Jon Nania, Deputy Director for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Central Midwest Water Science Center, is the current Chair for the Iowa Water Center (IWC) Advisory Board.
Nania grew up in the Chicago suburbs in an Italian-Polish family. His interest in the environment is rooted from his mother’s passion and care for the environment, as this impacted him greatly growing up. Nania attended the University of Iowa to study geography, with added focuses in environmental studies and water resources. After going through his coursework at the University of Iowa and completing an internship at the USGS, Nania’s attention was drawn to the importance of providing high quality water-related information to Iowans, including water quantity, water quality and groundwater. This newfound understanding inspired him to strive for a career in his field. Nania has been a member of the IWC Advisory Board since 2017 and has served as Chair since 2018.
“What I’ve enjoyed most about being on the IWC’s Advisory Board, besides working with a great group of water resource experts in Iowa, is the process of reviewing the applications for the Competitive Grant competition. It is really exciting to see new and innovative ideas in water resources in Iowa. Even for the applications that do not get awarded, it feels good to provide constructive advice to the applicants for future grants.”
“I look forward to bringing together water resource experts to share and foster growth in water-resources knowledge across Iowa. There are so many aspects to Iowa’s water-resource community that goes beyond my scientific expertise. The IWC Advisory Board members have a diverse role in the water resources of Iowa, and as a group bring together a wealth of knowledge to help address water resource needs. Accurate, unbiased science is needed to help guide decisions about our state’s water resources.”