Brendan's blog
Water for Bolivia
Brendan Mulligan
I completed a master's degree in hydrogeology in 2006 through the University of Calgary's Department of Geoscience and CARA, the Central American Water Resource Management Network (http://www.caragua.org/), which is managed at the U of C by David Bethune. Now I'm working with CARA as an international project coordinator and instructor. Last year I spent a few weeks in Sucre, Bolivia getting our new CIDA-funded project off the ground and then a semester in El Salvador teaching a course in Aqueous Geochemistry. In 2008, my work takes me back to Bolivia, where I will help coordinate the development of a new master's program in hydrogeology and water resource management (http://www.usfx.edu.bo/posgradocivil/) and a host of related activities. Bolivia is a beautiful country with an incredible people and a rich history but myriad water issues - I can't wait to get started!"
End of semester in Bolivia
June 12, 2008
Though it’s hard to believe, our first semester is quickly coming to a close. In fact, I’ve finished lecturing my first course in Bolivia: physical hydrogeology! As I write this, our 12 students are busy taking their second module on GIS (Geographical Information Systems) applied to water resources. They’ve also been studying introductory geology, applied hydrology, and research methods. Next semester, we’ll take them out of the classroom and do our first field school at the site I visited in Oruro a few months ago.
Painting the town white
May 28, 2008
Last week my sister, Kate, said farewell to Sucre after a long and great visit! She was in the city for about a month learning Spanish before setting off on a grand backpacking adventure (to Potosí, the Salar de Uyuni, La Paz, Rurrenabaque, Copacabana, Puno, Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Lima – to name a few places!) with her boyfriend, Kevin. Kate’s currently in Cochabamba volunteering with an NGO called “Water for the People” (see www.waterforpeople.org/canada) for a few weeks before she returns to Canada.
Naomi Klein reads in Bolivia
May 7, 2008
Two weeks ago we were honoured by a visit from Dr. Jaime Gárfias, a professor from the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México in Toluca, Mexico. Dr. Gárfias was born in Oruro, Bolivia and completed his master´s and doctoral degrees at Université Laval in Canada before heading to Mexico, where he has worked for many years… so he’s very well travelled and has a unique perspective on our project!
Into the altiplano
April 18, 2008
Last weekend I headed for the city of Oruro with our Bolivian project director to meet with a research team from the University of San Andrés in La Paz and representatives of Oruro’s “prefectura” (departmental government). We wanted to get acquainted with a field site used for years by the research team.They have been investigating water quality impacts from small-scale mining operations in two sub-watersheds that drain into Lago Poopó, a large, shallow saline lake.
After the flood
April 4, 2008
Last week I had the honour of being invited to participate in a meeting of Bolivian water experts, organized by the Executive Committee of Bolivian Universities. The meeting was held in Trinidad, the capital city of Bolivia’s north-eastern department of Beni and the centre of a national disaster as a
Under water: A glimpse of the flooding that has affected thousands of Bolivians, principally in the department of Beni. result of this year’s flooding.
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