News
IWRRI News
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Southern Idaho Youth Water Summit Recognizes 2026 Student LeadersBoise, Idaho — June 8, 2026— The University of Idaho’s Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) is proud to recognize the winners of the 2026 Youth Water Summit in southern Idaho. This inaugural event brought together more than 160 high school students to study local water issues through hands-on research, problem-solving, and public presentation. Held May 5, 2026, at Expo Idaho, the event welcomed students from a wide range of school settings, backgrounds, and experience levels. For that reason, winners…
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North Idaho Youth Water Summit Recognizes 2026 Student LeadersCOEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — June 8, 2026— The University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene’s Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) is proud to recognize the North Idaho winners of the 2026 Youth Water Summit. This annual event empowers high school students to investigate and address real-world water issues in their communities through hands-on research, innovation, and public presentation. Held May 19, 2026, at Kootenai County Fairgrounds, the Summit brought together three hundred high school students from across North Idaho. The event…
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Introducing New IWRRI StaffGrace is a watershed scientist passionate about addressing water availability challenges through collaborative research to inform watershed management and decision-making. Grace earned a Ph.D. in Water Resources at the University of Idaho in December 2025, where her research focused on understanding how Idaho’s headwater systems are responding to climate change and disturbance, with particular emphasis on the intersection of groundwater, snowmelt, and wildfire. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and GIS from Western Washington University and has extensive…
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Youth Water Summit Expands to Southern Idaho, Inspiring the Next Generation of Water LeadersBoise State student uses high school project to inspire a career path, showing the lasting impact of hands-on science education Coeur d’Alene, Idaho — Presenting to North Idaho community members during the Youth Water Summit as a Lake City high school junior in the spring of 2021, shaped the course of Lucy Mendez’s future. Today, as an environmental science undergraduate at Boise State University, Lucy is drawing on what she learned about Coeur d’Alene Lake to explore real-world water solutions,…
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IWRRI funds strategic Idaho water research projectsIWRRI funds strategic Idaho water research projects BOISE, Idaho — Jan. 08, 2026 — The Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) has prioritized and is backing several research projects involving the state’s three public research universities to address Idaho’s pressing water challenges. Established in 1964, IWRRI is one of 54 U.S. water research and technology centers, conducting and directing research to support the water resource needs of the state and entire Northwestern U.S. In fall 2025, IWRRI allocated more than $580,000 for eight faculty-led research projects proposed by scientists…