Film Screening and Panel Conversation
When
Please join us for an engaging evening conversation about water in Arizona.
The agenda will feature opening remarks from Kim Patten, Senior Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff in the University of Arizona's Office of Research and Partnerships, and David W. Hahn, Craig M. Berge Dean of the College of Engineering.
Stay for a screening of the Water Reuse Consortium documentary Flowing Forward: Shared Water, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Daniel Druhora and featuring UA Associate Professors in Chemical and Environmental Engineering Kerri Hickenbottom and Andrea Achilli, principal investigator of the Water Resiliency Program and co-director of the Water and Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center.
The screening will be followed by a panel conversation on The Future of Water Resiliency and Security.
Light refreshments will be provided.
AGENDA
| 4:30pm | Welcome & Introductory Remarks | Andrea Achilli, WEST Center Deputy Director |
| 4:40pm | Office of Research & Partnerships | Kim Patten, Sr. Assoc. Vice President for Research |
| 4:45pm | Film Screening | Flowing Forward: Shared Water |
| 5:10pm | Panel Introduction | Andrea Achilli, WEST Center Deputy Director |
| 5:15pm | Panel Conversation | The Future of Water Resiliency & Security |
| 5:55 | Closing Remarks | Andrea Achilli, WEST Center Deputy Director |
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Daniel Druhora is an Emmy-winning filmmaker whose work follows ordinary people caught in the sweep of extraordinary global forces. Whether documenting students engineering life-saving solutions in conflict zones (Lives Not Grades), a mother battling addiction beneath Alaska's northern lights (Frequency of Hope), or the hidden architects of the early internet (Cloudwalkers), his films explore the charged intersection of humanity and history. His work has appeared on PBS, Amazon, ARTE, RTE, MUBI, TG4, ARD and at festivals around the world. An educator and science + tech communicator at the University of Southern California, he also teaches courses in filmmaking and innovation for global challenges and is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Sharon B. Megdal is Director of the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC), a Cooperative Extension center and a research unit in the College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences. Other primary titles are Professor and Specialist in the Department of Environmental Science, C.W. & Modene Neely Endowed Professor, and Distinguished Outreach Professor. Sharon Megdal is the lead editor of the book, Shared Borders, Shared Waters: Israeli-Palestinian and Colorado River Basin Water Challenges, and she has guest edited several special journal issues. Sharon Megdal serves on the Board of Governors for the Kasser Joint Institute for Food, Water, and Energy Security, the Leadership Team for the Colorado River Basin Water & Tribes Initiative, the Women in Water Diplomacy Network’s Global Leadership Council, and Governor Hobbs’ Water Policy Council.
Scott Schladweiler serves as Deputy Director of Tucson Water, bringing over 27 years of leadership in public utility management, infrastructure planning, and engineering. Prior to returning to Tucson Water in 2021, Scott led water and wastewater operations as Water Director for the Town of Marana. His expertise spans capital project delivery, regulatory compliance, and advancing sustainable water solutions for Arizona communities. Scott is a native Tucsonan, a registered professional engineer, and holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona. Bear Down!
Kerri Hickenbottom is an associate professor in the department of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of Arizona. She completed her BS degree in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, and her MS and PhD degrees in environmental science and engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Her research is centered on the development of novel engineered systems for resource recovery and reclamation of concentrate streams. She has investigated the technical, economic and environmental life cycle impacts of a hybrid, membrane-based process (pressure retarded osmosis-membrane distillation) for energy generation from low-grade heat, forward osmosis for advanced treatment and recovery of drilling wastewater from hydraulic fracturing, and membrane distillation for management of concentrate streams.
General (Ret) Thomas E. Kunkel serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Kyl Institute for National Security where he leverages more than 30 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Air Force and NATO. He brings deep expertise in operations, strategy, and leadership from a career dedicated to advancing national security and organizational excellence. His military career culminated as Commander of NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Force in Geilenkirchen, Germany, providing critical surveillance, command and control, and communications capabilities to NATO and its allies. Previously, he served as a legislative liaison to the U.S. House of Representatives and as Commander of the 23d Wing and Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and Master’s degrees in Military and Strategic Leadership and National Resource Strategy from the Air Force Institute of Technology and The Eisenhower School, respectively.
Moderator: Andrea Achilli is an associate professor in the department of chemical and environmental engineering and environmental science at the University of Arizona, as well as a member of the BIO5 Institute and deputy director of the WEST Center within AIR. His main fields of research are membrane processes for desalination and water reuse and energy recovery from water and wastewater. Additional research focuses on process integration, modelling, and optimization and biological processes for water and wastewater treatments. He is the principal investigator on several research processes on membrane contactor processes and hybrid systems for desalination and water reuse.