More than 100 water professionals, researchers and agricultural producers gathered Aug. 12-14 in Dallas for the Texas A&M AgriLife Water Symposium and to work toward future collaborations addressing Texas water challenges.
Hosted by the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), Texas A&M AgriLife, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas, the event provided attendees with introductory overviews presented by representatives of each Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center around the state, every department in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences conducting water-related research, and every AgriLife institute conducting water research.
“Excellence in scientific discovery and applied research was on full display at this symposium,” said Giovanni Piccinni, Ph.D., TWRI director. “I was incredibly proud to help guide this event, and we look forward to the multidisciplinary efforts that will grow from it.”
Keynote speakers Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, CEO of the Texas Water Foundation, Richard Avery, Ph.D., director of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and Cliff Lamb, Ph.D., director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, provided insights on 2025’s Texas water outlook. And, three dynamic panels of Texas water leaders and innovators discussed various perspectives on municipal water supply issues, Texas water policy, and Texas water supplies.
“There needs to be a cultural shift, a shift in mindset,” Schlessinger said, discussing how Texans relate to water supplies.
On day two of the symposium, a comprehensive look at water-related research within AgriLife inspired attendees to look for new connections and seek innovative and multidisciplinary ways to solve the complicated water issues facing the state.
“We have entered an era where big problems require multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and programming,” said David Baltensperger, Ph.D., head of Texas A&M’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.
The symposium’s broad scope gave attendees a comprehensive view of current water research in Texas A&M AgriLife, and future opportunities.
“Rivers need springs, springs need land, and if I could make an addition to that, it would be — land needs stewards,” said Roel Lopez, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute and head of Texas A&M’s Department of Range, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. “Those are the three things that I think connect water conservation and stewardship in our state.”
“I greatly appreciate the team that put together such an awesome Water Symposium,” Piccinni said. “The lineup of speakers was top-notch, and the panel discussions were very engaging — really great work all around.”
Funding for the event was provided by the W.G. Mills Memorial Endowment, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas Water Resources Institute
Piccinni thanked the symposium planning committee for assembling such an insightful speaker lineup, and he gave a special thank you to Christopher Cobos, soil and crop sciences doctoral student at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Lubbock, and Joseph Burke, Ph.D., soil and crop sciences assistant professor at Lubbock, for their instrumental work in organizing the symposium.
“I want to thank TWRI for hosting this, because it has been a great learning experience and great to be with some of our key commodity stakeholders — pecan growers, wheat producers and more,” said Won Bo Shim, Ph.D., head of Texas A&M’s Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology.
Presentations from the symposium are available for download. View photos from the symposium here.
