Name: Ali S Akanda School and Department: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: Ph.D., 2009 Advisor: Shafiqul Islam

Primary Research Topic:
Investigating the Role of Hydroclimatology in Seasonal Cholera Transmission

Cholera remains a major public health issue in the developing world, mainly in coastal areas around the tropics. Cholera incidence shows significant bi-annual peaks and strong inter-annual variability in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin region of South Asia. Increasing water temperature and phytoplankton blooms during the spring low flow season increases the concentration of pathogenic V. Cholerae in the coastal Bay of Bengal region. Sea water intrusion during this time of the year provides favorable conditions for the first outbreak of cholera. Cholera incidence decreases during peak monsoon precipitation period when most of the region undergoes flooding and open mixing of water networks and reservoirs. The second peak is triggered in late monsoon and has shown strong links with above average floods. Cholera epidemics have been historically linked to climate variables and more recently with El Nino-Southern Oscillation; however, the role of hydroclimatology and the regional ocean-atmospheric processes is poorly understood. The goal is to understand the role of these processes in an attempt to identify predictors with significant memory on a seasonal or longer time scale.

Other Project Titles:
Seasonal Streamflow Forecasting for Ganges-Brahmputra-Meghna Basin - A Framework for Promoting Cooperation in Transboundary River Basins

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Visual Basic, Matlab, Perl, ArcGIS, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, AutoCAD Civil 3D

Name: Alex Bedig School and Department: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: ME Environmental Water Resources Engineering, 2010 Advisors: Steven Chapra

Research Project:
Open-Source GIS-Based Software for Modeling Waterborne Contaminants and Diseases

My research is the development of an open-source GIS-based watershed-to-regional scale water management software package built to work with standalone modules that interchangeably characterize waterborne contaminants and diseases through time and over space. The basic idea is to create a software package that frees people from the need to understand hydrological modeling, allowing new research on disease and contaminant fate, transport, and interaction with various species (like humans) to be quickly implemented into a computing environment that can produce results relevant to decision makers. By making it open-source and Linux-based, I hope to be able to overcome the cost barrier that has kept water quality modeling tools on the watershed and regional scale from being adopted by many of the poorer nations where they're needed most, as well as encourage academic institutions to build disease or contaminant-specific modules for it based on their own research.

Professionally, I have experience with reservoir storm operations, temperature and economic solutions modeling for habitat preservation, water rights transfer law in California, and database design and management.

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
GIS, MATLAB programming, MATHCAD, VBA for Excel and Access, C++, HTML, CSS, Flash

Name: Benjamin Bornstein School and Department: Graduate Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: M.S. Environmental Health, 2009 Advisor: Anne Marie Desmarais

Primary Research Topic:
An Evaluation of the Exposure Parameters and Possible Risks Posed to Human and Ecosystem Health Due to Fish Consumption from Areas of the Mystic River Watershed

Recent data collected by certain environmental and health agencies suggests that various species of fish within sections of the Mystic River Watershed, MA, have high levels of toxicity. The three most commonly found substances are DDT, chlordane, and PCBs. These compounds have been banned for years in the US but are persistent in the environment and can bioaccumulate to dangerously high levels, especially in the tissues of higher trophic-level organisms. Anecdotal evidence indicates that many community members, especially from certain environmental justice and ethnic populations, may be relying on Mystic-caught fish as a common source of food. These substances are known to cause detrimental effects on human and animal health after high or prolonged exposure. Through my research I hope to gain insight as to the level of risk the contaminated fish pose to humans that consume them, and what sort of long term implications contaminated water and sediments may have on the ecosystem. I will also try to determine exposure statistics for people that consume toxic fish, and try to assess if state advisories are appropriate and having the desired impact.

Other Project Titles:
WSSS Practicum, Nassau, Bahamas

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
ArcGIS, Coastal Surveying, New England Ecosystems, Risk Assessment, Public Health, Geology, Spanish

Post Graduation Interests:
T ravel, international development and urbanization, consulting, Ph.D or M.D. program

Name: Katie Cerretani School and Department: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy - Agriculture, Food and Environment Program Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: Masters of Science, 2009 Advisors: Willie Lockeretz, Kathleen Merrigan

Primary Research Topic:
Directed study TBD - my research interests include urban agriculture and water reclamation/reuse

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
3 yrs working on compliance end of USAID- and USDA- funded food aid programs,
some proposal writing; spanish

Name: Ashley Colpaart School and Department: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy - Food Policy and Applied Nutrition Program Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: Masters of Science, 2010 Advisor: Parke Wilde

Research Interests:
Interested in Agricultural Water Usage and Conservation, water usage in utilities and public works, water privatization issues

Name: Rhiannon Ervin School and Department: Graduate School of Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: Doctor of Philosophy Advisors: Andrew Ramsburg

Primary Research Topic:
Quantification of DNAPL architectural features using partitioning tracers in a modified push-pull test

In recent history, many groundwater aquifers have been contaminated by accidental or purposeful disposal of organic compounds, such as chlorinated solvents. Currently, a great deal of research is being conducted on how best to remove these contaminants from the subsurface and restore groundwater quality. Within the aquifer, chlorinated solvents form a non aqueous phase which is distributed as small blobs in individual sand grain pores, or as larger blobs in interconnected pores, known as pools. The best type of remediation and the benefit of attempting remediation is largely dependant on this spatial distribution. The purpose of my research is to develop a tool that can be used to estimate the spatial distribution of the contamination, with the hope that this information will help guide remediation designs.

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Fate and transport of chemicals in the environment, chemical lab work, experimental design

Post Graduation Interests:
Work for a consulting firm or government agency on groundwater remediation projects

Name: Yongxuan Gao School and Department: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Degree and Expected Graduation Year: Ph.D., 2009 Advisors: Dr. Paul Kirshen, Dr. Richard Vogel, Dr. Peter Walker and Dr. Vladimir Smakhtin (International Water Management Institute)

Primary Research Topic:
Environmental Flows in the Context of Small Reservoirs in Ghana

Applying integrated water resources management to improve livelihood in developing countries and environmental flows. She is currently conducting her research on environmental flows in the context of small reservoirs in Ghana, West Africa.

Other Project Titles:
Development of Representative Indicators of Hydrological Alteration Using Principal Component Analysis

Name: Karen Claire Kosinski School and Department: School of Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: Ph.D., 2010 Advisors: Dr. John Durant (School of Engineering), Dr. David M. Gute (School of Engineering),Dr. Miguel Stadecker (The Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts)

Primary Research Topic:
Novel Preventative Measures for the Control of Schistosomiasis: A Preliminary Trial in Adasawase, Ghana

Approximately thirty-five percent of children and adolescents in Adasawase, Ghana are infected with the parasite Schistosoma haematobium. They contract the parasite in several local rivers where they play, bathe, and collect water. The disease caused by this parasite, urinary schistosomiasis, may be characterized by painful urination, blood in the urine, and possible long-term bladder pathology. I hypothesize that a water recreation structure will be a novel, effective, and sustainable intervention for schistosomiasis.

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Excel, Lindo, Mathcad, Visual Modflow, Spanish, very basic Twi

Post Graduation Interests:
International work, use of water resources engineering to prevent/mitigate public
health problems, especially parasitic diseases, in the tropical world

Name: Regina Lyons School and Department: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: M.A., February 2009 Advisors: Rusty Russell and Marji Erickson-Warfield (Brandeis University & Part-time Tufts)

Primary Research Topic:
Program Evaluation of the No Discharge Area Program in Casco Bay, Maine

The No Discharge Area program was brought to Casco Bay in 2006, and is the only program of its kind in the State of Maine. However, the No Discharge Area program is one that could be implemented in any coastal area in the United States. In fact, in the New England Region, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire have statewide No Discharge Areas and about two thirds of Massachusetts’ coastline has a No Discharge Area program. The State of Maine, specifically Casco Bay, was chosen as the focus of this study because it is the only New England State that currently has only one NDA program, but is looking to bring the program to other priority harbors throughout the state. Evaluating the implementation of the NDA program in Casco Bay will allow stakeholders to improve the current program and use this program’s successes as a template for other harbors seeking to establish a program of their own. The evaluation instruments that will be used in this study are 1) a survey of boater’s in Casco Bay, 2) site visits of all 20 pumpout facilities within Casco Bay, 3) a survey for the 20 pumpout facility operators, 4) an extensive literature review.

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Marine Biology, GIS, GPS

Post Graduation Interests:
Continuing to work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency- New England Region, Office of Ecosystem Protection, Ocean and Coast Unit- as an Environmental Protection Specialist.

Name: Makito Ohikata School and Department: Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Department of Urban and Environment Policy and Planning Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: Masters of Arts, 2009 Advisor: Rusty Russel

Primary Research Topic:
Slum improvement/ Disaster reconstruction

I am interested in a combined policy/strategy of water management issues and housing issues in developing countries. An example of such an approach is a slum improvement policy that addresses the provision of housing, drinking water, and sanitation in slum environments in developing countries or post disaster reconstruction policy for low-income communities including resettlement and disaster prevention for flooding or tsunami. I intend to focus on a specific topic and area for my graduate thesis.

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
AutoCAD, VectorWorks, Spanish, Japanese

Post Graduation Interests:
Slum Improvement, urban development, water resources management

Name: Allison Quady School and Department: Friedman School of Nutrition - Agriculture, Food & Environment Program; School of Medicine - Public Health Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: MS Nutrition/MPH, 2009 Advisor: Kathleen Merrigan

Primary Research Topic:
Recovery of Cryptosporidium oocysts in reclaimed wastewater

My WSSS-related research is in regards to the water and feces borne protozoa, Cryptosporidium, and a new device developed by Tufts Veterinary School researchers to improve recovery rates of the organism in reclaimed effluent. The device is a continuous flow centrifuge and can concentrate oocysts in large volumes (10-100 liters) of water. The Tufts method contrasts with the existing EPA method that uses a more expensive filter which clogs easily with large volumes of water. Working in the Veterinary School lab this summer I found the two methods to not be significantly different in oocyst recovery rates. The information will be useful to water treatment plants in case of a new EPA regulation requiring Cryptosporidium testing.

Other Project Titles:
Implementing a gardening program with the St Francis House community; Future project proposal: Interviews with Massachusetts’ teachers for their views on agriculture in the classroom

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
SPSS, SAS, and GIS; fluent in French, Spanish

Post-Graduation Interests:
Epidemiology & Community agriculture; coordinating school gardening or farm-to-school programs; working at the state/local level to enact/enforce public health standards in regards to agriculture & water resources; evaluating the effects of school gardening or public health policies on individual and community health, including water resources health.

Name: Katie Resnick School and Department: Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: M.A., 2009 Advisor: Rusty Russell

Primary Research Topic:
Sustainable watershed management planning and potential climate change implications

Other Project Titles:
Enhancing Local Capacities for Stormwater Management in Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Four years with the Horsley Witten Group, an environmental consulting firm based in Sandwich, MA, ArcGIS, Statistical Software (SPSS, MiniTab), water quality monitoring and analysis, wetland delineation, watershed mapping, nutrient loading and water balance modeling

Post Graduation Interests:
Watershed management and sustainable development planning

Name: Jesus A. Sanchez School and Department: Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Degree and Expected Year of Graduation: Masters of Science, 2009 Advisor: Paul Kirshen

Primary Research Topic:
Risk-based Approach to Adaptation Planning of Reservoir Systems Under Climate Change

Other Project Titles:
Rainfall runoff modeling in the Comoé River Basin, Burkina Faso

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
MATLAB programming, Watershed modeling, Applications of Appropriate Technology in Developing Countries, Spanish

Post Graduation Interests:
Water resource system analysis, Sustainable development

Name: Janice Snow School and Department: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Degree and graduation date: M.A., 2009 Advisors: Sheldon Krimsky, Ann Rappaport and George Ellmore

Primary Research Topic:
Misunderstanding Soil Ecosystems: Consequences for Land, Water and Climate Policy

Without functioning soil ecosystems life on earth as we know it would not exist. Soil ecosystems affect global climate change, carbon sequestration, the quantity and quality of fresh water, the productivity and nutritional value of plants growing in soil, the success of invasive organisms, the health of bays and estuaries and the availability of new medicines for human health. Belowground ecosystems are key drivers of the global cycles of carbon, water, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur; yet, the U.S. has no policy to protect the biological integrity of  soil systems as it does for water?  Flawed conceptual models of soil functions due in part to lack of cross-disciplinary approaches have been cited by soil ecologists as contributing to inadequate funding of research in the U. S. and lack of policy to protect soil ecosystems. The thesis analyzes conceptual models of soil held by a variety of interest groups and answers the following questions:

• What role if any have commercial interests, research funding, soil policy history, disciplinary boundaries, economic and political interests played in promoting our limited understanding of soil ecosystems?
  
• What points of view, what biases are embedded in the language used to describe soil by various interest groups? 
  
• What conceptual models and language should be presented to policy makers and to the public to correct their misunderstanding of soil ecosystems’ role in local and global environmental health?

Other Project Titles:
Adapting to Climate Change in the Alewife Basin: A Case Study;
Boston's Groundwater Crisis: Seeking Sound Water Policies in an Unnatural Watershed; Black's Nook Pond Water Quality Analysis & Management Recommendations; Integrating Land Use Policy and Watershed Protection: The Rhode Island Approach; Privatizing Urban Water Systems to Achieve Millennium Development Goals:
Effects on Human and Environmental Health: Lessons and Cases

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Vice Chair, Advisory Board for Cambridge Water System’s Fresh Pond Reservation; co-author, Fresh Pond Reservation Master Plan; Water Policy Intern, Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

Name: Justine Treadwell School and Department: Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Degree and graduation date: M.A. in Law and Diplomacy, 2009 Advisor: Steve Block

Primary Research Topic:
Irrigation policy and practice in lakeshore communities of Malawi

Other Project Titles:
Does Tobacco as a Cash Crop in Malawi Make Economic Sense in Light of Endemic Food Insecurity?

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Special water related experience: erosion control through soil improvement and edible groundcover in
tropical agriculture; permaculture systems design and management; Kiswahili, Chichewa (Malawi/Zambia), some Spanish

Name: Sarah Trist School and Department: Friedman School of Nutirition Science and Policy, Food Policy and Applied Nutrition Progam Degree and graduation date: M.S., 2010 Advisor: Daniel Maxwell

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
Functional Spanish, Registered Dietitian

Post Graduation Interests:
Agriculture and Water, Trade Policy

Name: Li Wang School and Department: School of Engineering, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering Degree and expected graduation year: Ph.D., 2009 Advisor: Linda Abriola (CEE)

Primary Research Topic:
Reactive Transport Modeling for Evaluation of Long Term Performance of Permeable Reactive Barriers for Remediation of Arsenic Contaminated Groundwater

The primary goal of my research is to numerically investigate the combined effects of mineral fouling, gas entrapment and biofouling on the long term performance of conceptual PRB systems that are representative of realistic groundwater remediation scenarios using reactive transport modeling methods. To effectively predict the evolution of such a PRB system, the processes of mineral precipitation/dissolution, gas generation and entrapment, and biomass accumulation will be incorporated into a reactive transport model and their impacts on flow, reactions and transport in the PRB system will be simulated. The influence of heterogeneity in aquifer and the PRB itself will also be simulated to better understand the PRB performance under typical field conditions. The modeling results will help identify which factor or combination of factors are most important in PRB performance evaluation and provide guidance in PRB design and operation under different site characteristics.


Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
investigation of soil and groundwater contamination, landfill leachate treatment,surface water modeling (LAKE2K, QUA2K), geochemical modeling (PHEEQC, MINEQL),groundwater & contaminant transport modeling (MODFLOW, MT3D, RT3D, PHAST, HYDRUS1D), parameter estimation & uncertainty analysis (PEST, CXTFIT, GIS, ArcGIS), programming - Fortran, C/C++, VBA, Matlab, Chinese (Mandarin)

Post Graduation Interests:
Consulting, Investigation & Remediation of Soil & Groundwater Contamination

Name: Kendall Webster School and Department: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Degree and expected graduation year: M.A., 2010 Advisor: Sheldon Krimsky

Research Interests :
I am concerned with conservation and advocacy for water bodies, watersheds, aquifers, etc. This concern stems from my environmentalist background, and I believe that if you can protect a watershed, you’re also protecting the ecosystem around the watershed. I am interested in handling water conservation issues from a policy standpoint, although the idea of working in politics makes my skin crawl. Right now I’m looking at alternatives to politics. For my thesis, I may research the strategies of non-profit organizations like the Nature Conservancy, which buys open space to restrict development and protect the resources it holds. This is one of my favourite models for conservation. However, I do believe that stringent policy for watershed protection should be developed in the next couple of years.

Water-Relevant Experiences, Technical Skills, Software, Languages:
I’ve travelled all over the world and consider myself a very experienced traveller. I think this will come in very handy when we go south for the field project. I also speak Spanish, which has been extremely helpful for me in all that I do.
Also, I’m a water polo player and a great swimmer. That’s a pretty literal water-relevant skill!
On a more serious note, I don’t have much technical experience with water issues. I’ve just learned how to delineate a watershed, prepare a hydrological budget for it and calculate the total maximum daily load of contaminants to it from Scott Horsley, although I wouldn’t say that I’m a pro at that.
I’m looking forward to learning everything I can about water in the certificate program.