About the Scholarship
In 2016, the Board of Directors of the Texas Desalination Association initiated a scholarship fund for students at institutions of higher learning who are engaged in water resource planning and/or research involving one of the various aspects of brackish groundwater or seawater desalination. The scholarship fund is named for Ed Archuleta, who was also honored in 2016 by the Association as its Texas Desalination Pioneer.
Students are eligible to receive this Award one time only, past recipients need not apply.
Scholarship Criteria
Students must submit all requested materials listed below and meet the following criteria:
- Submit Online Application
- Be a full-time student enrolled in a four-year, accredited, degree-granting college or university (submit proof)
- Be attending a university in Texas, OR must be a Texas resident if attending an out-of-state university
- Submit an unofficial transcript that reflects GPA and credit hour requirements (if transcript does not reflect the following, please provide additional proof):
- Completed 60 credit hours or working on advanced degrees at the time of application
- Attained an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 point scale)
- Submit an essay from one of the two essay prompts below. (2-page maximum; 12-point type in Calibri, Cambria or Times New Roman; 1.5 line spacing)
- Organizations and policymakers interpret desalination in different manners, from an engineering process to a philosophy to achieve water security. How do you define “desalination”, and what has shaped your perspective? Please prepare a two-page op-ed explaining your position.
- Ed Archuleta was responsible for all aspects of water, wastewater, reclaimed water service, and storm water to the greater El Paso metropolitan area during his tenure at El Paso Water Utilities. What types of water projects (seawater, industrial reuse, surface water, etc.) do you feel are most important to Texas’s water supply portfolio, and why? Please prepare a two-page op-ed article explaining your position.
- Submit a W‐9 Form
- Present your project/essay as a Poster Presentation during the Texas Desal Annual Conference.
Recipients’ registration is complimentary.
Questions? Email custsrv@texasdesal.com.
About Ed Archuleta
Edmund G. “Ed” Archuleta was manager of the El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board from January 1989 until his retirement in January 2013. He was responsible for all aspects of water, wastewater, reclaimed water service, and storm water to the greater El Paso metropolitan area. He reported to and implemented strategic policies set by the seven-member Public Service Board. Ed was then named the Transition and Special Projects Manager for the El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board from January through July 2013. Ed joined University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) as Director of Water Initiatives on September 1, 2013. Read more.
Previous Scholarship Recipients
- 2023 – Mauricio Tarazona, New Mexico State University 1st Place
Helani Perera & Terek Ahasan, New Mexico State University 2nd Place
Subanky Suvendran, New Mexico State University 3rd Place - 2022 – Tayia Oddonetto, The University of Texas at El Paso
- 2021 – Kaleisha Miller, Texas A&M University | Runner Up: Ze He, Rice University
- 2020 – Marcello Di Martino, Texas A&M University
- 2019 – Emily Pease, University of Texas at Austin
- 2018 – Amit Jain, Rice University
- 2017 – Savanna Smith, Undergraduate, University of Texas at Austin
- 2016 – Malynda Cappelle, PhD, University of Texas at El Paso
Interested in donating to the Fund?