Known as the Sunshine State, Florida is also synonymous with water. Our state boasts many beautiful beaches and is home to the vast Floridian Aquifer, providing drinking water to nearly 10 million people and feeding into numerous springs and lakes. And so, it’s no surprise that as our state’s flagship university, the University of Florida is renowned for its expertise in water-related research.
That is why, we are excited to announce the launch of our second season of FRE Lunch – The Food and Resource Economics Podcast. This season, we will be partnering with the UF Water Institute to bring you a total of 8 episodes all about Florida’s fresh water and the research happening at UF around it!
Housed within the UF Department of Research, the Water Institute was created to serve as a hub that brings together all of the experts across the University for interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach programs addressing Florida’s most pressing water challenges.
“Most of the problems, I think, the sort of wicked problems, are not going to be solved by a discipline coming to a solution,” said Dr. Matt Cohen, Director of the UF Water Institute. “These solutions are multifaceted inherently. And so, in recognizing that, the Water Institute is trying to be a catalyst for research and programming that builds that conversation.”
Throughout the season, we plan to cover a wide range of topics, including freshwater economics, drinking water, reclaimed water, water for Florida agriculture, harmful algal blooms, invasive species, freshwater tourism, and more!
This podcast is co-hosted by Caleb Stair, an instructional assistant professor and undergraduate honors research coordinator for FRE, Alena Poulin, the department marketing and communications specialist, and Sarah Marc, communications and event specialist for the UF Water Institute.
Each 15-20-minute episode features interviews with at least one freshwater economics researcher from the FRE department and another faculty member at UF outside the discipline.
“I think the constituency of this season’s podcast guests is really animating that idea that it touches every part that you can think of in terms of, you know, the life of Floridians,” Cohen said.
Episodes are published on the last Friday of every month, and the first episode, featuring Dr. Matt Cohen, Water Institute Director, is available now.
Tune in here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2375738
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