Illinois State Water Survey - Office of the Director: Speakers Bureau, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Do you have a question about water resource issues? Would you like to find a speaker for your classroom or community group? Are you a stakeholder in a watershed area and need further information? The Illinois State Water Survey employs individuals with many talents and educated in far-reaching specialties. These staff members are eager to share their interests and knowledge with the public. The listing below offers speakers, defines their topic(s), and provides a short content summary. Please contact your choice of speakers (click on the individual's name to find phone and email information).

If you are trying to locate a speaker on a water issue other that those listed here, please contact Mary Hagen LeFaivre.

	STAFF	TOPIC		Brief Summary of Topic
	Jim Angel	Climate of Illinois, climate change, drought, etc		Jim Angel, State Climatologist, has much experience in talking to a variety of groups about the climate of Illinois, climate, change, drought, El Niño/La Niña, heavy rainstorms, current climate conditions and the outlook for he coming season. Tours of the weather instrument site at the Water Survey can also be arranged.
	Ken Hlinka	Illinois Groundwater	Groundwater availability and use in Illinois from specific locations to statewide applications.
	Ken Hlinka	General Groundwater Principles	Discussion center around what makes up groundwater, where it is found and how it is obtained from below the surface.
	Ken Hlinka	Groundwater and Wells of Illinois	Presentation of domestic water wells, their planning, development, and maintenance in Illinois.
	Brian Kaiser	Domestic Water Quality, Testing, and Treatment	The process of submitting samples of domestic water to the ISWS's Public Service Lab for testing will be addressed. Water quality problems are discussed, along with a description of the various treatments used in the home to solve the problems.
	Mary Hagen LeFaivre	Rain Check Network	The Rain Check Network is a program developed by ISWS to encourage students to become weather watchers and develop an interest in their environment. ISWS & the American Chemical Society provide free rain gages to teachers and students to promote this activity.
	Chris Lehmann	Atmospheric Deposition: Acid Rain & Mercury in Rain	This presentation provides an overview of trends of precipitation chemistry in the US, including acid rain and mercury, and their impacts on the environment. The National Atmospheric Deposition Program is located at ISWS, and operates the largest national network of precipitation chemistry monitoring stations in the world.
	Bob Scott	Water & Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM)	The WARM Program was initiated to coordinate monitoring of numerous ISWS data collection efforts. WARM provides public access to databases which provide information about soil temperatures and soil moisture, growing and pest degree days, and the Illinois Climate Network.
	Kent Smothers	Midwest Technology Assistance Center (MTAC)	This Center cooperates closely with other regional technology assistance centers established by the USEPA, and with other partner agencies and organizations in order to ensure efficient response to the highest priority needs of small public water systems and Indian Tribal systems in the Midwest.
	Dan Webb	Fun with Science	Provide educational talks and demonstrations, focusing on "fun" hand-on science activities. The talks are customized depending on age group and desired topics (often water related). The intent is to spark an interest in science, and to show how science relates to everyday activities.