CAREER: Effects of Particle Aggregation/Disaggregation and Precipitation on Sediment and Contaminant Transport in River Systems

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0449014RenThe research proposed will involve the assessment of contaminated rivers and effective remediation of streams affected by acid mine drainage require a thorough understanding of the dominant mechanisms controlling particle and contaminant dynamics. Studies of the fate and transport of these reactive substances are generally complicated due to the complex coupling of hydrologic and geochemical processes, which vary spatially and temporally. The importance of hyporheic exchange has becoming increasingly recognized because of its important role in regulating the transport of particles, contaminants, and ecologically relevant substances. As the only female faculty in the Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University Kingsville (TAMUK), a Hispanic-serving university, and a senior investigator of the NSF funded Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST)-Research on Environmental Sustainability of Semi-Arid Coastal Areas (RESSACA), the PI will focus her teaching career on recruitment of more students from underrepresented groups (especially Hispanic women) to participate in the proposed research activities, development of a curricular and research program designed to develop interdisciplinary skills in future researchers and practicing engineers in South Texas, and enhancement of current engineering curriculum at TAMUK through integration with the proposed research. In addition, the collaborations with several international recognized scientists from Tsinghua University in China, Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), Laredo, TX, and Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico will provide TAMUK students with excellent interdisciplinary environmental research and education opportunities. This program development plan will provide the Hispanic student population in South Texas with the state-of-the-art interdisciplinary training to be better prepared to meet the future sustainable environmental needs of the US-Mexico border region. Finally, the PI will work closely with stakeholder groups and government agencies such as US EPA (Region 6) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to ensure timely transfer of science findings to decision-makers.