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

[0449014]该研究将涉及污染河流的评估和受酸性矿山排水影响的河流的有效修复，需要对控制颗粒和污染物动力学的主要机制有透彻的了解。由于水文和地球化学过程的复杂耦合，这些反应物质的命运和运输研究通常是复杂的，这些过程在空间和时间上都是不同的。由于潜流交换在调节颗粒、污染物和生态相关物质的运输中起着重要作用，其重要性日益得到人们的认识。作为德克萨斯农工大学金斯维尔分校（TAMUK）环境与土木工程系唯一的女性教员，以及美国国家科学基金会资助的科学与技术卓越研究中心(CREST)-半干旱沿海地区环境可持续性研究（RESSACA）的高级研究员，她的教学生涯将专注于招募更多来自弱势群体（尤其是西班牙裔女性）的学生参与拟议的研究活动，开发课程和研究项目，旨在培养南德克萨斯州未来的研究人员和实践工程师的跨学科技能，并通过整合拟议的研究来增强TAMUK目前的工程课程。此外，TAMUK与来自中国清华大学、德克萨斯州拉雷多德州农工国际大学（TAMIU）和墨西哥蒙特雷高等理工学院（ITESM）的几位国际知名科学家的合作将为TAMUK学生提供优秀的跨学科环境研究和教育机会。该计划的发展计划将为南德克萨斯州的西班牙裔学生提供最先进的跨学科培训，以便更好地为满足美墨边境地区未来的可持续环境需求做好准备。最后，PI将与利益相关者团体和政府机构密切合作，如美国环保署（第六区）和德克萨斯州环境质量委员会（TCEQ），以确保及时将科学发现转移给决策者。

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.