Solving Water Availability: A Case for Interdisciplinary Research | All Swell?

November 22, 2022

And, introducing the newest member of the All Swell? team!

In this episode, Kyra from the ECU chapter of The Coastal Society is traveling to Golden, Colorado to attend the AGU Chapman Conference on Solving Water Availability Challenges through an Interdisciplinary Framework. While in Colorado, she met with three early career researchers, Bridget Bittmann, Master student at Boise State University, Nathan Bonham, PhD student at University of Colorado, Boulder and Edgar Guerron, PhD student at University of Southern Florida. They talk about their respective work, how they became interested in water related issues, their impression of the novel conference format which included a case study element, and how interdisciplinary research is the way forward to solving deeply interconnected issues facing human existence like the water crisis.

To get in touch with the interviewees, please send them an email:

Bridget Bittmann: bridgetbittmann@u.boisestate.edu

Nathan Bonham: Nathan.Bonham@colorado.edu

Edgar Guerron: edgarguerron@usf.edu

To learn more about the conference, go to: https://www.agu.org/Chapmans-Water-Availability

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Genevieve “GG” Guerry, Kyra Hagge, Rory Kuczek, Kathryn Lienhard, and Nat Blackford

American Shoreline Podcast Network teamed up with graduate and professional students from student chapters of The Coastal Society to highlight voices in coastal science and management. Together they’ve created All Swell?, an innovative podcast that dives into current ocean and coastal issues, their potential solutions, and the people leading the way toward a more resilient future. The podcast creators and hosts this year are from East Carolina University and Duke University. Genevieve “GG” Guerry and Kyra Hagge are Ph.D. candidates at East Carolina. GG is interested in public health and aims to work on the public perception of forever chemicals such as PFAS in the Cape Fear watershed and climate migration. Kyra is integrating behavioral economics and social psychology with hydrogeology to tackle questions about pro-environmental behavior and adoption of green technology along the coast of North Carolina. Kathryn Lienhard, Nat Blackford, and Rory Kuczek are Master of Environmental Management students at Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment. Kathryn is interested in coastal resilience, ecosystem restoration, and community engagement. She is currently working at Duke’s Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC. Nat is interested in how we manage our coastal ecosystems - from coastal forests to marshes to seagrass meadows. These coastal environments are some of the most densely populated areas on the planet, have huge ecological and cultural significance, and sequester and store large amounts of carbon. Aurora Kuczek, is a master of Environmental Management student at Duke University studying Ecosystem Science and Conservation. She is interested in coastal restoration, particularly as it relates to wildlife conservation, and how local communities can get involved in restoration processes to make real change for their environments they are closely intertwined with and rely upon to survive.