How to Organize a Section Research Program

Advocacy Communications Conferences Education and Training Science and Technology The Authoritative Resource for Safe Drinking Water SM Sections How to Organize a Section Research Program An important need of the North American drinking water community is a research program – one that provides practical and timely information for improving drinking water quality, water utility operations efficiency, and service reliability. These are the goals of the AWWA Research Foundation (AWWARF). The Research Foundation needs the help of AWWA sections to accomplish these goals. Each section has unique areas of concern that should be part of the research program, and a section research committee can most effectively bring these issues to the attention of the Research Foundation. This brochure is a guide to help you establish and successfully operate a section research program. • • • • • Host topical research seminars. Coordinate section financial support for the Research Foundation. Welcome new section research committee activities. Keep records of section research committee members. Inform section members of Research Foundation programs and events. Once your committee is established, develop an action plan to accomplish these goals. After your action plan is established, be sure to prepare a budget and present it to the Board of Trustees. The following sections of this brochure provide detailed guidance for developing your action plan. Resources A Research Foundation information packet is available to every research committee member, which includes detailed information about programs, promotional material, and much more. The committee chair will also receive a list of Research Foundation subscribers and volunteers who are section members. If you have not received a packet, contact the Technology Transfer Specialist, AWWA Research Foundation, (303) 347-6100. • AWWA “How-to” Guide for Sections: Committee Management, which is available from your AWWA Section Services Representative. Establish a Section Research Committee The first step in setting up a section research program is to establish a committee to coordinate the section’s research activities. Committee members should represent the various interest groups of the water community, including water utility managers, consultants, researchers, water supply professionals, manufacturers, and contractors. The chair of your research committee is responsible for keeping the committee fully informed about AWWARF activities, such as conferences, seminars, publications, and current and future research projects. The section Board of Trustees should establish the overall mission and objectives for the research committee. The committee should review the mission and objectives and ask for clarification if it is needed. The committee should • Establish an agenda for each year’s research committee meetings. • Identify section research needs. • Encourage section members to be involved in Foundation activities • Recruit new utilities into the Research Foundation subscription program. • Sponsor research presentations at section meetings. Develop Action Plan 1. Establish an annual agenda for research committee meetings. Research committees meet about four times a year. One meeting should be devoted to evaluating the past year’s accomplishments and planning the coming year’s activities. Other meetings could be held for planning seminars, reviewing the section’s research needs and establishing priorities, and planning the presentation for your section’s annual conference. Identify research needs for your section. Each year AWWARF Research Advisory Council (RAC) establishes research project priorities from suggestions that are submitted 2. from the drinking water community. Research ideas are submitted to the RAC from various sources such as subscribers to the Research Foundation, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the National Association of Water Companies, various AWWA councils and divisions, Technical Advisory Workgroups, individual and organizational AWWA members, and AWWA sections. The section research committee solicits, receives, and evaluates the ideas and suggestions proposed by section sources. The following are some of the ways the committee can solicit research suggestions: and establish a priority list. Submit your list by July 1 of each year to: AWWA Research Division, 6666 W. Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235. The Research Division will set priorities for all ideas. Some of the parameters the Research Division uses to set priorities include timeliness of the topic, importance, cost, and length of study. 3. Involve section utilities, consultants, and other members in Research Foundation activities. • • Write an article for your section newsletter. Briefly mention past research projects initiated by your section and the results of the projects. List the benefits of research; these can be found in your Research Foundation information packet. Be sure to provide names, phone numbers (including FAX), and addresses of the research committee members who should be contacted. Don’t forget to state the deadline for this year’s submittal. Contact the newsletter editor well in advance of when you want the story to run. Run an ad in your section newsletter. Work with your newsletter editor to develop an interest-catching ad. Include information on who to contact and the deadline for submitting suggestions. Make announcements at meetings. Ask for time to speak at your section meetings, other committee meetings, or even non-AWWA meetings, such as those of utility councils or other associations (e.g., American Society of Civil Engineers). Make personal contact with individuals involved in the drinking water community. If the contact does have suggestions, be sure to ask them to follow up with formal communication to the research committee. Provide information on how to write an effective proposal to those interested in submitting a research suggestion. Guidance is available from the AWWA Research Division and the Research Foundation. • Encourage utilities, consultants, and academic institutions to submit research proposals to the Foundation. Early each year the Foundation announces a list of the projects that have received funding. The projects are described in AWWA’s MainStream. The committee should print the project list in the section newsletter and announce the projects at a section meeting. Encourage section members to submit a proposal to perform a research study based on the project lists. The request-forproposals for the projects can be obtained by contacting the Research Foundation. Your committee may also want to review the project list and personally contact utilities or other organizations that might be interested in submitting a proposal for a particular project. Encourage the section members to submit unsolicited proposals for research projects. Each year the Foundation approves innovative research projects that were unsolicited, that is, not part of the normal project list of request-for-proposals. Unsolicited proposals are due on April 1 each year. Contact the Foundation directly for the guidelines. Ask utilities to volunteer as research sites for projects. If a utility is interested, have them fill out the form in the information packet and send it to AWWARF. Enlist section members to serve on the Research Foundation’s Project Advisory Committees (PACs). Each project is overseen by a PAC whose members are experts in the project’s research area. The responsibilities of a PAC are to decide who will be the contractor for a project and to monitor the progress of the study. Recruit • • • • • • When the committee has received the research suggestions, the members should discuss them section members to serve on a PAC through the section newsletter, by making an announcement at a section meeting, or by personally contacting members with expertise in upcoming projects. Send a list of individuals and their specific areas of interest to the Foundation. PAC forms for volunteers will be sent to the research committee chair for distribution. 4. Recruit new utilities and consultants to participate in the Foundation’s Research Subscription Program. The strength of the Research Foundation lies with its member subscribers. The more supporters the Foundation has, the stronger the research program will be. While the Foundation has staff dedicated to recruitment, they can visit only a limited number of utilities and sections each year. Your section research committee can help recruit new subscribers as well as retain current subscribers in the following ways: Resource • AWWA “How-to” Guide for Sections: Exhibits. Available from your Section Services Group, (303) 347-6202. 5. Sponsor Research Foundation presentations at section conferences. Foundation staff welcome the opportunity to present the status reports at section meetings. The section research committee should contact the Foundation early, preferably a year in advance, to discuss participation at the annual meeting. The Foundation generally pays for travel; the sections are asked to provide one or two nights’ lodging and to waive registration and exhibit costs. Generally, the Foundation would like to make presentations to sections every other year depending on budget and other factors. Also, try to place a research information exhibit in high traffic areas at conferences. Host research seminars or educational programs of interest to the membership. Host a seminar or program focusing on the results of recent research projects. To find out which topics interest your section members, do a quick survey at a section meeting. List several topics on a notecard with a scale of answers from “not interested” to “very interested.” Leave room for respondents to write in suggestions. Compile the results and have your research committee decide which topics to present, and suggest possible speakers. 6. • Working with the section membership committee, contact non-subscribing utilities, and consultants. The research committee chair will receive a list of prospective subscribers in your section. Have your committee members each take a part of the list and, either by personal letter or phone call, make an appeal to the organization. Begin the conversation by asking potential subscribers if they have research suggestions or other needs the committee can help with. Retain current subscribers by keeping them involved in section and AWWARF activities. Keep your section research program well publicized. Have an article in each section newsletter. Update the progress of your program at section and other committee meetings. Run an information booth at the section annual meeting with names of Foundation subscribers displayed, along with the latest Foundation reports, books, videos, subscription information, and brochures on conferences. • Resources Contact AWWA’s Education Department for tips on how to set up seminars for your section, (303) 7343436. AWWA “How-to” Guide for Sections: Seminars and Workshops. Available from your Section Services Group, (303) 347-6202. 7. Coordinate section financial support for the critical research needs of the drinking water community. Many AWWA sections are voluntary contributors to the Research Foundation. Consider participating as a section in the drinking water community’s centralized research program. Ways to supply funds include direct contributions from section members, section funds, or proceeds from seminars and other special events. • 8. Welcome new section research committee members. Announce new committee members in section meetings and in the newsletter. Thank members leaving the committee for their valuable service. Compile a roster of new research committee members and send it to the Foundation’s Technology Transfer Specialist. AWWARF will send letters to new research committee members welcoming their participation and introducing them to the goals of the Foundation. Section research committee chairs should invite new research committee members to attend a Research Foundation technology transfer conference and meet the Research Foundation. Keep records of section research activities. Good records allow future committees to know what has been successful in the past. Maintain a record of utilities and other organizations that have been contacted and the outcome. Keep track of how many people attend your research seminars, and ask the attendees to evaluate the program. Send minutes of your meetings to the AWWARF Technology Transfer Specialist. 10. Keep section members aware of Research Foundation programs and events. AWWARF will send information to section research committee chairs, including: • • • Bimonthly newsletter: Drinking Water Research Research et al., a newsletter published twice yearly that highlights the Foundation’s solicited and unsolicited projects that have been approved for funding by the Board of Trustees. AWWARF’s monthly activity report. 9. Sections that submit research ideas will be advised of the annual research agenda selected by the Board of Trustees. Research committee chairs will be invited to attend AWWARF’s subscriber meeting at the AWWA annual conference. Chairs should pass along this information to committee members through newsletter articles, and during presentations at section meetings.