TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s Water Research-to-Operations National Science Foundation Research Traineeship program celebrated the graduation of its 2024-2025 cohort, marking the completion of a transformative year-long journey that took students from a variety of forecasting and operations centers in the Southeastern United States to cutting-edge research partnerships across four European countries.
The interdisciplinary program, implemented by the Alabama Water Institute and Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology, or CIROH, combines training in hydrology, artificial intelligence and decision-making to address growing water challenges in a changing climate culminating with the production of a use-inspired, tangible project output (i.e. synthesis paper, scientific study, model development, data development, etc.) at the program’s ending.
“The 2024-2025 NSF NRT cohort group began with our operational hydrology study tour in August 2024,” said Dr. Hannah Holcomb, Water-R2O program coordinator and AWI research education program manager. “This unique group of students truly built their own ‘community’ as they gained knowledge and explored the world of hydrology. During their journey, they teamed on projects, assignments and adventures, including several joining the June 2025 international experience.”
Building Foundations Through Partnerships in the Southeast
The cohort’s journey began with visits to operational hydrologic forecasting centers across the Southeast, including the Tennessee Valley Authority’s River Forecast Center, NOAA’s National Water Center and the National Weather Service’s Southeast River Forecast Center. These experiences provided crucial exposure to the practical applications of water science in real-world operations.
Unlike traditional academic programs, Water-R2O immerses students in collaborative-driven challenges from day one, preparing graduates to translate research into actionable water management strategies.
Unique Experiential Learning Opportunities
The program’s immersive experiential learning requirement allows students to choose from multiple pathways, including participation in an education abroad program, internships with industry partners or participation in specialized institutes, especially those offered on UA’s campus during the summer – USGS Future Leaders Observation of Water, FLOW, Academy or Water Prediction Innovators Summer Institute. This flexibility ensures each student can tailor their experience to their research interests and career goals.
Some students chose the international component, traveling across Europe in June 2025 to establish research partnerships and gain exposure to global water forecasting operations. Their journey included stops at the Rachel Carson Center in Munich, Germany, where they met with Dr. Christof Mauch, the center’s director, for insights into environmental policy integration.
In Slovenia, participants visited the Slovenian Environment Agency, building on established research collaboration between UA’s Dr. Glenn Tootle and University of Ljubljana’s Dr. Nejc Bezak. This partnership has produced published research, including a recent paper titled “Extraordinary 21st Century Drought in the Po River Basin (Italy)” with current NRT student Abel Andres Ramirez Molina as lead author.
“Meteorologists don’t care about country borders, they care about natural borders,” observed Ramirez Molina during his visit to Meteotrentino weather forecast center in Trento, Italy, capturing the essence of international water science collaboration.
Field Research and Technical Skills Development
For students who participated in the international experience, hands-on research opportunities included intensive fieldwork at the University of Innsbruck and Hintertux Glacier in Austria. Participants engaged in snow-density laboratory demonstrations, learning how snowpack accumulation and melt account for 60-80% of annual runoff in Alpine streams.
“The University of Innsbruck is unique and ideal to study hydrologic, meteorologic and cryospheric phenomena at various spatial scales because of the surrounding region’s diverse topography,” noted participant Alisha Webb. “Mountains and glaciers are easily accessible to researchers on campus, so field work is more efficient, widespread and collaborative between departments.”
The fieldwork included tree-coring demonstrations led by Tootle, where students extracted and analyzed core samples using field microscopes. This hands-on experience directly supported their paleohydrology coursework and European streamflow reconstruction research.
“Tree coring was a great experience for us to practice field methods used in paleoclimate water research that we work with in NRT,” said participant Shelby Jordan. “These samples can be used to extend our knowledge of the past climate before instrumental records, informing decisions made by water professionals.”
Meanwhile, other students pursued equally valuable experiences through mentorship with undergraduate students in a hydrology-related REU program, or specialized summer training programs, ensuring all graduates gained practical, real-world exposure to water science applications.
Transformative Learning Through Team Science
The program’s emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration produced tangible research outcomes while building lasting professional relationships. Students from civil engineering, environmental engineering, geography, computer science, electrical engineering and biology departments worked together throughout the year.
“The NRT has been a life changing experience for me, and I’ve met several amazing friends and made good professional connections through it,” said graduating student Brodie Alexander, reflecting on the program’s community-building aspect.
Preparing Tomorrow’s Water Science Leaders
The Water-R2O NRT program’s innovative approach to team science, use-inspired research and co-production of learning has prepared graduates to contribute meaningfully to the operational hydrology and hydrologic forecasting workforce and research community. Their collaborative research, international partnerships and published work demonstrate the program’s success in developing the next generation of water science leaders.
“As they move forward in either academics or the workforce, it was a real pleasure to engage with them as they truly represent the best of the UA graduate student body,” Holcomb said.
New Cohort Continues the Mission
As the 2024-2025 cohort celebrates their achievements, a new group of passionate water scientists is preparing to begin their own transformative journey. The 2025-2026 Water-R20 NRT cohort began their program on August 1, bringing fresh perspectives and varied backgrounds to address tomorrow’s water challenges.
Among the incoming fellows are Kane Thurman, an environmental engineering graduate who brings personal experience with extreme weather events from growing up near Houston, and AJ Wood, whose internship experience at NOAA’s National Water Center sparked her passion for water science applications in underserved communities.
“I’m excited for the machine learning and data-driven aspect of this program,” Thurman said earlier this summer. “We can make better decisions and design for storms of the future, not just what we think they’ll be based on past data.”
Wood’s enthusiasm for the program’s potential impact reflects the broader mission of developing water scientists who can bridge the gap between research and community needs. “This program’s initiative focusing on AI and machine learning is imperative to bridge that gap from theoretical knowledge to operations,” she explained.
Students interested in future program opportunities can learn more by visiting Water-R20 NRT.