Peter Debaere – Global Water Blog

Q&A with Tam Nguyen about “The Business of Water”

On March 3, Tam Nguyen gave the first talk of the eighth annual World Water Events, a collaboration between the Global Water Initiative and the Darden Business School. Nguyen is the global sustainability officer of The Bechtel Corporation and president of bechtel.org, the company’s social enterprise. He formulated…

By Peter Debaere- March 25, 2021

Uncategorized

Q&A with Justin Schon on Water, Violence and Migration

There is a long and growing literature that seeks to better understand the relationship between water (and climate change more broadly) and the prevalence of violence. The discussion has gone way beyond the occasional public statements that “future wars will be about water,” and there is a growing realization that…

By Peter Debaere- February 10, 2021

Access to Drinking Water, Built Environment, Innovation, Water Technology

Q&A with Ankur Pathak about Desalination on the High Sea

Before studying at Darden, Ankur Pathak (MBA 2021) was an engineer traveling the world aboard massive oil tankers. His last ship was a product oil Panamax tanker that measured two soccer fields long and half a soccer field wide. It just fit through the Panama Canal. Pathak was responsible for…

By Peter Debaere- November 16, 2020

Water & Society, Water Policy

Q&A with Sharon Megdal about Groundwater as a Wicked Problem

Professor Sharon Megdal is the director of The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center and a professor in the Department of Environmental Science at the same university. Her work focuses on water policy and management. Due to the corona virus lockdown in April, Megdal gave a virtual talk as…

By Peter Debaere- July 24, 2020

Access to Drinking Water, Infrastructure, Water and the Coronavirus, Water Quality, Water Technology

Water Infrastructure & the Coronavirus: We Need to Upgrade More than Ever

Part of a Special Series: Water & the VirusThe coronavirus and policy responses of lockdowns and social distancing are bringing the world economy to a halt. We will use this water blog as a space in which to gain some insights into how the water sector is affected—as…

By Peter Debaere- June 2, 2020

Water & Society, Water Policy, Water Quality

Q&A with Seth M. Siegel on our troubled drinking water

On March 3, New York Times bestselling author Seth M. Siegel came to the University of Virginia to talk about his newest book, “Troubled Water: What’s Wrong with What We Drink.” Siegel’s last book, “Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World,” focused on…

By Peter Debaere- April 13, 2020

Uncategorized, Water & Society, Water Quality, Water Technology

Q&A with Charles Burgis, Winner of the 2019 Global Water Initiative Prize for His Work on Storm Water Denitrification Infrastructure (Part II)

In November, the Global Water Initiative held its second Graduate Water Colloquium, bringing together some 40 graduate students and faculty who study water-related questions at UVA. Graduate students from systems engineering, environmental engineering, environmental science, and architecture presented their work. The effort was led by Professors Teresa Culver and…

By Peter Debaere- February 25, 2020

Climate Change, Environment, Infrastructure, Uncategorized, Water & Society, Water Technology

Q&A with Faria Tuz Zahura, Winner of the 2019 Global Water Initiative (GWI) Prize, on Machine Learning and Urban Coastal Street Flooding (Part I)

In November, the Global Water Initiative held its second Graduate Water Colloquium, bringing together some 40 graduate students and faculty who study water-related questions at UVA. Graduate students in systems engineering, environmental engineering, environmental science, and architecture presented their work. The effort was led by Teresa Culver and Maria…

By Peter Debaere- February 10, 2020