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Conference continued from page 1 and dam construction to control flooding and allow for commercial barge traffic make the river we see today markedly different from its pre-settlement state. Anfinson currently works on many proj- ects designed to restore the River's health and optimal function. The first day's luncheon presenta- tion by author James Chiles provided an analysis of the ways in which agencies and organizations currently communicate in- ternally and the effectiveness of different practices. He said that the most effective communication involves amulti-leveled opportunity for input and feedback. This talk was set against the backdrop of Mr. Chile's experiences investigating natural and human disasters, which are the sub- ject of his book, Inviting Disaster: Lessons from the Edge of Technology. Dr. Steven Taff of the University of Minnesota Department of Applied Economics and Mark Collins, an engineer with HDR Engineering, delivered the second day's plenary address, "Biofuels Production. Implications on Water Qual- ity and Quantity;' which Dr. Taff began by discussing the economic benefits of corn-based biofuels. He said that, while corn supplies a very high ratio of energy return to input, it also has greater adverse ecological impacts in the area of nutrient loading and increased runoff compared to alternative sources of biofuel. Because the current agricultural infrastructure supports corn-based of ethanol produc- tion, however, conversion to alternative biofuels would be very costly and should be considered carefully. Mr. Collins concluded this presentation with an in- depth demonstration of the structure and engineering within corn-based ethanol facilities. Patrick Brezonik delivered the second day's luncheon presentation. Outlining his tenure as program director of envi- ronmental engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF), Brezonik highlighted an increasing trend in inter- agency and interdisciplinary collabora- tion. 'As methods become increasingly sophisticated, consultation across disci- plines becomes increasingly necessary," said Brezonik. One example of a collaborative effort in water resources is the Subcommit- tee on Water Availability and Quality (SWAQ), an entity with representation from several agencies at the federal level, working to set science policy on water. Such interagency representation allows for "improved pathways to enhance capa- bilities; said Brezonik. These capabilities will result in a greater capacity to solve problems in water management and sci- ence. Brezonik also described a blueprint for a large NSF environmen- tal observa- tory initiative, the "Waters Network," an interdisci- plinary effort encompassing the social, biological, and physi- cal sciences. Collaboration across disciplines is woven heavily in the fabric of the proposed network, continued Brezonik, stating that "work and synthesis at a multi.-diseiplin- ary level will be paramount to the better- ment of water research and education" The broad range of concurrent ses- sions offered during this two-day event included; "Groundwater Recharge form a Changing Landscape" by Timothy Erickson and Heinz Stephan, "New Ba1- iast Water Treatment Technologies: Are We Killing Potentially Invasive Algae?" by Euan Reavie, "River Turbidity and the Optics of Sediment Suspension" by Eric Merten, et al. and "Drainage lX~ater Man- agement to Reduce Edge-of-Field Nitrate Loss in Southwest Minnesota" by Stacey Burns and Jeffrey Strock. Additionally, some of the posters pre- sentations this year were titled, "Effects of Macroinvertebrate Availability, Diet, and Habitat on Reintroduction Success of Slimy Sculpin Southwest Minnesota" by Rebecca Bronk, "Spatial and Tempo- ral Variation of Mercury in Minnesota Streams and Rivers° by Martin Tsui, Edward Nater, and Jaques Finlay and "A Water-Based Nitrogen Budgetfor the University of Minnesota St Paul Cam- pus" by Erica Schram and Jim Perry. The next Water Conference has been tentatively scheduled for October 21-22, 2008. Mnnegram 3 December 2007 University of Minnesota Water Resources Science alumna Erica Shram (left) and Glenn Skuta of the MPCA take a moment from discussing her poster presentation. Representative Dennis Ozment displays his letter of appreciation. From left to right: Water Resources Center (WRC) Co-Director Faye Sleeper, John Thene, Rep. Ozment and WRC Co-director Jim Anderson.