TAMIU Hosts Symposium Focused on Water as Life and Resource
Texas A&M International University's (TAMIU) Environmental Studies Initiative (TAMIU-ESI) hosted its first-ever Symposium, “Eyes on the Water: A Confluence of Perspectives on Water as Life and Resource,” Friday, Nov. 8, from 1 - 6 p.m. at the TAMIU Student Center.
The event was free and open to the public.
This timely Symposium brought together professionals from academic, government organizations, journalism, and non-profit initiatives to discuss the region's water quality and quantity in a series of interactive panels.
Laredo has been in the recent grip of an extended and concerning water boil mandate that has heightened interest in and awareness about water and its pivotal role in the lives of all individuals and communities.
Dr. Rosario Sánchez Flores, director of the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters, senior research scientist, and primary investigator for the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act Program, delivered the Symposium’s keynote speech. She holds a Ph.D. in Water Management from Texas A&M University.
Panel presentations were offered by Martin Castro, Martha Pskowski, Dr. Alexis Racelis, Dr. Thomas C. Vaughan, and others.
Castro is the watershed director for the Rio Grande International Study Center. Formerly, he served as the water master specialist with the Rio Grande Watermaster Program under the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Pskowski, a reporter on climate change and the environment in Texas for Inside Climate News, covers oil and gas, drought, heat, pollution, and more. Previously, she worked as an environmental reporter at the El Paso Times and a freelance journalist for outlets like The Guardian and Yale E360.
Dr. Racelis is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s (UTRGV) School for Earth, Environmental, and Marine Science. He is the director of UTRGV’s Agroecology and Resilient Food Systems Program and co-director of the UTRGV Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Advancement.
Dr. Vaughan is co-founder, former president, and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Rio Grande International Studies Center. He is a longtime ecologist, educator, and expert on water testing for fecal coliform, bacteria, and E. coli.
TAMIU-ESI seeks to identify, engage, and constructively resolve environmental issues stemming from human (in)action. Academically, it harnesses various disciplines to explore the complex relationship between human society and the environment.
Additionally, TAMIU-ESI aims to partner with organizations and institutions across the community, from local to international, to effect environmentally focused interventions, studies, and social events that bring awareness to the complexities of our human/environment relationship and its challenges.
Learn more about TAMIU-ESI by visiting https://www.tamiu.edu/coas/lla/esi/
For more information, contact Julian Peña, coordinator for TAMIU-ESI, by calling 956.326.3167, or emailing julian.pena@tamiu.edu.
Registration for the Wintermester and Spring 2025 at TAMIU begins Nov. 4, 2024, at 8 a.m.
University news and information are found online at tamiu.edu and via TAMIU’s social channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
