
Interdisciplinary Programs

Water Science and Policy
A Message from the Director
Water is a valuable resource that is critical for the health, vitality, and long-term sustainability of all natural ecosystems. For humans, water plays an essential role in food and energy production, transportation, and recreation.
Worldwide, however, water resources are at a risk. Unsustainable population growth, land-use changes, pollution, and global climate change all threaten the distribution, quantity, and quality of the water on which all life depends.
Protecting and preserving our water resources requires that we take a “big picture” approach that addresses where water comes from, where it goes, how it travels, how it is used by living things, what’s in it, and how to remediate problems and develop policies to protect water.
The interdisciplinary program in Water Science & Policy educates students to address the complex challenges that we face today; to develop solutions that are socially acceptable, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable; and to be true stewards of our environment.
We invite you to join us in our endeavors to ensure that all of Earth’s inhabitants, now and into the future, have adequate supplies of clean, healthy water.
Dr. Shreeram Inamdar
Professor of Watershed Hydrology and Biogeochemistry
By choosing to study Water Science & Policy at the University of Delaware, you will be embarking on an exciting intellectual journey that will challenge you to synthesize knowledge from a number of different fields. No matter what aspect of water you choose as your research focus, you’ll be encouraged to look at how it intertwines with other natural and human aspects of water quality and quantity.
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Paradise reimagined
September 14, 2023 | Written by Michele WalfredAt their Milton home, Double Del couple Carol-Mertes Smith and Gary A.Smith combine their passions for tropical landscapes, fine art and sculpture and the culinary arts with their patronage of the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens (UDBG). Walk through their unforgettable property, and you’ll see a landscape that spans three distinct climate zones — a collage of texture, color, function, whimsy, purpose and surprise. -
The future of food
September 07, 2023 | Written by AJ RubinettiA blossoming partnership between a student group and University of Delaware Dining is changing the way students eat on campus. The Hydroponics Club is growing fresh herbs with no soil and minimal water in two aeroponic towers in Caesar Rodney Fresh Food Company and Pencader Dining Hall. -
Soil science scholar
August 24, 2023 | Written by Kate ZinconeOriginally from Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, Samuel Oluwapamilerin Bamidele came to the University of Delaware to study plant and soil sciences. He recently earned membership into the prestigious Encompass Fellows Program.