Research

Turbulence (Little Cottonwood Creek, Wasatch Mountains, Utah)

A primary goal of the Center is to facilitate original, interdisciplinary research on the complexity of water and water-related processes in environmental systems and on the interconnections between these processes and human society.

The main focus of CWACES is on fundamental research questions related to the hydrological cycle, the connections of this cycle to atmospheric, ecological, geomorphological and biogeochemical systems, and the interconnections between society and all aspects of water-related environmental processes. Complexity and sustainability are central research themes. The Center provides an administrative framework to support activities for enhancing research productivity and for generating innovative ideas or approaches via collaborative interaction among participating scholars. It seeks to organize research initiatives that require interdisciplinary teams for success and that transcend the domain of any individual department, school or college. The Center also serves to connect university expertise with interdisciplinary expertise at the Illinois state scientific surveys. Specific aims of the Center are to:

  • provide leadership in the organization of interdisciplinary research teams and in the management of interdisciplinary research projects related to water in the environment.
  • provide an infrastructure for effectively coordinating institutional commitments that may be required or expected as matching components of external grants.
  • stimulate multidisciplinary approaches to water research through seminars, workshops, colloquiua, and lectures by faculty, affiliated scientists and visiting scholars.
  • serve as a clearinghouse for information about water research opportunities for faculty and students.
  • promote integration of research on water across campus by providing opportunities for interaction and exchange of ideas among faculty.
  • provide support facilities for proposal development, preparation and submission.
  • help to coordinate campus-based research with research conducted by federal, state and local agencies, such as the Illinois Water Resources Center, Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois Water Survey, Illinois Natural History Survey and the Illinois Water Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey.