New Mexico lacks an abundant supply of water, said Tim Ward, assistant vice president for research.
"We're situated in a region where water is very critical," Ward said. "It's very critical because we often don't have enough and sometimes get too much at one time - it's either feast or famine."
New Mexico's water supply will only worsen as time goes on. But to help find a solution, UNM established the Water Resources Program in 1991, said Bruce Thomson, the program's director.
The program trains graduate students about water-resource management, he said.
"Some students approach the problem with a technical orientation, while some are more interested in the policy and management aspects of the issue," he said.
The interdisciplinary program includes 40 faculty members from 11 departments, he said.
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Thomson said it is important to have a diverse group work on water-resource management.
"We recognize that to succeed in this field, professionals need to have a wide background of experience," he said.
Students enrolled in the program are required to conduct a research project and write a professional paper, he said.
Many students present their work at the annual Student Water Symposium, sponsored by the program and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Ward said.
"A lot of people on campus recognized that we needed some way to get our water research - particularly that done by the students - out in front of the public," he said.
Graduate student Craig Broadbent is helping David Brookshire, a professor in the program, conduct a research project that won't be completed until May 2009.
The project uses students to create scenarios where each person is allotted a certain amount of water to buy or sell, Broadbent said.
"We're investigating the feasibility of a water-leasing institution, which does a short-term, temporary transfer of a water right," he said.
Brookshire is on sabbatical and could not be reached for comment.
Broadbent said they will eventually build a market using farmers in Mimbres, N.M.
