Todd Haydn Votteler, Ph.D., Collaborative Water Resolution LLC

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BIO

Todd is an experienced environmental professional with expertise in conflict resolution, stakeholder engagement, and policy development. Votteler is a co-founder and the Editor-in-Chief of the Texas Water Journal and the Texas+Water, and the host of Talk+Water podcast. Todd is a Fellow of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, a Visiting Scholar at The Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Whitefish Lake Institute. He is also a Partner at Four Worlds Consulting, where he helps stakeholders resolve water and environmental conflicts. He holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from The University of the South, an M.S. in Natural Resources from The University of Michigan, and
a Ph.D. in Environmental Geography from Texas State University. Todd has also earned
certifications in Integrated Water Management, Water Reforms & Governance, Water Diplomacy,
as well as Environmental Collaboration from the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict
Resolution. He is a graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program in Texas.

Todd has been involved in many crucial conservation projects, including serving as the Federal
Special Master for the Edwards Aquifer Endangered Species Act litigation, Sierra Club v. San
Antonio, and negotiating an agreement between The Aransas Project and GBRA resolving a conflict over surface water use and potential impacts to the endangered whooping crane. He was  co-trainer for the 2018 Fellows Program at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law’s Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution, the 2018 and 2020 for the Water Conflict and Transformation Workshop at the AWRA Annual Conference. In 2019,  Votteler lectured in China on transboundary water conflicts. From 2000 to 2017, Votteler worked for the Guadalupe–Blanco River Authority where he was Executive Manager of Science, Intergovernmental Relations, and Policy.

Sachin Shah, Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey

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BIO

Sachin Shah is a multi-disciplinary scientist and policy expert specializing in water resources, climate adaptation, and global food security. He currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and Lead of the Socio-Hydrology Team at the U.S. Geological Survey. With over 20 years of experience in hydrogeology, public policy, and international development, Sachin's career began as a hydrologist with the USGS, where he conducted extensive groundwater research across the country, including land subsidence in the Houston region and transboundary aquifer assessments along the Texas-Mexico border. His expertise in hydrology provides the scientific foundation for his current interdisciplinary approach to global water security and climate adaptation.

Sachin works at the intersection of water security, socioeconomics, and climate adaptation, focusing on understanding the human dimensions of water security and risk in regions including the Mekong River Basin, South Asia, and Ukraine. In 2024, he served as a Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he developed national and international water resources strategies and led interagency task forces on water resilience. He leads international research initiatives, including current work on climate risks and food insecurity in Ukraine, and has established and co-led the Ukraine Climate Adaptation Technical Advisory Committee. Mr. Shah has been recognized with multiple awards for his contributions to environmental justice and water security research, and holds an M.A. in Global Policy Studies from UT Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs, an M.S. in Hydrology from Georgia State University, and a B.S. in Hydrogeology from UT Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences.

Jeff Watson, P.G., Senior Hydrogeologist, BSEACD

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BIO

Jeff is a native Austinite who graduated from the University of Texas Austin with a B.S. and M.S. in Geological Sciences. He is a member of the Austin Geological Society and a professional geologist. He has over 10 years of experience in applied karst aquifer research, focused mainly on the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers in Hays and Travis County. More recently, his work has focused on investigation of these aquifers using multiport wells and other field hydrogeologic field methods, as well as developing numerical groundwater models.

Patricia Frost, P.G. – Hicks & Company Environmental/Archeological Consultants

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BIO

Patricia Frost is a Licensed Professional Geologist and has been working in the environmental field since 1989. She moved to the Austin area in 2009 and has worked on soil and groundwater contamination projects, assisting clients with environmental compliance including compliance with the TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Protection Program rules.  Pat has a solid background of geological knowledge with a BS degree from Louisiana State University and MS from The University of Texas Permian Basin. When not working on geology projects, Ms. Frost assists company ecologists conducting endangered species surveys. When not working, Pat enjoys hiking and volunteering with habitat restoration projects at area wildlife preserves and conservation lands.

Patricia Bobeck, PhD

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Abbé Jean-Baptiste Paramelle (1790-1875) was a French priest assigned to a parish on the limestone plateau called the Causses du Quercy in the Department of Lot in southwestern France. His parishioners complained bitterly about the lack of water for their animals, their crops, and themselves. Paramelle decided to figure out where the rainfall went. He walked the plateau for nine years before he figured out where it went and how to access it at shallow depth, and in so doing documented some basic karst concepts. In 1827 he wrote a report to the local government to publicize his discovery. With a subsidy, he tried his method at five locations and found water at all of them. His fame spread fast and over the next three decades, Paramelle prospected for water in 40 of France’s departments and found shallow groundwater in 10,000 places. In 1856 he wrote The Art of Finding Springs, a best-seller that was reprinted five times and translated long ago into German and Spanish. I translated it into English as part of my 2017 dissertation. In 2019 the Geological Society of America published it as Special Paper 539.

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WHEN
Monday, March 3, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

WHO
AGS Members, UT JSG Research Symposium winners, and GARSEF recipients of AGS certificates and their adult family members and teachers

WHERE
The UT Austin Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) building at the J.J. Pickle Research Center.  The general location and parking instructions are online at  https://www.beg.utexas.edu/about/directions-and-maps.  The meeting room for the poster session is the former library on the first floor near the main entrance, located on the side of the building facing Braker Lane.  

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Argenis Pelayo

Argenis is a 2nd-year Earth and Energy Resources (EER) Master’s student who will present “Impact of Subsurface Setting on CO2 Storage Leakage Risk: Implications for Financial Responsibility and the Insurance Industry.”

Shelby Clark

Shelby is a geoscience PhD student focusing on expanding exploration spaces for magmatic sulfide deposits and critical minerals.

Sean Avitt, P.G.

Sean is a 2nd-year geoscience Master’s student who will present his research “CCS Freshwater Impacts: Lateral CO2 and Pressure Migration in the Wilcox Group, DeWitt County, Texas.” Sean also works for the Railroad Commission of Texas, focusing on UIC regulation.

Sylvia R. Pope, P.G.

Sylvia will be presenting “Caves of Slovakia”, featuring photos of three of Slovakia's phenomenal caves. Sylvia is a retired hydrogeologist and karst specialist.