ADVANCE Fellows Award: Developing a Program in Hydrologic Education and Research at Rutgers University

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In this ADVANCE Fellows project, it is proposed to develop an integrated program of education and research in hydrologic sciences at Rutgers University. The broad objectives of the plan are threefold: (1) to provide a broad-based education in hydrologic sciences for students in various earth science programs across the university, (2) to develop a core research program in hydrologic sciences that may bring together various expertise across the university campus to address a wide range of water-related issues, and (3) to advance the PI's academic standing toward a full-time, sustainable, and independent academic career. The educational component of the plan is to enhance the two existing courses (Hydrogeology, Groundwater Modeling) that the PI currently teaches, and to develop two new courses (Introduction to Hydrology, Hydrologic Research). These four courses together, offered in alternate years, will provide a broad coverage of subjects in hydrology at both introductory and advanced levels, and meet the needs of different earth science disciplines and programs on campus (e.g., geology, ecology, and meteorology). The research component of the plan is to continue and expand three of the PI's current projects, and to build them into a core program that will bring together a multidisciplinary research team. The first project is to develop a regional hydrologic model that integrates surface and groundwater processes and translates climate variability and resource management scenarios into stream flow and groundwater levels. The second project focuses on the fundamental understanding of groundwater flow and transport in fractured sedimentary rocks. The third project examines the role of the water table dynamics in the atmosphere-land coupling by directly incorporating the water table and associated processes in a regional climate model. These research projects attempt to answer fundamental science questions and at the same time contribute toward building state-of-art research and application tools for answering future questions. They will help build a center of gravity in hydrologic research that may bring together various expertises in science and policy across the university campus to address a wide range of environmental issues.