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 Dr. Wendy Graham, Director of the UF Water Institute, is off to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a year!,

Dear Water Institute Faculty, Students and Friends:

I am excited to let you know that I will be spending next academic year (August 2015-August 2016) at the National Science Foundation in Washington DC! I will serve as a Program Director in the Division of Hydrologic Sciences (Geosciences Directorate) at NSF, serve on the NSF committee that is developing the new NSF research initiative Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS) , and will be the NSF representative on the US Global Change Research Program committee that will be developing interagency research priorities for better understanding the impacts of the changing water cycle on key sectors such as health, energy, infrastructure and agriculture.

Dr. Tom Frazer (frazer@ufl.edu ), Director of the School and Natural Resources and Environment, has graciously agreed to serve as Acting Director of the UF Water Institute while I am at NSF. Tom is an ideal candidate to serve as Acting Water Institute Director. In his current role as SNRE Director he has a campus-wide mandate similar to that of the Water Institute; he has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research and education; he has served on the Water Institute Faculty Advisory Committee since the Water Institute was formed in 2006, and served as Chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee from 2010-2011. Working with Tom throughout the year will be our excellent Water Institute staff: Administrative Assistant Mary Garvin (megarvin@ufl.edu) , and Research Coordinators Lisette Staal (lstaal@ufl.edu ) and Carol Lippincott (calippincott@ufl.edu).

I hope that next year will provide a unique opportunity for me to identify strategic new research directions and partnerships for the University of Florida in general, and the UF Water Institute in particular; to gain insights into successful proposal writing for large interdisciplinary programs; and to renew and refresh my own research program. I look forward to sharing my new perspectives with you all when I return!

I will be coming back to Gainesville from time to time, including to attend the February 16-17 2016 Water Institute Symposium which is shaping up to be an exciting event. I hope to see you there!

Wendy