Stephanie DeVries

Addressing water challenges faced by Wisconsin communities is a key goal of the Wisconsin Water Resources Science-Policy Postdoctoral Fellowship—and that is just what Stephanie DeVries accomplished during her recently ended tenure as the 2018-19 Fellow. DeVries lent her expertise to the city of Waupaca by studying increasing nitrate concentrations in two of its seven municipal wells. At the May 21 meeting of the Waupaca Common Council, DeVries presented her findings. She had traveled to the central Wisconsin community frequently over the preceding year, doing fieldwork to inform the creation of a sophisticated, 3D groundwater flow model. She designed the model to explore several key questions related to this increased nitrate contamination. Wells #5 and #6 lie just south of the city proper in the town of Lind. Together, these two wells provide up…
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Carolyn Voter

Voter Elects to Become Debut WRI Fellow Carolyn Voter will be charged with compiling the annual report the state Groundwater Coordinating Council submits to the legislature. Groundwater brought Carolyn Voter to Wisconsin, and groundwater is what’s kept her here. It’s also the centerpiece of her latest career step:  Voter, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is set to become the first Wisconsin Water Resources Institute Policy Fellow. The newly created position will be shared with and housed within the structure of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Voter will be charged with analyzing statistical data, compiling information and creating the annual report the state Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) submits to the state legislature detailing the results of groundwater research funded by WRI and DNR and other state agencies.…
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Alex Latzka

Switching from Lakes to Streams: Alex Latzka, New Water Resources Policy Fellow  Although he grew up in Massachusetts, Alex Latzka fell in love with Wisconsin’s lakes and streams when visiting relatives in his youth. That love led him to receive a Ph.D. in freshwater and marine sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Limnology. For his course of study, Latzka worked mainly on lake conservation and management issues such as aquatic invasive species impacts. Later, during his post-doctoral position with McGill University in Quebec, he studied the effects of water-level drawdowns in reservoirs on fish growth rates. Through all of this, Latzka interacted with government agencies and citizen groups, seeking answers to their questions and concerns.  “I tried to be an engaged scientist and ask questions relevant to agencies…
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