University of Kansas
At the University of Kansas, four entities proudly support membership in CUAHSI: The Departments of Geology, Geography and Atmospheric Sciences, and Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering; and the Kansas Geological Survey. As entities at an R-1 university, these programs bring solid science, engineering, and innovation to the study of hydrologic systems. As a major liberal arts institution, opportunities abound to connect to sociological, anthropological, economic, and public policy consequences and impacts. Recent highlights from these programs at KU are described in the following paragraphs.
Department of Geology
The Department of Geology offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in geology with a hydrogeology emphasis. The program is described at: https://hydrogeology.ku.edu/ and https://hydrogeo.ku.edu/. Professor Mary C Hill is the contact for CUAHSI in the Department of Geology. She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2021, one of the highest professional distinctions in engineering. The NAE plays a central role as we move toward a future of quantified environmental risk and earth stewardship. As a geologist, Professor Hill hopes to use her NAE membership to contribute to the evolution of the engineering community toward the building of a sustainable and vibrant economy. Professor Hill leads the Hydrologic and Ecological science Leading toward Policy (HELP) program at KU. Her ongoing NSF FEWtures project is supported by the KU Institute for Policy and Social Research (https://ipsr.ku.edu/; http://ipsr.ku.edu/FEWtures). The FEWtures project, along with Professor Rick Devlin’s work in contaminant remediation using point velocity measurements, show how progress can be pursued.
The KU Professional Masters degree in Environmental Geology started receiving students in 2019 in the Department of Geology. The program trains students for professional careers in hydrogeology and environmental science (see: https://edwardscampus.ku.edu/environmental-geology-masters). The program is led by Professor Marcia Schulmeister and in 2023 is welcoming Dr. Mackenzie Cremeans onto its faculty. Most of its graduates find jobs in government agencies and environmental consulting companies. Some, like Dr. Cremeans, come from application to legal issues. The PSM differs from the regular M.S. degree in that it requires business courses such as project management and finance that are often sought by employers. Students in the PSM do not complete a thesis but are required to do a capstone project on a topic that supports their personal career goals. Except for three hands-on workshops, all courses in the PSM program are taught in online hybrid mode, allowing students to work full time while completing the degree.
Kansas Geological Survey
The Kansas Geological Survey works closely with the academic departments. Sam Zipper, assistant scientist and geohydrologist at the Kansas Geological Survey, is the CUAHSI contact at the KGS. He received the Geological Society of America's Hydrogeology Division 2022 Kohout Early Career Award. Zipper was honored for his work to help understand and improve water resources in agricultural, urban, and natural environments. At the KGS, Zipper leads the HydroEcology of Anthropogenic Landscapes (HEAL@KGS) research group and co-leads the survey’s geohydrology internship program. Much of his research focuses on how water and land management decisions affect the people, economy, and environment of the Great Plains. “His work wrestles with one of the thorniest societal problems of our day—how do we sustainably manage our land and water resources to support human life and livelihood, ensure food and clean water for a growing population, and preserve natural ecosystems both now and for future generations?” says Steven Loheide, professor at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, who was Zipper’s doctoral adviser and nominated him for the award. Dr. Zipper taught in the CUAHSI Virtual University program in 2022. See more about the Kansas Geological Survey at https://www.kgs.ku.edu/
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE)
CUAHSI contact Associate Professor Josh Roundy. Website https://ceae.ku.edu/
In CEAE, CUASHI is supported by Dr. Josh Roundy, Dr. Amy Hansen and Dr. Admin Husic.
Dr. Roundy leads the Computational Hydrology research group at KU (http://hydrology.faculty.ku.edu/index.html). His research aims to develop a better understanding of the interactions between the natural and the built environment. Some of the main research topics addressed by his group include land-atmosphere interactions, drought mechanism, land surface modeling, parameter estimation, seasonal prediction, and the impact of human induced change on the water and climate system.
Dr. Hansen leads the Ecofluids Research group at KU (https://ecofluids-lab.blog.ku.edu). Her research studies the interactions between hydrology and ecology in wetlands, streams and watersheds with an interest in leveraging the linked ecohydrological processes to improve water quality. The Ecofluids Research group uses a wide range of methods to address research questions including field observations and experiments, controlled laboratory experiments in flumes or other mesocosms, data analysis and mathematical process models.
Dr. Husic leads the Ecohydraulics Research Group at KU (https://hydraulics.eco). His research studies the human impacts on water quality and work at the interface of water resources, sociohydrology, and sustainability to ensure the equitable access and security of water for all people. This includes working at the point scale, river basin scale and the region scale considering urbanization, landscape modeling, social vulnerability, and aquatic sensing.
Department of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences
CUAHSI contact Xingong Li. https://geog.ku.edu/
Geography and Atmospheric Science at KU offers cutting-edge research and a rigorous education to make a real-world difference in people's lives. Faculty include experts in GIS, remote sensing, and social and physical geography. Degrees include bachelors, masters, and PhD. For more information, see https://geog.ku.edu/
- Website:
- http://hydrogeology.ku.edu/
- Degrees:
- Master's, Ph.D., Other/Professional