July 27,2020
A new Graduate Portfolio in Food-Energy-Water Systems (FEWS) will be offered beginning Fall 2020. The portfolio will help prepare graduate students to become effective and productive FEWS leaders who will develop the next generation of water and energy solutions for food production, and in doing so serve the public good.
A major challenge in Texas, the U.S, and the world is water scarcity in agriculture. Drought, overuse of water resources, deteriorating water quality, and climate change are contributing to increasingly frequent, and sometimes permanent, water shortages for agriculture. Another complication is the expense and environmental impact of using conventional energy sources to provide agricultural water. Addressing these challenges requires innovation in water supply and treatment, as well as in energy production and delivery.
The new graduate portfolio will provide foundational training to address these challenges in courses focused on technology innovation, public policy, and complex systems integration, while still allowing students to become domain experts in a more focused topic specific to their field of study.
Approved courses are available across three prominent schools at The University of Texas at Austin - the Cockrell School of Engineering, the Jackson School of Geosciences, and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Contributing programs include Operations Research and Industrial Engineering (ORI), Civil Engineering (CAEE), Electrical Engineering (ECE), Geological Sciences (GEO), Mechanical Engineering (ME), Chemical Engineering (ChE), and Public Affairs (PAff). Additional programs and courses may be added to address each student’s career goals.
The FEWS graduate portfolio is open to current master’s and PhD graduate students in the university’s STEM-related and policy programs, with prior approval of the Graduate Advisor in the student’s primary degree program.
Questions? Please contact program administrator
