Clean WateR3 - Reduce, Remediate, Recycle – Enhancing Alternative Water Resources Availability and Use to Increase Profitability in Specialty Crops

A national team of scientists working to encourage use of alternative water resources by the nation’s billion-dollar nursery and floriculture industry has been awarded funds for the first year of an $8.7 million, five year US Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture –Specialty Crop Research Initiative competitive grant. The team will develop and apply systems-based solutions to assist grower decision-making by providing science-based information to increase use of recycled water. This award from the NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative will be managed by Project Director Sarah White of Clemson University and Dr. Dan Hitchcock serves as a co-P.I. The research group is comprised of 21 scientists from 9 U.S. institutions. Entitled “Clean WateR3 - Reduce, Remediate, Recycle – Enhancing Alternative Water Resources Availability and Use to Increase Profitability in Specialty Crops”, the Clean WateR3 team will assist the grower decision-making process by providing science-based information on nutrient, pathogen, and pesticide fate in recycled water both before and after treatment, average cost and return-on investment of technologies examined, and model-derived, site specific recommendations for water management. The trans-disciplinary Clean WateR3 team will develop these systems-based solutions by integrating sociological, economic, modeling, and biological data into a user-friendly decision-support system intended to inform and direct our stakeholders’ water management decision-making process. 2 Graduate Research Assistantships, Plant-based Remediation Systems Research and Extension – Nutrient and Pathogens Position availabilities: Summer 2015 and Fall 2015 Clemson University, College of Agriculture, Forest, and Life Sciences – Horticulture is seeking applicants for 2 Ph.D. students. These students will join research efforts focused on the Clean WateR3 project, with direct interactions with nursery and greenhouse growers in SC and nationally. An assistantship including a competitive stipend and tuition waiver is available. Possible dissertation topics include: floating treatment wetlands for nutrient and/or pathogen remediation, vegetative buffers: plant selection for pathogen remediation, or modeling nursery operations and water resources use/re-use. The student(s) will be expected to collaborate directly on research and extension publications. The students will be expected to complete class work on Campus, conduct research at the Clemson Institute for Environmental Toxicology on campus and the off-campus Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science located in Georgetown, SC, and assist with other research projects.

Prospective applicants should contact Dr. Dan Hitchcock (dhitchc@clemson.edu) directly with ‘Prospective Ph.D. Student’ in the subject line with the following information: 1) statement of interest, 2) resume/CV, 3) GRE score (plus TOEFL if applicable), 4) unofficial transcripts, and 5) the names of two references. All this information should be submitted by March 15, 2014. Official applications need to be submitted online at http://www.grad.clemson.edu/admission/application.php. Only those applicants who contact Dr. Hitchcock prior to submission of official application will be considered for the positions.