Mehmet Altingoz
What is your research interest?
Environmental peacebuilding with a focus on transboundary water management.
How do you contribute to water studies?
I studied transboundary water management during my master’s degree at Oregon State University. My advisor was Dr. Aaron Wolf, the co-director of this certificate program. My master’s thesis was titled “Investigating Management of Transboundary Basins between Sovereign Countries and Non-Sovereign Entities.” I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree, which is also in the field of transboundary water management. In particular, I am studying cooperation over transboundary waters at local, public-private, and international scales among conflicting parties.
How acquiring this certificate has helped you?
I obtained this certificate during my master’s education, as it helped me better understand cooperative behavior in the management of troubled transboundary waters. This certificate also continues to benefit me in the same way while I am conducting my doctoral research.
Mehmet can be contacted at [email protected]
Response provided: August 2018
Larry Anderson
I am an analyst specializing in international security issues. I completed Oregon State's graduate certificate in Water Conflict Management and Transformation to refresh my education with a focus on 21st century issues. I completed my M.S. in Strategic Intelligence at the Joint Military Intelligence College in Washington, D.C. back in the 90's.
My current research focuses on developing scientific and environmental indicators relevant to predictive analysis of fresh water-related conflicts in Asia and Africa. For the past three years (2013-2016), a career development sabbatical has allowed me to study and work alongside scientists and natural resource specialists at the Phinizy Center for Water Science and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
I would recommend this certificate program to anyone involved in water conflict-related work who serves as a negotiator or intermediary. For those dealing with complex water challenges involving communities, villages, countries, and regions, the pool of optimism can often run low. This program will help replenish your hope and optimism by showing you there are practical long-term processes to improve communication and transform conflict into cooperation. Teachers such as Lynette de Silva were incredibly helpful throughout my studies, offering valuable insights that allowed me to quickly reframe many of the issues and see them through fresh eyes.
The photo shows me performing remote sensor maintenance on the Savannah River along the Georgia-South Carolina border.
Response provided: April 2016
L. Nicole Arellano
I came to OSU as a Peace Corps Masters International student in the Water Resources Graduate Program. Todd Jarvis, the PCMI coordinator for the water program, suggested I enroll in the Water Conflict Management and Transformation certificate program as well, and I am glad that I did. The things I learned prepared me well for my time as a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) extensionist in Panama, where I worked with the Ministry of Health and water committees to improve access to WASH resources in rural communities. The training I received through the certificate program helped me to effectively collaborate with others and to navigate conflicts that arose along the way.
With the support of host country nationals and fellow Peace Corps volunteers, I was also able to coordinate monthly sampling of rainfall, surface and groundwater sources across Panama for my MS research, which focuses on using stable isotopes to investigate patterns in hydrologic recharge and water security in the Central America region. I will start doctoral studies this fall in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston where I hope to continue engaging in this kind of research and developing the skills I’ve gained here.
I am grateful for these skills and for how much Lynette de Silva, Aaron Wolf, Todd Jarvis, and other instructors have invested in the WCMT program and its students.
Response provided: April 2019
Harmony Burright
I am a graduate student enrolled in the Water Resources Policy and Management program at Oregon State University. More specifically, I am studying institutional arrangements that facilitate an integrated water resources management approach across working landscapes. I am also a recreational sailor and love spending time on the Columbia River when the wind kicks up.
I am an intern at the Willamette Partnership, which is a non-profit organization based out of Hillsboro, Oregon that is working to increase the pace, scope, and effectiveness of conservation by employing market-based mechanisms. I am managing a project that will merge ecosystem markets, eco-labels and regulatory assurances to maximize benefits to landowners and minimize overall transaction costs.
Response provided: December 2011
Andrea Carson
Your area of water-related interest/research (and MS/PhD focus and title, if you are (or did) pursue one): Public Participation and Environmental Conflict Transformation; Sustainable Development, Water Access Issues, East Asia Title of Thesis: Investments in people and technology: Public participation in the remediation of Dian Lake in Yunnan, China.
If you are working in a natural resources-related field (locally or internationally), tell us about it or let us know what you did for your internship: I'm currently working at the US Army Corps of Engineers' Institute for Water Resources' Collaboration and Public Participation Center of Expertise in Alexandria, Virginia. For my internship, I help Corps' Districts create Public Involvement Plans, build collaborative capacity through trainings and skill-building webinars, and organize and facilitate meetings and workshops to help the Corps and stakeholders find mutually beneficial solutions.
Let us know if acquiring the certificate has/will help you in some unique way: My certificate helped me build the facilitation skills and knowledge-base I needed to immediately tackle the tasks required of me in my fellowship.
If interested, you can share your e-mail address/social media account/blog URL: You can reach me at [email protected] or visit my LinkedIn.
Response provided: January 2016
Brendan A. Galipeau
Research Interests:
Socio-Economic and cultural impacts of hydropower development in China and Southeast Asia, field research with Tibetan communities on the upper Mekong River in China
Current Projects:
I’ve currently been working on three natural resources related projects at OSU and with the World Bank. One was a multi-disciplinary project at OSU and Hobart and Smith Colleges funded by NSF looking at studying the impacts of hydropower in China from three perspectives, socioeconomics, geopolitics, and biophysical. We have developed a model that we hope will be used by various stakeholders throughout the world in river basin planning and management.
I have also been involved with the Universities Consortium on Columbia Basin Governance through OSU. As a graduate student researcher, I was specifically involved with researching the future of the basin and the Columbia River Treaty in order to develop a set of future scenarios/alternatives for the basin that could be used as discussion points during a series of annual symposia featuring various stakeholders and other interested parties.
Third, I have been working with the World Bank’s Africa Water Resources Group on a project titled “Cooperation in International Waters,” in which I have been writing case studies on two river treaties on the Ganges between India and Bangladesh, and India and Nepal. The goal of this project is to focus on turning points in the management of river basins such as treaties and to highlight how such cases might be applied to future decision making in Africa.
How the Certificate has been useful:
Acquiring the certificate has been especially helpful with respect having the opportunity to take a set of interdisciplinary course work outside of my main field of Anthropology; that can be directly applied to my own research. It has also provided me with the opportunity to take part as a researcher in the Columbia River project and gain practical research and collaboration experience. Brendan A. Galipeau is a graduate of OSU's Department of Anthropology.
Response Provided: December 2011
Anna Morgan Hayes
Participated in the Water Conflict Management and Transformations Graduate Certificate Program at Oregon State University. I chose this program because of my work with the Powder Basin Watershed Council in Northeastern Oregon, and because it complimented nicely with the Masters of Natural Resources degree. My focus was on improving water quality and streamflow in the development of my Graduate Capstone entitled, Laws, regulations, and management plans for improving streamflow and stream temperature: A case study in the North Fork Burnt River Watershed. Acquiring my certificate has allowed me to connect to a broader audience and understand water issues on a deeper level in the watershed in which I work. The program helped me to frame solving water conflicts as opportunities for mutual learning instead of obstacles as well as provided me with a myriad of tools to use in my professional life.
Response provided: September 2018
Atley Keller
Degree/water related interest
Masters of Natural Resources. Interested in water conflict management, particularly under California's complicated water governance system
Natural resource-related field
I work for a nonprofit, the Local Government Commission, in Sacramento, California. LGC assists local governments and community leaders to better serve the needs of their communities. My work is directly with water related projects including conservation, water, and land use integration, and groundwater management.
How the certificate has been useful
Pursuing the certificate allowed me to hone in on water conflict and apply what I was learning directly to my work. It has given me an edge in the water sector and will continue to serve me well. The certificate also connected me with other students in similar fields. It has truly been a wonderful experience!
Response Provided: September 2018
Alexandra Liverman
Your area of water-related interest/research: Policy on water quality and quantity in Oregon
If you are working in a natural resources-related field (locally or internationally), tell us about it: I currently work for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. For the past 8 years, I have worked in the Water Quality Division, evaluating proposals for in-stream dredging and fill placement into streams and wetlands. Recently I accepted a position as DEQ's Portland Harbor Stormwater Coordinator, in the Land Quality Division, as a liaison between Cleanup and Water Quality in controlling sources of contamination to the Willamette River Superfund Site to prevent recontamination of the river following the implementation of EPA's in-water cleanup remedies.
If acquiring the certificate will help you in some unique way, tell us about it: No matter what venue I work on water issues in, there is inevitably conflict. Acquiring the skills to better understand diverse perspectives toward finding creative resolutions that serve multiple stakeholders will be invaluable for my career path -- and more importantly, Oregon's water.
Response Provided: February 2012
Patrick MacQuarrie
Patrick MacQuarrie is IUCN's Water Policy and Sustainability Advisor. He joined the IUCN Global Water Programme in August, just one week before the start of one of the year's most important water events: Stockholm World Water Week. Read more about Patrick's work.
Gouri Mahadwar
I am currently an M.S. Student in Water Resources Engineering with a focus on contaminants of emerging concern and microbial ecology. The WCM&T Certificate is complimenting my studies by providing experience with the dynamics of water resources conflicts. For example, I had the opportunity to build a Story Map for the Mid-Coast Water Planning Partnership, as well as participate in multi-stakeholder meetings. My time here has built the multi-faceted skills I hope to apply to interdisciplinary water resources concerns after graduation.
Response provided: August 2019
Dena Marshall
What does completing your Certificate/Minor in Water Conflict Management and Transformation mean to you? How do you feel it will improve your life and career?
For me, the Graduate Certificate in Water Conflict Management and Transformation is an important credential to help distinguish me from my mediator colleagues in a competitive field, and it gives me invaluable substantive training in hydrology, water resources management, economics, and political history. I believe this training will help define my professional niche and provide opportunities for professional growth and development.
Did you have an instructor or adviser who was influential in helping you succeed in the Program?
Aaron Wolf and Todd Jarvis have been unbelievably supportive throughout this program. I always found them both to be supportive, open, accessible, pragmatic, and brilliant resources of information.
What will your Certificate/Minor in Water Conflict Management in Transformation allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
This Certificate will allow me to further define my professional practice and explore new opportunities.
If this applies, what activity did you do to meet the Program’s internship requirement? And how has that impacted your career path, and/or life?
I completed an internship with The Freshwater Trust flow restoration program in the Walla Walla River basin. Through that experience, I learned first-hand how basin stakeholders such as irrigators, tribes, and environmentalists have achieved productive working relationships. After my experiences in that internship, I returned to the basin to research collaborative use agreements, and then later had the opportunity to present at professional conferences and publish in scholarly journals.
Have you just completed, or are you currently pursuing an advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.)? If so, please tell us about the advanced degree and your thesis work. And tell us what the added benefits are to simultaneously pursuing the Certificate/Minor in Water Conflict Management and Transformation.
I am not pursuing a Masters Degree or Ph.D. at this time (though I think about it!). I believe that this graduate certificate, combined with my law degree and dispute resolution training and experience, will be enough training to accomplish my professional goals.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your experiences in this program?
This is an excellent program. I would like to see a water law course included in the curriculum. I would also be particularly interested in pursuing an LLM in water conflict management if one exists. Please let me know!
Dena can be reached at:
Dena Marshall, JD, Cert. in Water Conflict Management & Transformation
Principal, Marshall Mediation
Portland, OR
503-740-7123
[email protected]
www.marshallmediation.net
Response Provided: May 2011
Melissa McCracken
Your area of water-related interest/research (and MS/ Ph.D. focus and title, if you are (or did) pursue one):
I completed the certificate concurrently with my Ph.D. in Geography. My water interests are broadly related to internationally shared rivers and the cooperative process that occurs to govern and manage those resources. My dissertation is specifically working to determine how best to define and measure effective transboundary water cooperation.
Share with us what you did for your internship:
For my internship, I volunteered as an intern with the Global Water Partnership based in Stockholm, Sweden for four months. I worked on their thematic area for transboundary water cooperation. While there, I was given the opportunity to write the first Technical Background Paper for GWP produced by youth and a non-member of the Technical Committee. The paper is an analysis of the Sustainable Development Goal 6.5.2’s methodology for measuring operational cooperation. Watch this video of me at World Water Week at the launch of its publication.
Let us know if acquiring the certificate has/will help you in some unique way:
This certificate gave me the opportunity to complete my internship with the Global Water Partnership. It allowed me to enter into the field of international water governance, make connections, produce research, and expand my horizons. This has vastly helped me in my progress toward completing my research and ultimately my degree. For more on my research and publications see my Research Gate and Academia profiles.
Response Provided: September 2018
Jana Mort
What does completing your Certificate/Minor in Water Conflict Management and Transformation mean to you? How do you feel it will improve your life and career?
This program was more than a top-notch educational experience; it also fulfilled my lifelong dream of attending graduate school. Not only have I accomplished something I never thought I would have the opportunity to do, finishing the program changed my direction in life. Before I even finished the program, I was offered a position in the field of hydrology and water rights.
Did you have an instructor or adviser who was influential in helping you succeed in the Program?
As Associate Director of the program, Lynette de Silva was always available to answer any of my questions, help to solve problems and to point me in the right direction. I really liked the Water Governance and Conflict Management Course with Dr. Todd Jarvis. Dr. Todd Jarvis brought an extraordinary element to water management that was new and exciting. Dr. Todd Jarvis fused his ideas with Professor Aaron Wolf’s concepts and created a class that was exceptional in its ability to mediate water conflict in a whole new light.
What will your Certificate/Minor in Water Conflict Management in Transformation allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
Having the Certificate enabled me to jump to a higher GS level and a higher pay grade. It also took me in a whole new direction from being a Rangeland Management Specialist to a Hydrologist and Water Rights Specialist. It created job security in that there were no other people qualified to take on a water related position.
If this applies, what activity did you do to meet the Program’s internship requirement? And how has that impacted your career path, and/or life?
Internship Position Description - I worked work with Daryl Bingham Natural Resources Specialist for fisheries, riparian, and water quality on the Borax Lake Chub Critical Habitat Fenceline Realignment Environmental Assessment. This Environmental Assessment is for the purpose of protecting the fragile nature of the Borax Lake Chub (Gila boraxobius) habitat. Borax Lake Chub is listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 as a threatened and endangered species. I also worked and consulted with Paul Scheerer from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on current research projects that are being conducted to protect and possibly delist the Borax Lake chub. In addition to this, I found and trapped a new population of Alvord chub and took samples for genetic testing to Professor Doug Markle at the OSU fisheries lab. The testing will take place to determine the genetic differences between Alvord chub and the threatened and endangered Borax Lake chub. Ultimately, we would like to determine whether or not Borax Lake Chub can survive outside of their only known habitat which is Borax Lake. I also researched the proposal by private landowners to harvest the geothermal energy generated within the Tule Spring Allotment near and around Borax Lake.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your experiences in this program?
This program offered a good mix of classes that ranged from Resource Economics where I learned how water and natural resources figure into economic policy, and how water’s history in Environmental Politics and Policy has been played out to create the system we now have today. It was a well rounded program having highly qualified instructors and a large amount of flexibility. Because of my internship experience I now have a large network of water, riparian, and fisheries related professionals that I can contact when needed in my new position as District Hydrologist/ Water Rights Specialist.
Response Provided: July 2010