Opportunities

Job Title:

Cobbs Creek Program Coordinator - Graduate level

Contract type:

Start date: May 1st, 2024

Contract type: Hourly

Length of contract: Summer & Fall Terms

Hourly rate: Full-time for Summer at $19/hr, with the possibility to continue part-time in Fall

Location: Hybrid

Job Summary:

The Water Center is a global water research hub that is founded on the principle that clean, accessible, and affordable water is a human right. As an applied research and policy center embedded within the University of Pennsylvania, we actively support communities in meeting their critical water challenges by identifying solutions that are resilient and sustainable, can integrate both natural and built systems, and are based on equitable principles that reflect community voices.  

The Cobbs Creek Project aims to work with community partners to identify integrated solutions to the water resource management challenges that are impacting the West Philly communities in the Cobbs Creek watershed. By focusing our efforts on improving STEM learning opportunities within K-12 schools, we want to tighten the higher education gap for West Philly youth and foster a sense of community and personal stewardship within the Cobbs Creek watershed.

We are seeking a graduate-level student to join our team at Cobbs Creek Park and Community Environmental Center in Philadelphia, PA, for a summer and fall term coordination role. This position will involve implementing a pilot water quality monitoring program, maintaining the lab and equipment, and training high school students to assist over the summer. Additionally, the candidate will assist the senior research program manager in implementing the 4-week Summer Enrichment program at Cobbs Creek Park, including coordinating field trips, ordering supplies, and maintaining relationships with park staff and associated partners. We’re hiring for a full-time, summer position with the potential to continue part-time in the fall at $19 per hour. 

If interested, please upload a cover letter and resume to this PennBox folder by Thursday, February 29th, 2024. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. If you have any questions, please contact Jazmin Ricks at jricks@sas.upenn.edu.

View more details and a full job description here.

The Water Center at Penn encourages Penn graduate and undergraduate students to apply for this competitive student grant program to promote research in the Center’s core value areas. The grant also aims to recognize academic excellence and prepare students towards leadership by encouraging applied research and community engagement.

Students from across the University are encouraged to apply for this grant if they can demonstrate a meaningful nexus between their work and the following areas:

• Water Infrastructure Research
• Community Capacity Building and Equity
• Integrated Watershed Planning and Governance
• Drinking Water Treatment and Source Protection
• Fresh Water Law and Policy
• Water Infrastructure Financing and Affordability
• Water’s Role in Environmental Health

Examples of proposals could include support for existing research, such as capstone projects and senior thesis research, or travel expenses related to research. Grants will be in the amount of $500 - $1,500 and will be awarded to up to 2 graduate and 2 undergraduate students.

Eligibility:

• Currently enrolled graduate or undergraduate student from any Penn school; all majors are welcome to apply
• Student must have identified a faculty mentor for their research

Application Requirements:

• Students must submit a completed application form via email to watercenter@sas.upenn.edu that includes:
  • Research approach; context for project; and types of analysis and/or deliverables in 1,000 words or less
  • Budget and budget justification for requested funds
  • Other funding sources for this project
  • Signature or other form of approval from research mentors

Deliverables:

• Deliverables may include:
  • Submitting a technical report to the Water Center at Penn;
  • Submitting a short whitepaper suitable for communicating their research to a general audience;
  • Presenting research at a suitable conference or event;
  • Writing a blog post on behalf of the Water Center at Penn

Timeline:

• Applications due December 8, 2023
• Recipients will be notified early January 2024
• Grant period begins upon notification will run through either May 2024 or
• December 2024, depending on anticipated graduation dates

The Water Center has two projects for which it is seeking support. One focuses on the Catawba Wateree watershed, which starts in North Carolina and flows through South Carolina. There are several reservoirs in this watershed that are managed by Duke Energy for power generation as well as 18 drinking water utilities that form the Catawba Wateree Water Management Group. They are embarking on an integrated water resources plan and want to include an economic evaluation in that planning process. The Water Center has committed to provide 3 possible approaches to this evaluation for the management group to consider. The approaches would help the stakeholders better understand the value of water quality protection investments that have been made over the past 10 years and the potential value of future investments with particular emphasis on managing for climate change.

The second project involves the Borough of Avondale, Pennsylvania. This is a borough of approximately 1300 people with a drinking water and wastewater system with 350 customers. They would like to have their rate structure reviewed with consideration to how to support customers who are facing affordability challenges.

List of responsibilities

• Literature/desk review. 
• Utility finance and rate structure review.
• Support workshop coordination with key stakeholders.
• Help schedule meetings, draft reports, present findings. 

The ideal candidate will...

• Be a current University of Pennsylvania student 
• Be located on campus for the majority of the fellowship
• Hold a B.S. in environmental economics (other disciplines welcomed with technical experience; undergraduates with relevant experience will also be considered)
• Experience with administrative support (emails, virtual meeting management, coordinating meetings, etc.)
• Strong communication skills
• Understanding of water utilities or water/wastewater infrastructure is highly desired

To apply

Submit a cover letter and resume via email to Emma Denison at emmade@sas.upenn.edu with a subject line of “Environmental Economics Graduate Research Fellow”. Review of applications will occur on a rolling basis; applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Questions can also be sent to the email address above.

The Water Center is building a Regional Network Collaborative for Water Leadership that will convene a diverse set of people, based in the Philadelphia region, working in sectors that intersect with water issues (water utility personnel, watershed/environmental non-profit and stormwater professionals, etc) who have demonstrated potential to become leaders in their respective fields. The Collaborative will provide a peer-to-peer issue/solutions exchange environment, workshop style learning with academic, non-profit, and private industry leaders; enhance cross-sector collaboration; and create a supportive space for the building of long-lasting professional relationships between collaborative members.

To support this specific work, the Water Center is hiring a graduate research fellow to provide project coordination. The position will be a hybrid position and include regular project team meetings. The position will report to Brenton McCloskey, Director of Strategic Development and Communications at the Water Center.

List of responsibilities

• Working and communicating with cohort members on a regular basis to identify resource needs.
• Assist in the development of curriculum with education leaders for STEM Youth Engagement Leadership Workshop.
• Supporting workshop coordination with key stakeholders.
• Facilitation of meetings in the Zoom platform and in person.
• Helping schedule meetings, draft reports, present findings.

The ideal candidate will...

• Be a current University of Pennsylvania student
• Hold a B.S. in environmental studies, geography, engineering, non-profit management or related major
• Experience in STEM education or community outreach and engagement preferred
• Experience with administrative support (emails, coordinating meetings, etc.)
• Strong communication skills
• Understanding of water utilities, water/wastewater infrastructure, and/or non-profit sector is highly desired
• Be able to work independently but also as part of a team
• Be passionate about water issues

To apply

Submit a cover letter and resume via email to Emma Denison at emmade@sas.upenn.edu with a subject line of “Water Leadership Graduate Research Fellow”. Review of applications will occur on a rolling basis; applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Questions can also be sent to the email address above.

The Water Center at Penn is part of a team that will be delivering water infrastructure technical assistance to communities to help them address the challenges they are facing with their drinking water, wastewater and stormwater system. The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center is the lead on the project that covers all of EPA Region 3 and the Water Center is the lead for engagement with Pennsylvania and Delaware. Other partners include engineering and finance organizations. The technical assistance focuses on technical, managerial and financial issues involved in water system operations. More information about the project is available on the Water Center website at this link.

To support this specific work, the Water Center is hiring a graduate research fellow to provide project coordination. The position will be a hybrid position and include regular project team meetings. The position will report to Ellen Kohler, Director of Applied Research and Programs at the Water Center.

List of responsibilities

• Track community water technical assistance engagement
• Draft technical assistance engagement plans based on templates
• Help plan informational sessions for communities about technical assistance
• Help develop policy analysis and case studies
• Work with our full water technical assistance team including partners at the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center and other project partners.

The ideal candidate will...

• Be a current University of Pennsylvania student.
• Hold a B.S. in environmental studies, civil engineering, environmental policy, governmental policy, environmental economics or other related fields.
• Be pursuing a graduate degree in environmental studies, environmental policy, law, civil engineering, applied engineering, public policy, environmental economics.
• Be comfortable using Excel.
• Be able to work independently but also as part of a team.
• Be passionate about water issues.

To apply

Submit a cover letter and resume via email to Emma Denison at emmade@sas.upenn.edu with a subject line of “Water Infrastructure Graduate Research Fellow”. Review of applications will occur on a rolling basis; applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Questions can also be sent to the email address above.

Penn Sustainability is again accepting applications for Penn Sustainability's Move-In Green volunteer program. The program is open to undergraduate students. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, but interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Volunteering with Move-In Green is a fun and interactive experience, with participants receiving early move-in privileges. We look for energetic upperclassmen to help spread awareness of sustainability news and information for new and returning Penn students. 

For more questions about Move-In Green, reach out to Noah Swistak, Sustainability Manager, at swistak@upenn.edu.

We are seeking a graduate-level student to join our team at Cobbs Creek Park and Community Environmental Center in Philadelphia, PA, for a summer and fall term coordination role. This position will involve implementing a pilot water quality monitoring program, maintaining the lab and equipment, and training high school students to assist over the summer. Additionally, the candidate will assist the senior research program manager in implementing the 4-week Summer Enrichment program at Cobbs Creek Park, including coordinating field trips, ordering supplies, and maintaining relationships with park staff and associated partners. We’re hiring for a full-time, summer position with the potential to continue part-time in the fall at $18 per hour. 

Qualifications:

• Enrolled in a graduate-level program at the University of Pennsylvania in environmental science, biology, or a related field
• Experience working at a community-level with local organizations preferred
• Experience in water quality monitoring and laboratory techniques preferred
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Experience working with students is preferred
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Google Suite
• Ability to work 5 days a week, hybrid schedule

If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to jricks@sas.upenn.edu by Friday, May 19th, 2023. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Water Center at Penn encourages Penn graduate and undergraduate students to apply for this competitive student grant program to promote research in the Center’s core value areas. The grant also aims to recognize academic excellence and prepare students towards leadership by encouraging applied research and community engagement.

Submit a completed application to watercenter@sas.upenn.edu by Friday, November 18, 2022.

The Water Center at Penn is hiring a graduate student to provide support with spatial analysis (ArcGIS/Storymap) and project coordination for an analysis on holistic wet weather adaptation for US cities. This position will work with Water Center staff to develop a decision-support framework for how US cities select wet weather BMPs using a triple-bottom-line approach. Work will be remote and will have the benefit of producing academic publications, science communication, and gaining experience with stakeholder-led research.

More information

Summer 2022

The Water Center at Penn is looking for a creative and dedicated graduate-level student that will help brainstorm the following ideas and processes. We intend to work with community partners to identify integrated solutions to the water resource management challenges in the Cobbs Creek watershed impacting the neighborhood.

More information

Grant Period: Winter and Spring 2022

WaterNow is seeking a Research Fellow for a six month fellowship to support our project to identify the major obstacles limiting adoption of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) as a management strategy in Southwest Pennsylvania. The project focuses on determining community-readiness in the region to finance and implement green infrastructure projects at larger scale. The Fellowship provides recent law school or master’s program graduates the opportunity to gain valuable experience with a fast-growing sustainability-focused non-profit through hands on tasks and real responsibility. This is a remote position and may be extended depending on funding availability.

More information

Grant period: October 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022

The Water Center at Penn and the Department of Earth and Environmental Science are pleased to announce an exciting new grant opportunity to Penn undergraduate and graduate students. The Philip and Billie Kirpich Research award aims to help tackle one of the world’s most pressing issues – water management for food production in developing countries.

More information

Summer 2021

The Water Center at Penn is pleased to announce a community-oriented collaborative research related to safe water access in India during Summer and Fall 2021. The research will entail an undergraduate student enrolled in any program at Penn working remotely with our partner Safe Water Network (SWN) on their India-centric projects. The Water Center at Penn and Safe Water Network’s missions align in addressing the affordability and infrastructure challenges in urban and small-town water systems. It is essential to work collaboratively to change the way safe water is made accessible to underserved communities in small towns, peri-urban, and urban communities.

In India and around the world, millions of people are navigating COVID-19 pandemic with the added challenge of living without safe water. The undergraduate student will work with SWN team in raising awareness about the issue, resource mobilization and synthesis of available information on India’s water challenges and innovative opportunities. The selected candidate will provide crucial support for the SWN’s mission, programs and impact by contributing greatly to the body of research, outreach and communications materials that will enable Safe Water Network’s projects and campaigns to effect change. 

Currently, SWN’s interventions are providing safe drinking water to 1.3 million people in over 330 communities in Telangana and Maharashtra states in India. The water stations in these communities provide uninterrupted safe water at an affordable price to many low-income families who earn below the global poverty line.  The organization is also involved in enabling change at the national level working with the central government and partner organizations across India. Research areas include but are not limited to corporate partnerships, community engagement, philanthropic resources, and collaborative action from high-net-worth individuals within the water space. The selected candidate will author or co-author articles on the research topics for India diaspora media, relevant websites blogs, India-centric platforms, and social media. 

Summer 2021

The Water Center at Penn encourages MES and MSAG students at Penn to apply for this competitive student grant program to promote research in water science, policy and sustainability. The grant also aims to recognize academic excellence and prepare students towards leadership by encouraging applied research and community engagement.

The Water Center at Penn connects researchers, the water industry, public utilities, environmental organizations and communities by providing guidance, promoting creative thinking, and fostering thoughtful and impactful research needed to solve our shared urban water problems.

Our vision is to be the preeminent center that provides integrative real-world solutions to critical urban water problems. The Water Center’s mission is to support the resilience, sustainability, and equity of urban water systems, and the watersheds upon which they rely, through guidance, assistance and by directing applied collaborative research.

As a guide, MES or MSAG are encouraged to apply for this grant if they can demonstrate a meaningful nexus between their work and the following areas:

• Community engagement around water access, racial and gender equity, and affordability
• Pandemic outbreaks and water challenges
• Water-focused climate resilience 
• Source water protection
• Watershed planning and governance 
• Contaminants of Emerging Concern
• Drinking water and wastewater issues
• Green infrastructure design, finance and planning
• Development of predictive and decision-making tools for water management  
• Artificial intelligence, sensors and robotics
• Aquatic ecology and associated life sciences

Research grant guidelines:

• Students applying for this grant must work in coordination with a faculty advisor. The grant award can be used towards completion of a capstone or a thesis
• The student should submit a 2-page synopsis of their proposed applied research and the synopsis must include the following:
  • Background of the proposed research project
  • Problem definition and objective/s of the research project
  • methodological approach to achieve the expected outcomes
  • A summary of expected outcomes and real-world significance
  • A brief statement on how the research is in nexus with Water Center’s research agenda
  • Itemized proposed budget 
• Budget guidelines: the grant can be used for following purposes, 
  • purchase of laboratory/other materials related to project
  • procuring textbooks and software useful for proposed research, 
  • completion of online courses helpful for the research or field work
  • Field work related travels (conference travel not encouraged)
  • Research assistant hours if the project does not incur any other costs
• Selection committee will consist of the Water Center Staff and Fellows.
• The grants will be awarded to MES and MSAG students in amounts of up to $2500 each
• Grant Period is starting in June 2021
• Upon the completion of the work, the deliverables include submitting a short technical report or a blog style article targeted to general audience. Specifics of the deliverables will be outlined in individual award letters.

Timeframe: January – July 2021

The Water Center at Penn invites current undergraduates within the School of Arts and Sciences to apply for a paid fellowship. The Student Fellow will participate in various Water Center projects at the intersection of urban water systems, racial equity, and climate resilience. Student Fellows will have the opportunity to interact with the Water Center staff as well as project-related stakeholders, and partner organizations within the university and throughout the region.

The Water Center supports the resilience, sustainability and equity of urban water systems and the watersheds upon which they rely through guidance, assistance and by directing applied collaborative research. The built environment – and water infrastructure in particular – is often a physical manifestation of the deep systemic racial and social inequities with which our country continues to struggle. In less resourced communities across the country, the provision of basic water, wastewater and stormwater services is increasingly at risk. Communities facing deep systemic inequities also grapple with aging infrastructure and limited financial and technical capacity to maintain and improve existing systems, let alone move toward a more integrated water management approach. The problem is increasingly compounded by the effects of climate change, which in many parts of the country already include more – and more intense – precipitation, increased storm surge, tidal flooding, sewage backups, and the like.

Without large scale, thoughtful intervention from the next generation of water leaders, the historic and existing systems of water governance, finance, and engineering will continue to aggravate these impacts. Through our work, The Water Center seeks to help develop the leaders who will tackle these challenges from across a wide variety of disciplines.
 

Fellowship structure:

• The fellowship will be primarily remote/virtual and begin in early to mid-January 2021
• The fellows will work with the Water Center mentor/s for up to 10 hours per week for up to 6 months
• The fellows will attend regular update meetings with their mentors and participate in ongoing projects with a multidisciplinary project team
• Upon completion of the fellowship, the student will author a brief “white paper” on an approved topic related to their project work for publication by the Water Center at Penn
   

Application guidelines:

• The application for the fellowship program is due December 15, 2020
• The application materials containing the following information must be submitted as a single pdf via interfolio
  • Your Name, Year, Major
  • Your responses to the following questions in less than 3 pages:
    • What motivated you to apply to this fellowship program?
    • What are your research interests related to water, resilience, and equity?
    • How inclined are you towards community-oriented research? Explain.
    • What do you hope to learn, through this fellowship [or] how do you think this program is helpful in achieving your professional goals?
• Your 1-2-page resume

Start date: December 1, 2020

The Water Center at Penn is announcing a paid graduate student research position to work on a funded project. This position can involve up to 100 hours of time commitment and will start on or around December 1, 2020. Through this position, the students will have the opportunity to interact with Water Center staff as well as project related stakeholders and partner organizations. 

Philadelphia Water Department’s (PWD) Green Cities Clean Waters program is a 25 year plan to transform the health of the City’s urban streams by implementing innovative, land-based stormwater management techniques. The project utilizes green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) on public and private land to lessen the impact of greywater on the combined sewer system, improve natural resources, and beautify neighborhoods. For non-residential private properties, projects are funded via two current grant programs -the Stormwater Management Incentives Program (SMIP) and the Greened Acre Retrofit Program (GARP).
 

Project Challenge and Purpose: 

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the current grant program budgets have been significantly reduced. As PWD currently faces this significant budget challenge, more research is needed to see if the City can still achieve the program’s original goals.
 

Project Questions:

1. Given these conditions, how can the City effectively support, incentivize and finance stormwater project implementation on private land while achieving an affordable balance between stormwater rates and stormwater credits and reach the GCCW implementation target by 2036?
2. Based on a review of the history of the current program, what could be improved to better enable implementation at sufficient scale to meet the 2036 implementation? 
    

Requirements

• Graduate student enrolled in Design, Engineering, Finance, Environmental studies or a related discipline
• Ability to review and synthesize technical reports, identify gaps and assess needs
• Strong interest in urban water systems
• Knowledge of various green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) types and costs 
• Interest in public finance
• Strong written and verbal communication skills 
• Strong passion and long-term professional interest in water and environment

Grant period: November 2020 – November 2021

The Water Center at Penn encourages MES and MSAG students at Penn to apply for this competitive student grant program to promote research in water science, policy and sustainability. The grant also aims to recognize academic excellence and prepare students towards leadership by encouraging applied research and community engagement.

The Water Center at Penn connects researchers, the water industry, public utilities, environmental organizations and communities by providing guidance, promoting creative thinking, and fostering thoughtful and impactful research needed to solve our shared urban water problems

Our vision is to be the preeminent center that provides integrative real-world solutions to critical urban water problems. The Water Center’s mission is to support the resilience, sustainability, and equity of urban water systems, and the watersheds upon which they rely, through guidance, assistance and by directing applied collaborative research.

As a guide, MES or MSAG are encouraged to apply for this grant if they can demonstrate a meaningful nexus between their work and the following areas:

• Community engagement around water access, racial and gender equity, and affordability
• Pandemic outbreaks and water challenges
• Water-focused climate resilience 
• Source water protection
• Watershed planning and governance 
• Contaminants of Emerging Concern
• Drinking water and wastewater issues
• Green infrastructure design, finance and planning
• Development of predictive and decision-making tools for water management  
• Artificial intelligence, sensors and robotics
• Aquatic ecology and associated life sciences
   

Research grant guidelines:

• Students applying for this grant must work in coordination with a faculty advisor. The grant award can be used towards completion of a capstone or a thesis
• The student should submit a 2-page synopsis of their proposed applied research and the synopsis must include the following:
  • Background of the proposed research project
  • Problem definition and objective/s of the research project
  • methodological approach to achieve the expected outcomes
  • A summary of expected outcomes and real-world significance
  • A brief statement on how the research is in nexus with Water Center’s research agenda
  • Itemized proposed budget 
• Budget guidelines: the grant can be used for following purposes, 
  • purchase of laboratory/other materials related to project
  • procuring textbooks and software useful for proposed research, 
  • completion of online courses helpful for the research or field work
  • Field work related travels (conference travel not encouraged)
  • Research assistant hours if the project does not incur any other costs
• Selection committee will consist of the Water Center Staff and Fellows.
• The grants will be awarded to graduate students of any discipline in amounts of up to $2500 each
• Grant Period is up to 12 months, starting in November 2020
• Upon the completion of the work, the deliverables include submitting a short technical report or a blog style article targeted to general audience. Specifics of the deliverables will be outlined in individual award letters.

Grant period: November 2020 – November 2021

The Water Center at Penn encourages Penn undergraduate students from any discipline to apply for this competitive student grant program to promote research in water science, policy and sustainability. The grant also aims to recognize academic excellence and prepare students towards leadership by encouraging applied research and community engagement.

The Water Center at Penn connects researchers, the water industry, public utilities, environmental organizations and communities by providing guidance, promoting creative thinking, and fostering thoughtful and impactful research needed to solve our shared urban water problems

Our vision is to be the preeminent center that provides integrative real-world solutions to critical urban water problems. Water Center’s mission is to support the resilience, sustainability, and equity of urban water systems, and the watersheds upon which they rely, through guidance, assistance and by directing applied collaborative research.

As a guide, students from across the University are encouraged to apply for this grant if they can demonstrate a meaningful nexus between their work and the following areas:

• Community engagement around water access, racial and gender equity, and affordability
• Pandemic outbreaks and water challenges
• Water-focused climate resilience 
• Source water protection
• Watershed planning and governance 
• Contaminants of Emerging Concern
• Drinking water and wastewater issues
• Green infrastructure design, finance and planning
• Development of predictive and decision-making tools for water management  
• Artificial intelligence, sensors and robotics
• Aquatic ecology and associated life sciences

Undergraduate research grant guidelines:

• Students applying for this grant must work in coordination with a faculty advisor. The grant award can be used towards completion of a capstone or a thesis
• The student should submit a 2-page synopsis of their proposed applied research and the synopsis must include the following:
  • Background of the proposed research project
  • Problem definition and objective/s of the research project
  • methodological approach to achieve the expected outcomes
  • A summary of expected outcomes and real-world significance
  • A brief statement on how the research is in nexus with Water Center’s research agenda
  • Itemized proposed budget 
• Budget guidelines: the grant can be used for following purposes, 
  • purchase of laboratory/other materials related to project
  • procuring textbooks and software useful for proposed research, 
  • completion of online courses helpful for the research or field work
  • Field work related travels (conference travel not encouraged)
  • Research assistant hours if the project does not incur any other costs
• Selection committee will consist of the Water Center Staff and Fellows.
• The grants will be awarded to undergraduates in amounts of up to $1000 each
• Grant Period is up to 12 months, starting in November 2020
• Upon the completion of the work, the deliverables include submitting a technical report or a blog article. Specifics of the deliverables will be outlined in individual award letters.

Time frame: October 2020 – November 2020

Student Research Position: 
The Water Center at Penn is announcing 2-3 paid graduate student research positions to work on a funded project. This position can involve up to 20 hours per week of time commitment during the semesters and up to 40 hours/week time commitment during summer. The position will start on or around October 1, 2020. Applications will be received on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. Through this position, the students will have the opportunity to interact with Water Center staff as well as project-related stakeholders and partner organizations.

The water quality in the Delaware River is considered suitable for swimming, except for a 27 mile stretch between Philadelphia, Camden, and Chester. This project will assemble and analyze existing data outlining current conditions and limiting factors to achieving a “swimmable” water quality, in coordination with key stakeholders including the Delaware River Basin Commission, Utilities, Environmental and Recreational Stakeholders, Regulatory Agencies, and others.  The Water Center and its partners will evaluate expected results of planned investments with the goal of predicting when and where water quality could support swimming as those committed projects are implemented.   The project will culminate in the development of a number of possible options for policymakers to consider for optimizing or accelerating improvements and improving access for communities along this urbanized stretch of the river.
 

Requirements

• Graduate student enrolled in Design, Engineering, Environmental studies or a related discipline
• Experience working with Geospatial Information Systems (GIS)
• Technical writing skills
• Background experience in cost estimations and planning is a plus
• Interest in local watersheds and problems associated with them
• Knowledge of water quality issues in the Northeast and associated regulations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong passion and long-term professional interest in water and environment

Timeline: Summer 2020

Student Research Position:
The Water Center at Penn is offering paid Research Assistant position* to an undergraduate or a graduate student to work on a funded project. The students will have the opportunity to serve as a junior member of the Water Center project team. The deadline to apply for this position is March 25, 2020.

The activities in this project will include:

• Review and comment on the current content summary prepared by the grantor and on subsequent white papers to be developed
• Provide content-specific technical expertise as the need arises during the implementation of the research project; and
• Collaborate in the authorship of any papers generated as a result of the research work that have involved faculty of The Water Center.

Requirements: 

● Interest/knowledge of science education, science communication, human health impacts, social media strategies, online content generation and risk communication

● Chemistry/toxicology background is a plus

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Timeline May 2020 – May 2021

Student Research Position:
The Water Center at Penn is announcing several paid graduate student research positions* to work on a funded project. This position can involve up to 20 hours per week of time commitment during the semesters and up to 40 hours/week time commitment during summer. The position will start on or around May 15, 2020. Applications will be received on a rolling basis until the positions are filled.

The students will have the opportunity to interact with Water Center staff and/or embed with subgrantee consultants and participate in one or more of the following tasks:

1. Research and assembly of data outlining current conditions and assumed limiting factors to achieving a recreational standard

2. Coordination with key stakeholders to determine the current state of modeling and analysis of current conditions. Key stakeholders will include: 

● Delaware River Basin Commission 

● Environmental and Recreational Stakeholders

● USEPA

● William Penn Foundation

● Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

● Key Dischargers, especially Philadelphia, Camden and Chester, and

● Local community members and other interested parties.

3. Determination to the extent possible when and where the receiving waters may already meet recreational standards, with an eye toward the ultimate expansion of the Philly River cast system to the tidal Schuylkill and the Delaware

4. Model the expected results of investments currently committed to either through administrative agreement (PWD) or permit requirements (Camden) with the goal of predicting when and how often the river would be available for recreational status when those committed projects have been completed.

5. Determination of the discharge reductions and associated investments required to achieve full recreational status along certain time horizons.

6. Identification where possible areas where sequencing and prioritization of key planned investments might result in increased benefit

 7. Constant interaction with and input from key stakeholders to ensure the roadmap is “reality-based” – that important limiting factors such as cost, timing, equity, technical feasibility, and regulatory constraints, are taken into account.

8. Publication of the report and associated public interaction. The Roadmap is intended to prompt and inform and an important regional public dialog regarding investment priorities for the waters of the Delaware

Requirements: 

● Interest in local watersheds and problems associated with them

● Knowledge of water quality issues in the Northeast and associated regulations

● Data analysis skills, quantitative modeling experience and GIS experience is a plus

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills

● Strong passion and long-term professional interest in water and environment

Timeline: Summer 2020 –

Student Research Position: 
The Water Center at Penn is announcing one paid Graduate Research Assistant position* for approximately 100 hours starting immediately to work on a funded project. The students will have the opportunity to serve as a junior member of the Water Center project team. The deadline to apply for this position is March 25, 2020.

This project involves designing of a thoughtful, objective, straight-talking warts-and-all guide for local elected and appointed decision makers. The guide will direct how to get started in navigating the dizzying array of options and opportunities for technical assistance and funding resources available to managers, board members, and elected officials responsible for local stormwater management systems in under-resourced urban areas. The guide is designed to be relevant to such decision makers across the US and will identify and provide objective assessments of the available resource options that facilitate the process of:

• Better understanding the physical, financial, and operational state of integrated water system(s)
• Identifying and prioritizing regulatory, capital and operating needs
• Ensuring systems are equitably financed as well as financially resilient
• Taking the latest climate science into account to ensure any investments are properly scaled for long-term success
• Knowing which innovations and/or strategies are likely to have the best chance for success, and
• Accessing available outlets for technical assistance and funding.

The guide will also support local decision makers in thinking through what elements of their internal operations – asset management, technical challenges, compliance issues – need to be put in order before pursuing any particular financing opportunities.
 

Requirements: 

● Pursuing coursework in design, city and regional planning, environmental studies or related disciplines

● Knowledge/interest in local governance, planning, design, finance and maintenance of nature based and built solutions for urban stormwater management and climate resilience. Specific focus on equity issues is a plus

● Excellent written and verbal communication skills