Hisham Eldardiry

Outreach Activities

Media Coverage

• NASA Earth Observatory [April 2022] Interviewed by Adam Voiland to share my experience on how to use satellite remote sensing to monitor the operations of dams and provide some lessons learned from the case of High Aswan Dam and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The article is available at NASA Earth Observatory

• IEEE Spectrum [March 2022] Interviewed by Rahul Rao to share insights on the water and energy security in the Nile river basin following the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The article is available at IEEE Spectrum

• The Conversation [October 2021] Contributed to The Conversation Africa edition with a piece of article on how to turn confrontation about Africa’s biggest hydropower dam to cooperation. The article is available at The Conversation The Conversation

• SciDevNet Interview [August 2021] Interviewed by the Egyptian journalist Rehab Abdelmohsen to provide insights from integrating remote sensing observations into Nile River Basin Reservoir Advisory System (NiBRAS). The article is published in Arabic at SciDevNet

• ArabNews Deep Dive Article [June 2021] Interviewed by Jonathan Gornall to participate in an Arab News deep dive article “Battle for the Nile” to provide an in-depth examination of the potential impacts on downstream Nile states during the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The article is published at ArabNews

• QPosts Interview [April 2021] Interviewed by the Egyptian journalist Ahmed Adly to share my perspectives on the importance of data sharing to resolve the Nile conflict. The artcile is published in Arabic at QPosts
  

• BBC Science in Action Radio Programme [November 2020] Invited for an interview in “Science in Action” weekly radio programme to talk about the future of the Nile under the challenges of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The “Science in Action” episodes are produced by the BBC world service and hosted by the British journalist Roland Pease. The Episode is available on BBC Sounds

Invited Talks

How Forcing Selection and Parameter Uncertainty Influence Community Land Model Hydrological Applications in the United States

Invited By:

• Energy and Water Resources Systems Seminar organized by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University [May 2024].

Shedding Light from Space on Dam Operations: Introducing Nile Basin Reservoir Advisory System (NiBRAS)

Invited By:

• U.S.-Iraqi Research-Focused Dialogues on Mesopotamian River Revival, organized by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [January 2023].
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Nile River Basin Webinar Series [February 2022].
• Center for Climate Sciences (CSS) at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA [September 2021].
• Nile Talk Forum organized by the Institute of Environment at the Florida International University [July 2021].
  
• Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Egypt [May 2021].

The Value of Long-term Streamflow Forecasts in Adaptive Reservoir Operation: The case of High Aswan Dam in the Transboundary Nile River Basin

Invited By:

• AWRA and AIH Webinar Series: Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) [May 2021].
• Forum for Research Initiatives, Exchange of Knowledge, and Development Support (FRIENDS) [October 2021].

Future Operation of High Aswan Dam: Challenges and Opportunities

Invited By:

• The 6th Nile Basin Development Forum organized by the Nile Basin Initiative [March 2021].
• Nile Talk Forum organized by the Institute of Environment at the Florida International University [March 2021].

Adaptive Reservoir Operation in the Transboundary Nile River Basin: Towards Win-Win Solutions

Invited By:

• WeAspire Town Hall: The GERD and Beyond [April 2022].
• Environment and Water Program Seminar Series organized by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle [October 2020]
• Quantitative Seminar Series organized by the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington [February 2020].

Water Management Challenges in the Transboundary Nile River Basin

Invited By:

• Data, Science, and Diplomacy Class in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, Seattle [October 2020].
• Quantitative Water Resources Management Class in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle [February 2020].

Stakeholder Engagement

• GESR Vision
  Global Equity in Scientific Research (GESR) vision, drawing its essence from the Arabic word for “bridge”, is grounded in the firm belief that every individual, regardless of background, should have equal access and meaningful participation in the global scientific research.
  The GESR vision focuses on research inequalities challenges that can manifest in various forms of the research process including: access to resources, publication and visibility, representation and diversity, and global knowledge distribution.
  
• U.S.-Iraqi Research-Focused Dialogues on Mesopotamian River Revival
  Invited to participate in the U.S.-Iraqi Research-Focused Dialogues on Mesopotamian River Revival organized by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2022-2023).
  
• SWOT Early Adopter Program
  Leading the Early Adopter (EA) team of Alexandria University (Egypt) to integrate Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Mission into the operational Nile Basin Reservoir Advisory System (NiBRAS).
  
• Sensing Rivers Workshop (SR 2020)
  More than 20 attendees from the Nile River countries participated in a 3-day virtual workshop to learn about satellite remote sensing applications in water resources engineering (September 21-23, 2020).
  - For more details about the workshop agenda, please visit SR2020
  - Recordings are available on YouTube
• Nile Basin Reservoir Advisory System (NiBRAS)
  A satellite-based decision support system that aim to facilitate the understanding of water-energy dynamics in transboundary basins and provide a basis for evaluating potential solutions.
  - A beta version of the NiBRAS system is readily accessible via the following link: NiBRAS
  
• NASA/CNES SWOT Hackathon
  Supporting SWOT Early Adopters (EA) teams from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) (June 2020) and Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) (March 2021)
  
• HydroLingo Initiative
  Recognizing the vital role of effective science communication, Hisham has initiated "HydroLingo" an innovative program designed to disseminate water research in local languages, facilitating enhanced public engagement and interaction. As a selected member of the AGU Voices for Science Program, Hisham is currently developing the HydroLingo platform to effectively communicate research findings and extend the reach of this transformative program.

K-12 Education

• Engineering Discovery Days, University of Washington, Seattle
  At Engineering Discovery Days (April 2017-2018), as a part of SASWE research group, we shared our research work on water and satellites with students, teachers, families and the community. Engineering Discovery Days are oriented toward 4th through 8th grade students and feature hands-on activities that demonstrate the exciting work of engineers.
  
• Coastal Sciences, University of Louisiana, Lafayete
  Visiting S. J. Montgomery Elementary School (Lafayette, LA) to educate students about land loss in Coastal Louisiana (November 2013).
  

Scientific Storytelling

• (March 2020) SASWE Promo Film: Part of a UW team to produce the promotional film for SASWE (SAtellites, Sustainability, Water, and Environment) research group.
  The promo film won the Public Messaging and Engagement Award for the 2nd UW Student Film Contest.
  
• (Ongoing) Nile Dilemma: Water Journey from the Ethiopian Highlands to the Egyptian Pyramids.
  Crafting a documentary film exploring water security in the Nile River and the escalated hydropolitical tensions among the eastern Nile countries.