Get ready for a mouthwatering celebration, where chocolate lovers unite and we announce our 2023 photo contest winners.

In addition to eating chocolate and celebrating the photo contest winners, three of our former graduate research assistants will join us to give an update on what they’ve been currently working on.

Elia Tapia was a graduate research assistant at the WRRC from 2014 to 2018. During her time there, she contributed to the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program and the Water Rapids Program, researching transboundary aquifers, climate change, stakeholder engagement, and environmental flows. Tapia is a faculty professor at Universidad de Sonora in Mexico and also serves as a consultant for the WRRC and WSP, where she conducts research related to the transboundary aquifers of the US and Mexico, as well as the transboundary basin of the Amazon River.

Bailey Winston was a graduate research assistant for WRRC’s Water RAPIDS program from 2015 to 2017, primarily working on water budgets and stakeholder engagement in rural watersheds. In February 2023, after five years as Desert Rivers Program Director at Arizona Land and Water Trust, Winston joined The Nature Conservancy, where she has been focusing on projects that support river systems and rural communities in the San Pedro and Sonoita Creek watersheds.

Nate Delano was a graduate research assistant and research analyst at the WRRC from 2013 to 2016. During his time at the WRRC, he focused on groundwater governance research under Director Sharon B. Megdal, outreach activities, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Since departing the WRRC, Delano has begun a career with the Environmental Protection Agency, where he focuses on drinking water issues for Tribal communities across the West. He is thrilled to be back in Tucson, and looks forward to enjoying some delicious chocolate!