Everywhere, All the Time
IIHR's outreach program is known for being "everywhere, all the time." Our program is dedicated to public service and sharing our applied research broadly to develop solutions to real-world problems.
Our team regularly engages in outreach events, from hosting FIRST LEGO League teams to inspire the next generation of engineers to attending city council meetings to offer technical support to address local water resource concerns—we do it all! Contact us to discuss how we can support your group, event, or program. View upcoming and past events below.
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Annual Outreach Events
Connecting with community leaders, policymakers, agencies, K-12 students, and the public.
Upcoming Events
2025 Iowa Water Conference
Tuesday, September 9 to Wednesday, September 10, 2025 (all day)
Join us for the 19th annual Iowa Water Conference! The overarching conference theme is “Life Depends on Water. Water Depends on You.” As the Iowa Water Center celebrates its 60-year anniversary, we contemplate the progress made, as well as the goals that have been so far, out of reach. As water professionals and community members, we all play a part in protecting our waters. Creating a resilient water cycle is critical and relies on a systems approach, recognizing the connection between water...
2025 Iowa Water Conference
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 (all day)
Join us for the 19th annual Iowa Water Conference! The overarching conference theme is “Life Depends on Water. Water Depends on You.” As the Iowa Water Center celebrates its 60-year anniversary, we contemplate the progress made, as well as the goals that have been so far, out of reach. As water professionals and community members, we all play a part in protecting our waters. Creating a resilient water cycle is critical and relies on a systems approach, recognizing the connection between water...
Women and Water
Sunday, September 14, 2025 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Hosted by the Delaware and Dubuque Chapter of Women, Land & Legacy, this free public event celebrates the vital role women play in water conservation, education, and leadership — especially here in the Maquoketa Watershed and Eastern Iowa.Highlights include:Dr. Brandi Janssen (University of Iowa), presenting “Upstream Thinking” Sharing proactive strategies for improving water quality and impacts to environmental health.Judith E. Joyce (Eocene Environmental Group), sharing “Field of Dreams...
Read Aloud at the Lagoon Shelter House: Tending Iowa's Land
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 10:00am to 2:00pm
Iowa has stories to tell: hard lessons learned from soil loss, compromised water quality, and fragmented natural systems, but also proven solutions built on knowing and doing better that are ready to scale up.In Tending Iowa's Land, local researcher and writer Cornelia Mutel offers a collection of essays and personal stories from experts and everyday people that prove the challenges and explore the pathways to a regenerative future for our natural environment.Help give voice to these stories on...
Waters of the United States: POTUS, SCOTUS, WOTUS, and the Politics of a National Resource with Royal C. Gardner
Friday, October 10, 2025 12:45pm to 2:00pm
Join Royal C. Gardner, the Professor of Law, Hugh F. Culverhouse Chair, and Director of the Stetson Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson Law, when he discusses his new book Waters of the United States: POTUS, SCOTUS, WOTUS, and the Politics of a National Resource, published by Island Press. In 2023, the Supreme Court made one of its most devastating rulings in environmental history in Sackett v. EPA. By narrowing the legal definition of ‘waters of the United States’ (WOTUS), the...
Past Events
Okoboji Blue Water Festival
Saturday, August 9, 2025 (all day)
The Okoboji Blue Water Festival was founded in 2016 as a venue to promote clean water and other natural resources advocacy in the Iowa Great Lakes. The festival has grown exponentially each year and is now regarded as the premier water quality event in Iowa. There will be activities for kids, fishing seminars and keynote speakers, and exhibitors, including IIHR. The Okoboji Blue Water Festival supports the stewardship of clean water and other natural resources through participation, education...
Applied Hydraulics at IIHR: Stormwater Diversion and Drop Structure Design for Ellicott City
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 12:00pm to 1:00pm
IIHR—Hydroscience and Engineering at the University of Iowa is the oldest academic research center in the United States focused on hydraulic engineering and fluid mechanics. With over a century of experience, IIHR has played a key role in advancing the science and application of hydraulics in major civil infrastructure projects worldwide. This webinar will provide a brief overview of IIHR’s research mission, technical capabilities, and areas of collaboration, followed by a focused look at our...
5th Annual BioBlitz at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory
Saturday, July 12, 2025 9:00am to 11:00am
What types of plants, animals, and fungal life might you find at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory? Let's find out! Join researchers in collecting, observing, and recording biodiversity at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory in our 5th Annual BioBlitz. Your findings will inform a major research project and will contribute to the fifth data point in a multi-year documentation of how diversity changes at this site over time. Collections will be housed with the UI Museum of Natural History...