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compiled by Jenny Hill ’05 and Jeanna Harrington ’10
International Study/Global Engagement
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“A critical resource for China is water, and the delegates indicated that understanding how to develop, manage and protect groundwater resources is very important to the mission of their visit,” Svitana said. He added that understanding the connection between surface water bodies, in this case Alum Creek and Otterbein Lake, and groundwater is important to developing drinking water management strategies for the City of Westerville. The Chinese are looking to implement similar groundwater management strategies as the United States. Because the Chinese delegates wanted to better understand the infrastructure required to establish efficient water monitoring networks, they had particular interest in seeing Otterbein Lake as a small-scale system. According to Svitana, in some aspects the Otterbein Lake model is similar to those used to manage critical water resources like the Colorado River, which provides water for Los Angeles as well as most cities in the Desert Southwest. “In China, we have the opportunity to improve our technology in groundwater management. Due to climate change, surface water has become less dependable, so we have to rely more on groundwater,” said Zhanyi Gao, Ph.D., deputy director general of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research. “Groundwater is more difficult to manage than surface water. We can improve our groundwater management in China.” “Information sharing is beneficial for the ongoing management of water resources,” Svitana said. “The management of water resources is as important as developing alternatives to petroleum fuel sources when considering long-term resource management programs.”
tterbein College’s professors bring the world into their classrooms and take their classrooms into the world. By using their time outside the classroom to engage in programs and projects on an international scale, professors can take their experiences into the classroom and apply their knowledge to their teachings.
Chinese Scientists Study Otterbein Lake Assistant Professor of Life and Earth Sciences Kevin Svitana met with a 12-member delegation of scientists from China studying the effects of climate change on groundwater supplies during a Dec. 1, 2009, visit to Otterbein Lake, located adjacent to Otterbein’s campus. The delegation was there to learn about water monitoring systems as part of a United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) sponsored research trip to the National Ground Water Association, which is located in Westerville. The trip also included a visit to the Netherlands. “Ohio State faculty suggested using the Otterbein Lake because of its applicability to the delegates’ interest in seeing how long-term groundwater monitoring systems can be established and managed,” Svitana said. Svitana monitors the lake in cooperation with the City of Westerville, which owns the lake.
Fulbright Scholar Returns from Montenegro While Svitana was presenting his research to Chinese scientists, Associate Professor of English Shannon Lakanen was preparing to return home from her first sabbatical, a Fulbright Scholar-sponsored trip to Montenegro from August through December. Lakanen taught English to third-year students and academic writing to post-graduate students at the University of Montenegro in Podgorica, the capital of the world’s newest fully-recognized independent nation. Until 2006, the country was part of Yugoslovia. In addition to her classes at the university, Lakanen taught creative writing workshops at the American Corner, a cultural
Professor Kevin Svitana (right) confers with scientists from China at Otterbein Lake. The Asian delegation came to the United States to better understand the effects of climate change on groundwater resources. 2
