The Don Owen Water Science and Policy Fellowship

This UC Irvine graduate student fellowship is named for Langdon "Don" Owen, a unique individual who provided innovative ideas on water planning and management issues to the State of California and to Orange County for more than 30 years. His insight into the frontiers of science and technology, as they relate to water management, and his foresight and vision for tomorrow's water policy needs provided the impetus for California and Orange County to become leaders in water management ranging from the State Water Project to wastewater reuse and desalination for water supply.

The endowment, located in the School of Social Ecology, provides fellowship support for outstanding graduate students in pursuit of their doctorate. More specifically, the award is intended for those who plan to dedicate their careers to water science and policy and find value in working across disciplines.

Two students were awarded the Don Owen Fellowship in 2007:

Kelly Pollack, Ph.D. candidate, Environmental Health, Science, and Policy

Kelly Pollack 
As a doctoral student, Ms. Pollack is fascinated by the impact humans have on natural water systems. Her doctoral research uses microbiological methods to analyze how caffeine from treated sewage effluent and other discharge piped into the ocean alters Symbiodinium sp. algae that live symbiotically in hard reef building corals. These algae are the primary producers in the coral reef environment and are a requirement for hard corals to live and grow.

Anne Taufen Wessells, Ph.D. candidate, Planning, Policy, and Design

Anne Taufen Wessells 

Ms. Wessells studies the governance challenges of collaborating around new urban water policy initiatives. Her dissertation research is a multi-site study of park spaces created to meet both water management and community development objectives. A former elite rower, Ms. Wessells has trained and competed on urban rivers around the world, and marveled at their pervasive power in patterns of human settlement and daily experience. Her research is framed by the notion that the political and organizational challenges of urban water management are at least as daunting as their technological demands.