‘Texas
Water’ seminar series concludes; ‘Global Forum
on Water’ begins

A discussion
on flooding and a global forum will close out the seminars
on water held at Rice this spring.

The final seminar
in the “Seminars on Texas Water” series is set
for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 23.

Examining how
to minimize flooding in populated areas will be speaker
Philip Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering,
and panelists Burton Johnson, Harris County Flood Control;
Kevin Shanley, Bayou Preservation Association; Jim Thompson,
J.F. Thompson Inc.; and Charles Penland, Walter P. Moore
and Associates.

The seminar,
which will be held in Anne and Charles Duncan Hall, is free
and open to the public, but registration is required. For
information or to register, visit <www.ruf.rice.edu/eesi/scs/TexasWater.htm>.

The Global Forum
on Water, April 1-4, will unite leading U.S. and international
scientists, policymakers, activists and creative thinkers
to discuss the state of water in the world.

The event will
feature an examination of “The State of Water in the
World” Friday, April 2, in McMurtry Auditorium, Anne
and Charles Duncan Hall. The forum will include sessions
on “The Hydrological Cycle,” “Water and International
Conflict, the Middle East,” “Global Climate Change
and Water,” “How Climate Change Will Affect Water,”
“Texas Water and the Border,” “Water and
Houston” and “Texas ‘Water Wars’ and
an Overview of Water Management in Texas.” The forum
will continue Saturday, April 3, with the focus on “Revisioning
Water, The Future.” Discussions will include “Global
Water – A New Politics,” “Approaching a New
Ethics,” “Designing Cities for Water,” “Global
Overview of Water Policy-Making,” “Technology,
A Look at the Future,” “Environmental Biotechnology
and Microorganisms” and “Conservation and Innovative
Alternatives.”

The forum is
free and open to the public; however, registration is required
at <www.fotofest.org/ff2004/registration.asp>.

The forum is
co-sponsored by FotoFest and Rice University’s Environmental
and Energy Systems Institute, Shell Center for Sustainability
and Center for the Study of Environment and Society. For
information, visit <www.fotofest.org>
or <www.ruf.rice.edu/~eesi/>.