Libsyn Directory

480 From Engineering Numbers to People, Power, and Policy with Sherine El‑Wattar

Release Date: 06/13/2026

495 Growing Through Change in Water Treatment with Mark Lewis, Part 1

Scaling UP! H2O

Change is unavoidable, but uncertainty does not have to control how water treatment professionals respond to it. Mark Lewis returns to share what he learned when Southeastern Laboratories was acquired by CRB Water—and how employees can remain valuable, informed, and open to opportunity during a business transition. Navigating an Acquisition from the Employee’s Perspective Southeastern Laboratories began exploring a buyer because its owners wanted to protect the company and approximately 30 employees. When CRB Water entered the picture, employees naturally wondered what...

494 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 2

Scaling UP! H2O

A strong convention outcome starts before the first session and continues long after the exhibit hall closes. Association of Water Technologies Executive Director Matt Coffindaffer explains how deliberate preparation, wider professional relationships, and volunteer service can turn AWT 2026 into practical value for an industrial water treatment career or business. Find the Right Place to Volunteer AWT offers yearlong committee service, shorter task-force assignments, and opportunities across technical research, marketing, membership, regulatory affairs, business resources, young...

493 Preparing for AWT 2026: Leadership, Change, and CWT Growth with Matt Coffindaffer, Part 1

Scaling UP! H2O

Strong professional associations do more than provide programs and credentials. They create an environment where members can exchange knowledge, build trusted relationships, and prepare their businesses for what comes next. As the Association of Water Technologies enters a new operational chapter, Executive Director explains how AWT is strengthening that environment without losing the culture that makes it distinctive. From the Arts to Association Leadership Before entering association management, Matt built a career behind the scenes in theater. His...

492 AI for Water Treaters: A Thought Partner, Not a Replacement

Scaling UP! H2O

491 Environmental Microbiology and Legionella: Managing Building Water Risks with Dr. Rajiv Sahay

Scaling UP! H2O

Reliable Legionella results begin long before a sample reaches the laboratory. of explains how building conditions, field collection practices, and laboratory methods influence the quality—and usefulness—of the data water professionals receive. Building Water Conditions Shape the Risk Modern buildings rely heavily on controlled mechanical systems, yet water can remain an overlooked part of the indoor environment. Stagnation, low flow, dead legs, temperature, pH, disinfectant residuals, corrosion, and accumulated organic material can all influence biofilm development and microbial...

490 From Plans to Prevention: Water Management Insights with Dr. Abe Cullom

Scaling UP! H2O

A water management plan protects people only when the facility uses it to guide decisions. Dr. Abe Cullom, Director of Water Safety & Management at Pace Analytical, joins Trace Blackmore, CWT, to examine why Legionella programs break down—and how testing, communication, and consistent implementation can strengthen them. Implementation Is the Bottleneck Five decades after Legionella was identified, researchers understand much more about the organism, its ecology, the conditions that support its growth, and the interventions available to control it. However, Dr....

489 Copper-Silver Ionization Technology and Legionella Control with Tory Schira

Scaling UP! H2O

Copper-silver ionization offers building operators a persistent approach to Legionella control—one designed to carry an active disinfectant residual throughout complex plumbing infrastructure. LiquiTech CEO Tory Schira explains how the technology works, what operating data matters, and why successful implementation requires more than installing equipment. How Copper-Silver Ionization Works Copper and silver ions are introduced through a flow chamber containing sacrificial electrodes. A controlled electrical charge releases the positively...

488 Managing Legionella with confidence: A Conversation with Patsy Root

Scaling UP! H2O

“Our goal is not zero Legionella pneumophila bacteria. Our goal is zero cases.” – Patsy Root Legionella risk becomes harder to manage when building teams treat every detection as equivalent—or collect samples without first deciding what a positive result will trigger. , Senior Manager of Government Affairs at , explains how a clear water management program can replace uncertainty with defined responsibilities, routine monitoring, and proportionate action. Focus Testing on the Organism of Concern Patsy distinguishes between the broader...

487 The 60‑Minute CFO: Tracy Bech on Making Business Finance Less Scary

Scaling UP! H2O

“Our gross profit margin is truly the battle we have to win in order to win all of the downstream wars.” - Tracy Bech Financial statements become useful when leaders can translate the numbers into decisions. , founder and author of , explains how business owners, managers, salespeople, and field professionals can develop financial fluency without becoming accountants. Turn Financial Data into a Meaningful Scorecard Tracy teaches finance through stories and relationships rather than isolated numbers. Revenue alone does not reveal whether a company is...

486 Meter Optimization: Air in the water with Anthony Giudice

Scaling UP! H2O

Water meters register the volume passing through them, but what happens when that volume contains both water and entrained air? Anthony Giudice, president of AquaFlow, explains how turbulent flow can influence meter readings and how AquaFlow’s calibrated valve is designed to help meters reflect what he describes as true water consumption. Why Flow Conditions Matter at the Meter Anthony connects entrained air to the pressure required to move municipal water and the turbulence created as water travels through piping, changes...

More Episodes

Industrial water professionals work with chemistry, equipment, permits, and performance targets every day. Yet every gallon also moves through a framework of policy decisions: who can withdraw water, how it may be used, what quality must be returned, and whose needs are considered when systems are designed.

Sherine El-Wattar, a science network officer supporting the IPCC Working Group II Technical Support Unit, brings an engineering foundation and a human-centered perspective to those questions. Her work focuses on climate impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, and risk while helping connect scientific assessments with communities and professional groups beyond the traditional research environment.

Water Systems Are Never Neutral

Pipelines, treatment plants, reuse programs, and flood-control infrastructure solve technical problems. However, Sherine encourages engineers and decision-makers to ask additional questions: Who benefits from the system? Who might be harmed? Whose assumptions are built into the equations? What local realities might the numbers overlook?

Her master’s research illustrates the importance of that lens. Sherine compared remote-sensing indicators of agricultural productivity with the day-to-day practices of farmers near Cairo. A digital map could classify land as productive or unproductive, but the view from the ground revealed practices shaped by long-term care for the soil and water. The lesson is not to dismiss data. It is to understand what the data may not capture.

Water Risk Depends on Context

Water scarcity, flooding, infrastructure resilience, and climate adaptation do not look the same in every region. Culture, institutions, belief systems, and lived experience shape how communities define risk and how they respond to water policy.

Sherine describes climate-related water risk through a straightforward frame: too much water or too little water. The solutions, however, require deeper attention to local conditions. A technically sound recommendation may still fall short if it overlooks the people affected by the decision.

Practical Steps for Water Professionals

For utilities, facilities, and water-sector businesses, Sherine recommends exploring water footprint concepts and water stewardship. She also emphasizes authentic connection: listen before trying to fix a problem, communicate without judgment, and build awareness through relationships.

Industrial water treaters already hold valuable knowledge. Sharing that expertise with operators, communities, policymakers, and professionals from other disciplines can improve the quality of future water decisions.

Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!

Timestamps

02:10 — Trace explains why water and policy are inseparable, even when daily work appears focused on equipment, chemistry, permits, and profitability.

05:10 — Upcoming industry events highlight opportunities to stay current on utility operations, infrastructure, compliance, data integration, and water-quality challenges.

08:50 — Sherine El-Wattar joins the conversation and clarifies the IPCC acronym before introducing her work in water governance and climate adaptation.

11:30 — Sherine reflects on the value of combining engineering problem-solving with water systems that serve society.

12:00 — Sherine describes her role supporting IPCC Working Group II and the two responsibilities she balances: science and networking.

14:10 — The discussion explores how expert reviewers can contribute perspectives from law, finance, health, youth organizations, Indigenous communities, and other fields.

15:30 — Sherine explains why communication must shift depending on whether the audience includes public communities or government representatives.

17:10 — Water is compared to language: local culture, institutions, and belief systems influence how risk and equity are understood.

19:50 — Sherine unpacks water as a story of people, power, and justice rather than only a network of pipes and treatment systems.

22:00 — A human-centric approach asks who benefits, who may be harmed, whose knowledge informs the system, and what the assumptions may cost.

24:40 — Sherine describes the Netherlands’ Delta Works as an example of infrastructure shaped by risk, institutional capacity, and long-term water management.

27:10 — Sherine shares how her master’s studies shifted her understanding of water from a technical discipline toward the science-policy interface.

29:40 — Her research compares remote-sensing indicators with farmers’ lived practices near Cairo, revealing the limits of relying on aggregated data alone.

33:30 — Trace and Sherine explore how professionals can respect culture and tradition while still supporting education and improvement.

35:50 — Sherine recommends water footprint concepts and water stewardship as practical starting points for organizations planning for climate adaptation.

38:20 — The conversation examines the mismatch between climate risk and the depth of current responses to too much or too little water.

41:50 — Sherine encourages professionals to connect water awareness with personal reflection, professional networks, and conversations that influence behavior

Connect with Sherine El-Wattar

Phone: +31646914589

Email: selwattar@gmail.com

Website: IPCC — Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ipcc/

LinkedIn: Sherine El-Wattar | LinkedIn

Quotes

“And I really liked how, you know, engineering is all about the numbers, solving problems, and finding a way to create a system that serves society.”

“I have been humbled enough to know you cannot force policymakers to think anything.”

“For us to balance these things, it's about, it starts with understanding.”

“I really hope I would live to see the day where taking care of water or being water conscious is the new trend.”

Guest Resources Mentioned