Lecture Canceled: U of A Professor to Lecture on Issues of Global Water Scarcity

Photo by iStock

One billion people around the world encounter water scarcity every day.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – UPDATE: Lecture has been canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

Global water scarcity affects 1 billion people daily and will be the topic of a free lecture by University of Arkansas Distinguished Professor Eric Wailes at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in Gearhart Hall Auditorium. All on campus and in the community are invited to attend.

Cape Town, South Africa, has cut daily rations of water to 13 gallons per person per day – and may turn off the taps altogether if the city of 4 million runs out of water as predicted on May 11, ominously dubbed “Day Zero.” Closer to home, California is eyeing yet another drought with the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains unseasonably low.

“Excessive water use is a hidden problem for many people, particularly in an environment where most of us perceive that we have plenty,” said Wailes, who teaches agricultural economics and agribusiness. “The average water footprint for each person in the U.S. is 2,200 gallons a day!”

He points out that figure looks beyond drinking, showering and flushing to more hidden or “virtual” water consumption, such as the daily commute and three meals a day.

“Think of the food you eat – conventional production of one pound of rice requires approximately 300 gallons of water,” Wailes said. “The facts are stark – scary really. How will we get through the next century without a huge technological fix?”

He agrees new farming techniques and nanotechnology approaches to desalination provide some hope, but ultimately, ensuring that there’s enough water for a thirsty planet depends on long-term planning and cooperation.

“We need to look for both regional and global solutions for this problem,” he said.

Signature Seminars on Cutting Edge

Wailes’ public lecture serves as a preview for his Honors College Signature Seminar, “Water Scarcity,” scheduled for fall 2018. Previous Signature Seminars, designated HNRC 4013H in the university’s Catalog of Studies, have addressed topics ranging from the evolutionary tales told by fossil teeth to the tensions between privacy and efficiency posed by the internet.

In addition to Wailes’ course, two other Signature Seminars will be offered next fall: “Free Speech,” taught by Mark Killenbeck, a Distinguished Professor who holds the Wylie H. Davis Endowed Chair in the School of Law, and “Bad Medicine,” led by Tricia Starks, associate professor of history.

Deans of each college may nominate professors to participate, and those who are selected to teach will become Dean’s Fellows in the Honors College. Over time, the Honors College plans to bring in leading scholars from other institutions to teach some of these courses as well.

Honors students must apply to participate, and those selected will be designated Dean’s Signature Scholars. The course applications are posted online on the Signature Seminars web page.

About Eric Wailes

Eric Wailes grew up on a Colorado farm, where his family relied on irrigation to raise corn, alfalfa, sugar beets, potatoes, pinto beans, and brewing barley. He received his B.S. degree in agricultural economics with a specialization in tropical agriculture from Cornell University. He then served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia, documenting and analyzing the 1972-73 drought and famine that claimed the lives of more than 300,000 Ethiopians and caused misery for millions.

He returned to complete a doctorate in agricultural economics from Michigan State University, where he specialized in food policy and international trade. He was hired as an assistant professor by the University of Arkansas in 1980.

Wailes is known for his work on the economics of the global rice economy and food security. Rice accounts for 20 percent of all global calories. Much of his interest and work on water stems from the large water footprint of rice production in Arkansas, the U.S. and the rest of the world. He has worked in more than 35 countries and has developed two global rice economic models, used by major international organizations and universities. This research has been funded by more than $6 million in grant support. Wailes has written or coauthored more than 120 scientific papers on the global rice economy and food security.

He holds the L.C. Carter Endowed Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and unites the university’s top undergraduate students and professors in a learning environment characterized by discovery, creativity and service. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $70,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. Fifty percent of Honors College graduates have studied abroad – three times the national average – and one hundred percent of them have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.