USGS staff and PSU faculty in breakout groups during the UPP's annual Symposium.
The USGS-PSU Partnership (UPP) is a model federal-university partnership that fosters seamless connections between USGS researchers and PSU faculty, students, and staff. This partnership aims to generate collaborative relationships, new knowledge, and robust training opportunities through applied science to inform decision making and management around Oregon’s water resources.
The UPP officially began in 2007 to support collaborative research on water supply, water quality, hydrologic hazards, and biological resources in the Pacific Northwest. In early 2019, ISS joined the partnership to provide project management support, revitalizing the initiative, developing clearer channels for student and researcher participation, and strengthening connections between the two organizations.
Since its inception, the UPP has nurtured critical relationships between PSU and USGS scientists. However, the partnership’s vision and path forward became clearer after entering a new five-year “Cooperative Agreement” in 2022.
A key goal under this new agreement is to continue supporting joint research of water science in the region. The UPP’s Seed Grant program enables USGS and PSU scientists to pursue innovative research topics while establishing and strengthening long term connections.
In 2023, David Burnett, a professor of geography, and James White, a hydrologist, received two years of funding through the seed grant for their project, titled Developing tools and workflows for acoustic, unattended, monitoring of river bedload. Quinn Morgan, the project’s PSU graduate student, gained hands-on experience by helping process over 500 GB of data using novel analysis tools and grew into his role as a hydrologist. In total, the UPP has funded five seed grant projects to date. Read more about past recipients here.
Another principal goal in the partnership is to prepare PSU graduates interested in water science for careers at USGS and beyond. Every year, the UPP supports four graduate students through tuition remissions, covering nine credits of tuition and 100% of mandatory fees for each student per term.
In the winter, the UPP hosts its annual student career workshop where undergraduate and graduate students learn about career opportunities at USGS Oregon Water Science Center (ORWSC), how to navigate the federal application process, and the necessary qualifications to work at USGS. Students also have the chance to speak with current USGS employees about their experiences working for a federal agency.
The UPP facilitates USGS’s participation in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Partnerships (LSAMP) Internship program , which connects minoritized PSU students with paid internships focused on climate resilience, water resources, and disaster preparedness. Interns are matched with a USGS scientist and project, giving them the opportunity to work with datasets, collect scientific data, and use water quality instrumentation.
ORWSC Director Joanna Thamke has played an impactful role in strengthening this partnership and instilling its mission and vision within the center.
“The UPP has reshaped the landscape of research collaboration and educational opportunities between the ORWSC and PSU. Through initiatives like LSAMP internships, outreach events, the Annual Symposium, and the UPP Seed Grant program that foster new ideas for cutting-edge research, we’ve seen firsthand how this synergy fosters growth and creativity, builds place-based science, and a shared passion for discovery.”
Joanna as well as Alexandra Etheridge, Associate Director for Hydrologic Studies, and Lisa Hoaks, Public Affairs Specialist, are part of the Leadership Team and integral to partnership activities.
ISS hosts quarterly networking events to encourage connections between close collaborators and community partners, deepening these relationships. This fall’s networking event will celebrate our partnership with USGS ORWSC and the people who have made it possible. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet ISS’s new Interim Director, Paul Loikith!
Join us on Wednesday, October 16 from 4-6 pm at the Karl Miller Center Atrium drinks, food, and engaging conversations.