Two of the nine scheduled exhibitors didn't make it due to canceled flights. An already low turnout --
budget cuts forced US federal agency representatives to cancel weeks before the conference -- was even lower.
But we've had a great meeting. We've met students and professors, state agency representatives, and professionals young and old. We even met a young scientist -- a professor's ten-year-old daughter -- who spent some time with us last night armoring stream banks in our model.
A meeting organizer told me at the cocktail reception last night that we're the talk of the conference.
"What's cool is, even the old white guys are talking about you," he added.
This conference's theme is agricultural hydrology and water quality, so we've talked a lot about management practices related to farming, especially pollution. By lunchtime, the water in our
Em2 runs a deep emerald green from all the dye we've been using to simulate contaminants.
We've made new connections and visited with old friends. We're especially glad to see our friends from
SIU, who helped organize and sponsor the meeting.
