ACCESSING THE FUTURE The water below the surface is useless unless trained professionals can access it safely. CAS Outreach is leading the way in workforce development with courses and training materials to prepare future generations of groundwater professionals. “There are several different positions within the groundwater industry that are needed to get the water to our faucets,” said Dr. Caitlin Barnes, director of CAS Outreach. “The more involved I got in conversations about the industry, the more I came to realize people don’t really even know this industry exists.” Compounding this lack of awareness is the Department of Labor Statistics’ estimate that 130,000 geoscience positions will need to be filled by 2029. Amidst the shortage of workers, the industry is expected to also grow by 5% by 2031. In response to these issues — and knowing the resources available at OSU — groundwater industry leaders approached CAS about building selfpaced courses taught by subject matter experts designed to prepare individuals with varying experience levels to join the groundwater workforce. Barnes worked with Halihan in the Boone Pickens School of Geology, her CAS Outreach colleagues and the National Ground Water Association to head up NGWA University Powered by OSU. Now in its fifth year, NGWAU has provided training to people in 24 states and six countries. Complementing the NGWAU workforce development program is Awesome Aquifer 360, a K-12 outreach program aimed at instilling an interest in earth sciences in the classroom. It has reached 387 schools, 42 states and more than 40,000 students. “If we don’t have people filling these positions, we’re going to lose a foundational infrastructure across the nation that helps us access clean water,” Barnes said. “We’ve been accessing water for a very long time, and it is shocking that we could lose that knowledge because no one is paying attention to how we get water from point A to point B.” To bring focus to groundwater’s essential role in providing clean water to communities, Barnes and her team launched a national public awareness campaign in February. The centerpiece PSA, which begins with a medical professional turning on the tap to find dirty water pouring out, has reached 56 million people in 46 states and 27 countries, airing on networks like CNN, HGTV, TNT and Discovery. “It was important to convey that you don’t have a medical industry — you don’t have anything — without clean water,” Barnes said. “It has been exciting to hear from people who have seen the PSA organically and to see that they really are absorbing the message. People who are watching this can make an impact by telling their friends and creating that chain of awareness.” Learn more about groundwater at OSU by visiting groundwater.okstate.edu. FROM DREAMS TO REALITY OSU alumna Lily Chavez, who was featured in the 2023 issue of Connect, has raised over $60 thousand for her nonprofit, Wishes for Water. The organization has funded the drilling of three boreholes at Chivakanenyama Primary School in Zimbabwe and fenced in five acres of land for school gardens, complete with a new irrigation system. SCAN THE QR CODE TO READ MORE. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 15 Scan to watch exclusive content about OSU’s groundwater research.
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