from 2007 onwards, verena winiwarter worked to establish a research focus on the environmental history of the danube and expedited the expansion of the scientific foundation for an environmental history of austria. she has managed several fwf projects (austrian science fund), including the projects urbwater and alpine skiers in 2014. in addition to her academic work, she has been able to introduce a broad audience to the topic of environmental history, and has established environmental history as part of school instruction.