Students must submit all requested materials listed below and meet the following criteria:
• 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 which 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)
1. 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.
2. 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 2026 Annual Conference, in Bee Cave, TX, Sept. 22-23, 2026. Recipients' registration is complimentary.