If you ask Cong Wang where home is, you’ll get a complicated answer. Born in northern China, he went to Singapore as an undergraduate, where he earned a BEng degree in engineering science. He came to the United States and the California Institute of Technology for graduate school and earned MS and PhD degrees in aeronautics. He stayed on at Caltech for a postdoc and then as a research scientist — 10 years in all.

For over a decade, a network of water quality sensors managed by the University of Iowa has provided publicly available data about waterways across the state. And while Iowa grapples with a growing water quality crisis fueled by agricultural runoff, state government funding cuts have threatened the network’s future.

Despite continued contamination and nitrate spikes in Iowa’s rivers and streams this year, University of Iowa researcher Elliot Anderson insists that the state’s water quality issues can be solved.

This summer Des Moines residents couldn't water their lawns — not because of drought, but due to nitrate pollution. Now, the very system that monitors Iowa's water quality faces a shutdown. Host Ben Kieffer speaks with director of IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering Larry Weber about the implications if we no longer track water quality and the effort to fund the network of 60 sensors across the state.

A plan for $600,000 in necessary funding to maintain a University of Iowa water monitoring system vital for tracking nitrate, dissolved oxygen, and pH rates in streams across the state is set to be discussed in a meeting Friday between Johnson County and Polk County officials.

Sixteen scientists compiled 50 years of data on the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, two of the largest sources of drinking water for Des Moines and Polk County. The study found that pollutants have increased by nearly 100 percent in the last 50 years, and researchers say not enough is being done to address the issue.

CEDAR RAPIDS — In a meeting with Linn County officials Monday, Larry Weber — who oversees a program that deploys dozens of sensors in rivers and streams across Iowa — said the quality of the state’s water is not improving, and that monitoring of the water must continue.

The annual awards from the College of Engineering and the University of Iowa recognize excellence in faculty and staff members, as well as longevity awards recognizing years of service to the College of Engineering. A ceremony was held on October 22, 2025, to recognize the recipients.

Kristin Stein, an undergraduate student in civil and environmental engineering, has been named the 2025 Student of the Year by the American Water Works Association!

Polk County is stepping up to support a crucial water quality monitoring program in Iowa after state funding was cut. IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering, is a program that tracks nitrate levels in Iowa's waterways, and is now receiving one-third of its necessary funding from the county.