Water Science is at the Forefront of Renewed PSU-USGS Partnership

Portland State is home to many wonderful resources, but a lesser-known one is the U.S. Geological Survey’s Oregon Water Science Center (ORWSC). The ORWSC houses about 85 government scientists, technicians, and support staff who work on all things water, including streamflow, groundwater, water quality, salmon habitat, invasive species and much more.

The ORWSC moved onto campus in 2007 as part of the USGS-PSU Partnership (UPP), which recently renewed its efforts to improve connections and engagement between the two parties. Historically, joint research projects were fairly ad hoc, but included faculty and staff from PSU’s Center for Lakes and Reservoirs (CLR), professors in the Geography and Geology departments, and more. Over time, normal staff turnover meant that there were fewer relationships between the two organizations, and the number of collaborations dwindled. 

In early 2019, the core UPP management team brought in the Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS) to provide professional project and partnership management support. The goal is for ISS to create the foundation necessary to expand the partnership into a deeply collaborative and intentional relationship between ORWSC staff and PSU faculty and students. The team’s vision is a relationship that is defined by innovative partnerships on impactful research projects; highly integrated student training and employment pathways; coordinated strategic priorities; leveraging complementary expertise; and sharing data, resources and physical space across institutions.

The partnership officially re-launched in September 2019 with a workshop that brought together about 40 researchers from both institutions. Attendees participated in structured networking designed to help them create new professional connections; learned about best practices for joint research; and engaged in a Q&A about an internal grant program specifically designed to support collaborative research projects. 

In addition to supporting joint research, the UPP’s priorities for 2020 include creating pathways for ongoing student internships, volunteer and job opportunities at ORWSC; connecting ORWSC researchers into PSU classrooms across a variety of disciplines; and facilitating the sharing of data, equipment and resources.