WRRC WRITING CONTEST - WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH CENTER
WRITING CONTEST FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT ARIZONA’S THREE UNIVERSITIES
WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The winners of the Water Resources Research Center’s newly inaugurated annual writing contest for undergraduate students at The University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University have been selected.  Eric Betz, a student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Communication at Northern Arizona University won the Grand Prize of $100.00.  His article on El Niño’s effect on water supplies, “A Warm Wave Brings Wet Weather,” also won the prize for best article from Northern Arizona University.

The prize for the best article from Arizona State University was split between Katherine Cai, a student in the Department of Chemical Engineering and John Kondziolka, in the Department of Civil Engineering.  Ms. Cai wrote on the subject of water contamination by TCE.  Mr. Kondziolka’s article “Watching Arizona’s Drought,” dealt with the need for water conservation.

Contest rules stated that articles should be approximately 1,000 words in length and should be written in the style of a magazine or newspaper feature.  Only one entry per student was accepted.  An independent panel of writing professionals evaluated the articles on the basis of clarity, coherence, style, grammar, interest, and factual accuracy.  The panel included Betsy Woodhouse,  former publisher of Southwest Hydrology magazine; Shaun McKinnon, the Environment, Water and Climate reporter for The Arizona Republic, and Joanna Dodder Nellans, reporter for The Daily Courier newspaper for the Prescott area communities.

The contest is a unique opportunity for student writers to see their work published.  The winning articles will be published in the Arizona Water Resource, a quarterly newsletter for state and regional water news and information.  The Arizona Water Resource reaches a wide audience that includes university researchers, water professionals and policy makers.

A disappointment to contest organizers, this first WRRC writing contest failed to attract entries from UA students. Whatever the reason UA students did not enter the contest, it was not for a lack of interest in water or writing talents.  We look forward to UA entries when the second annual WRRC student writing contest is conducted in the fall semester, 2010.

For additional information, contact Susanna Eden seden@cals.arizona.edu.