Linke NWHA

							Northwest
Hydroelectric
Association Conference
Portland OR
Program Origin & Purpose
Made possible by a 4-year $3 million grant from the
Department of Energy

Recognizes need to stimulate new academic interest
in conventional and pumped storage hydropower

Recognizes large numbers of opportunities for new
employees in hydropower due to growing industry
and an aging workforce
Program Objectives
Develop and manage a collaborative effort involving
a broad spectrum of industry and academic
organizations

Develop a nationwide approach

Award fellowships to approximately 27 students
Program Objectives cont.
Publicize the ongoing and completed research at
national forums and through electronic media

Develop strong mentoring relationships

Develop career entry opportunities for graduates

Develop an approach to assure the long-term
sustainability of the program through sponsorships
Approach
Twelve person Steering Group from a broad array of industry and
academic organizations

Nationwide recruitment of applicants. HRF received 47 applications from
34 universities

On-line application process

Fellowship includes tuition & health insurance allowances, living stipend,
professorial discretionary fund, and attendance at HydroVision.

Fellows are provided a Steering Group and industry mentor relevant to
research area
Approach Continued
Fellows Roundtable sponsored by industry and providing on-
site visits to hydropower facilities
Press releases, letters and publicity at national and
international events, to Congress, to national professional
organizations, universities, and fellows’ hometowns
Web publishing of research results and presentation
opportunities at national conferences
Development of industry sponsors to assure long-term
viability of program
2010 Fellows Class
2010 Fellows Class
 Michael George - University of California, Berkeley CA, PhD Candidate- Rock Scour
 Evaluation Using Block Theory and the Critical Key Block Concept

 Justin Hannon - University of Iowa, Iowa City IA, Masters Degree Candidate -
 Proposal for a Computational Fluid Dynamics Study to Examine the Affect of a
 Kármán Gait on Fish Locomotion

 Jordan Kern - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC, PhD Candiate - Dynamic
 Hydrologic-Economic Modeling of Tradeoffs in Hydroelectric Systems

 Marina Kopytkovskiy - Colorado School of Mines, Golden CO, Masters Degree
 Candidate - The Effects of Climate Change on the Water Resources and
 Hydropower Production Capacity of the Upper Colorado River Basin

 John Lamontagne - Cornell University, Ithaca NY, PhD Candidate - Real--Time
 Forecasting and Hydropower Reservoir Optimization Using Sampling Stochastic
 Dynamic Programming
  2010 Fellows Continued
• Ann Marie Larquier - Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage AK, Masters
Degree Candidate - Glacial Influences on Water Resources of the Eklutna
Basin, Alaska

• Minal Parekh - Colorado School of Mines, Golden CO, PhD Candidate -
Evaluating Internal Erosion in Earth Dams Using Non-Destructive Methods

• John Petrie - Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg VA, PhD Candidate -
Modifying Hydropower Releases to Reduce Riverbank Erosion

• Adam Witt - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, PhD Candidate –
Development of a Technology to Predict Gas Transfer at Low and High
Head Structures
Unique Aspects
National recruitment using social media and electronic newsletters for
recruitment of applicants

Active participation of industry and academic communities on Steering Group

Substantial in-kind participation by faculty and institution associated with the
Fellows

Opportunity to meet with industry annually & on-site visits to hydropower
facilities

Introduction of Fellows to industry at HydroVision

Industry mentorships

Web publishing of research results and
presentation opportunities at national conferences.
Current Activities
 Preparing for second round of selection of fellows
 Application materials available November 1, 2010
 Selection early April 2011
 Development of industry sponsorship program to
 assure long-term viability of program
 Working with potential sponsors on ideas
 Several flexible levels of sponsorship
Success Factors
 Building nationwide interest

 Strong industry partnerships

 Highly competitive selection

 Highly competitive Fellowship provisions
Why Does It Matter?
 Hydro’s green (!) again…and it’s fun

 Attractive to new generation of workers

 Need to attract smart, agile employees

 Need to build cadre of up and coming industry
 leaders
What’s Needed Next
 Industry sponsorships for new Fellowships

 Industry mentors for new Fellows

 Participation in Hydro Fellows Roundtables

 Career opportunities
Questions?




  Contact:
    Deborah M. Linke, Program Director at
    Deborah@hydrofoundation.org 720-480-0488
    Brenna Vaughn, Grant Administrator at
    Brenna@hydrofoundation.org 303-324-1736
    Linda Church-Ciocci, Executive Director at
    Linda@hydro.org 202-682-1700