during the workshop will include a panel discussion about cultural burning and partnership with tribes, a mini pile-burning workshop, home hardening 101, post-fire landowner workshops, and a fire ecology hike in the nearby Mariposa grove of giant sequoias.
This event will take place at the beautiful UC Merced Yosemite Field Station in Wawona and run from noon on April 15 through noon on April 17, with an optional field tour to the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias on the afternoon of April 17.
This workshop will be the second Cooperative Extension Service Fire Workshop. The first workshop, hosted by North Carolina State University Extension in 2023, was developed in response to interviews with Extension professionals in the Southeast U.S., which demonstrated that many desired more fire-related training and wanted to learn how to better communicate with their clientele about fire.
If you are interested in joining the California Fire Peer-Learning Exchange workshop to learn, share and grow together, please register at https://ucanr.edu/extensionfireworkshop.
The cost for this workshop is $275 and will cover meals and lodging throughout the event.
“We understand that the cost may make the workshop inaccessible for some participants,” said Alison Deak, UCCE fire advisor for Mariposa, Madera and Fresno counties. Please reach out to Deak at aldeak@ucanr.edu if you will require travel support or need some or all of your registration costs covered to attend the workshop.
If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact Low at katlow@ucanr.edu or Deak at aldeak@ucanr.edu.
- Author: Jodi L Azulai
UC ANR Learning & Development
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Building a Volunteer Digital Advocacy Program (Extension Foundation)
March 13 | Noon - 1 p.m. PDT
Learn more & register.
Learn all about tapping into existing social networks to get your organization's messages out and deepen your online impact.
Identifying and Collaborating with Non-Government Funders (Extension Foundation)
March 20 | 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. PDT
Learn more & register.
Uncover tactical approaches to identify and engage with non-government funders who align with your vision. In this session, you'll learn how to locate potential funders, connect with non-competitive organizations for insider tips, and understand what attracts — or deters — funders. Highlights include insights on the intentionally opaque public presence of foundations and practical guidance on using AI tools like ChatGPT for research. Leave ready to navigate the non-government funding landscape with precision and purpose.
March 24 | 11 a.m. - Noon PDT
Register.
Building Collaborative Research and Extension Networks will provide insights into establishing effective partnerships between researchers, extension professionals, and stakeholders to drive innovation and impact. Participants will learn strategies for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, securing funding, and translating research into practical solutions for diverse communities.
Building a Marketing "To Do" Checklist (Extension Foundation)
March 27 | 11 a.m. - Noon PDT
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Learn practical steps to effectively market your program or project. This session will help you build a comprehensive marketing checklist to maximize reach and impact.
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2025 Grant Writing Workshop - An Introduction to Government Grants Professional Development Training
April 30 | 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
South Coast Research and Extension Center 7601 Irvine Boulevard, Irvine, CA 92618
This introductory grant writing workshop is designed for UC ANR academics across all disciplines who are interested in enhancing their grant writing skills. Whether you are new to grant writing or looking to refine your strategies for securing USDA and other federal funding, this workshop will provide valuable insights, practical tools, and expert guidance to strengthen your grant proposals. Academic participation will be prioritized as space is limited.
Presenter: Stacy Fitzsimmons, MBA, Founder & CEO, SNF Writing Solutions. Stacy Fitzsimmons is a seasoned grant specialist with over two decades of experience securing more than $500 million in federal funding. As the founder of SNF Writing Solutions, she specializes in developing proposals for NSF, EPA, NIH, USDA, DOE and HUD among others. Formerly the Director of the Office of Grants Management at the Indiana State Department of Health, Stacy excels in program development, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. She is a nationally recognized trainer in grant writing.
Who should attend: ANR county directors, specialists, advisors, REC directors, statewide program directors, academic coordinators.
Program cost: There is no charge for registration, materials and food during the workshop.Travel funds are not available for this program. Attendees must cover the cost of their own travel. Course content provided by Kendra Rose ktrose@ucanr.edu, associate director of proposal development services.
Higher education disability rights webinar (UCOP)
March 5 | 10 a.m. - Noon
Register. Paul Grossman, executive counsel for the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and retired chief regional attorney for the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights Division, will join Catherine Spear, executive director of the Systemwide Office for Civil Rights; Trevor Finneman, principal counsel at UC Office of the President; and Jennifer Lofthus, general compliance manager for Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services, to present a "Legal Year in Review on Disability Rights" and lead a discussion on disability law trends and potential impacts of the new administration.
UC Managing Implicit Bias Series (eCourse modules, UC Learning Center)
The UC Managing Implicit Bias Series is a six-course online training series designed to increase awareness of implicit bias and reduce its impact at the university. The series reinforces the UC diversity, equity and inclusion values that enable the university to attract and retain a top talent workforce, and it further supports the UC commitment to developing effective leaders and managers of people. It is intended to supplement existing location programs and resources.
Feel free tp complete individual courses, or the entire series. Those who complete all six online courses through the UC Learning Center will receive the UC Systemwide HR Managing Implicit Bias Certificate. The series will also be added as a core requirement to the existing UC Systemwide People Management Series and Certificate. As a UC people manager, being aware of implicit bias and how it impacts the way we work and interact with others is especially important. The next module is the UC Moving Beyond Bias Series. Find more Implicit Bias resources here.
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Giving & Receiving Feedback - learning worth your time
Giving great feedback (5 minutes, YouTube) As we move toward our staff performance appraisal period, gain insight on giving greatfeedack. According to cognitive psychologist LeeAnn Renniger, humans have been coming up with ways to give constructive criticism for centuries, but somehow we're still pretty terrible at it. Learn a scientifically proven method for giving effective feedback.
Listening to critical feedback - It is a gift (1 min:54 seconds YouTube)
Using critical thinking to welcome critical feedback.
How to Develop a Daily Writing Practice (NCFDD)
Mar 13 | 11 a.m. - Noon PT
Learn more & register.
In this webinar you'll learn the: three biggest myths about writing that hobble new faculty productivity surprising difference between struggling new faculty members and those who are designated as "rising stars."
Learn a 30-minute strategy that will increase your writing productivity AND decrease your stress, anxiety and guilt. (Contact: webinar@ncfdd.org).
Feedforward
By Marshall Goldsmith
As we go through life, we tend to look back on what has made a difference to us. I particularly remember a series of deep insights I have had from people I've worked with or whom I've learned from, that have led me to create new ways of approaching leadership and personal growth — and building an earned life. These are the concepts of the referent group the notion of feedforward stakeholder-centered coaching the business plan reviews the “what's next” weekend daily questions building a coaching community (called 100 coaches). Here, I'd like to explore the notion of feedforward… - read more on LinkedIn.
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Learn something new today.
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Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
The Office of Pesticide Information and Coordination has opened registration for its annual UC ANR Pesticide Policy Training.
This training is intended for campus, research and extension center, and county-based UC ANR personnel that apply experimental pesticides either on UC property or on cooperators' land.?It is critical for all personnel handling pesticides in research and demonstration settings to be familiar with UC ANR's Policy on Pesticides and Related Chemicals: Use & Experimentation (Section 281), which this training covers in full. Feel free to send this training information to others in the UC system.
All scheduled UC ANR Pesticide Policy Trainings will be conducted via Zoom webinar. A registration link for each webinar can be found below:
Monday, April 7 (1 - 4 p.m.): Register for this webinar
Tuesday, May 6 ( 9 a.m. – noon): Register for this webinar
Monday, June 2 (1 - 4 p.m.): Register for this webinar
There are no fees for these sessions. Three hours of Laws and Regulations Continuing Education (CE) units will be offered for the UC ANR Pesticide Policy Training. If you have any questions, please email OPIC at?OPIC@ucanr.edu.
