Alabama Water Institute

Dr. Jim Nelson, professor of civil and construction engineering at Brigham Young University, discusses hydroinformatics and its role in moving water research into real-world use. A pioneer in geospatial hydrologic modeling and visualization, Nelson shares how tools like the Watershed Modeling System, Tethys Platform and GEOGLOWS have helped engineers, hydrologists and decision-makers better unders...

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are rapidly changing the future of water forecasting, and Dr. Chaopeng Shen is helping lead that transformation. On this episode of the AWI Podcast, the Penn State professor discusses how AI can be combined with traditional physics-based hydrologic modeling to improve forecasting, strengthen operational hydrology, and support better decision-making duri...

Early-career water scientists are stepping into a field that is both complex and critical, and finding the right support can make all the difference. Dr. Juli Scamardo , an assistant professor at Utah State University and member of CIROH's early career working group, has experienced that transition firsthand. From her start studying rivers and floodplains to her current role in academia, she has n...

Dr. Jill Brown has built her career around a simple idea: data only matters if people can understand it, trust it and use it to make decisions. An environmental communication researcher and data storyteller, Brown brings a background in social psychology, statistics and risk communication to her work translating complex information into something meaningful. From public health to environmental cha...

Dr. Rebecca Diehl of the University of Vermont joins the podcast to discuss how rivers and floodplains really work, and why that matters for flood risk and resilience. A CIROH collaborator, she shares how new floodplain mapping approaches, field data and geospatial tools are helping improve flood prediction and inform smarter decisions for communities facing more frequent flooding. ----- About AWI...

Dr. Ibrahim Demir , the Michael A. Fitts Presidential Chair in Environmental Informatics and Artificial Intelligence, and professor of river-coastal science and engineering at Tulane University, discusses how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we forecast floods, manage water resources, and communicate environmental risks. Ibrahim's research focuses on using data-driven systems, machi...

Dr. Martyn Clark, professor of hydrology at the University of Calgary, joins the AWI Podcast to discuss hydrologic modeling and predicting where water will flow. Clark is a global leader in building advanced models that push environmental forecasting forward and help turn predictions into action. The Alabama Water Institute and CIROH recently hosted the 20th anniversary of HEPEX — a global collabo...

The Alabama Water Institute and CIROH recently hosted the 20th anniversary of HEPEX — a global collaboration to improve hydrologic forecasting and its use in real-world decisions. Rob Hartman, a consulting hydrologist with 35 years of federal flood and water supply forecasting experience, shared insights from his time leading the National Weather Service California–Nevada River Forecast Center, hi...

HEPEX (Hydrologic Ensemble Prediction EXperiment) is a global community of researchers and practitioners in hydrological ensemble prediction. It brings together people contributing and working on specific topics related to hydrological forecasting and hydrometeorological ensemble prediction. The group recently held its 20th anniversary workshop at The University of Alabama, hosted by the Alabama W...

Dr. Toby Ault is an assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences and the director of graduate studies for atmospheric sciences at Cornell University. Ault joins us for this episode to discuss various climate topics, including megadroughts. Ault's research coalesces around three areas of inquiry related to emergent climate risks: (1) estimating the risk of prolonged drought under climate c...

Dr. Kate Brauman is the associate director for communications and analysis for The University of Alabama's Global Water Security Center. Brauman is a globally recognized thought leader in water resources and ecosystem services. Her research quantifies how changes in nature affect human wellbeing, with a particular focus on water resources. In addition to research, Brauman is committed to and skill...

Dr. Steven Burian is AWI's director of science, the executive director of NOAA's Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), and a professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering. In this episode, he discusses the newly awarded CIROH and the impact of water research from AWI and The University of Alabama. Join the conversation on AWI's social media channel...

Mike Gremillion is the director of the Global Water Security Center at The University of Alabama. In this episode, he discusses the foundation of the GWSC and how it will make a lasting impact on water security, quality, and research for a global society. Join the conversation on AWI's social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlabamaWaterInstitute Twitter: https://twitter.com/alab...

Dr. Cory Armstrong is the former chair for the Department of Journalism and Creative Media in The University of Alabama's College of Communication and Information Sciences. Her areas of research include media diversity, influences on media content and media messages concerning severe weather. She was awarded a $15,000 grant to partner with the National Weather Service office in Memphis, Tennessee,...

Dr. Carla Atkinson from The University of Alabama's Department of Biological Sciences discusses the importance of freshwater mussels, intermittent streams and her recent awards and grants to continue her research on both.

Dr. Mark Elliott discusses a new grant from Columbia University to begin researching more affordable and healthier wastewater solutions in Alabama's Black Belt region. The project is a collaborative effort from several universities and organizations.

Dr. Mojdeh Rasoulzadeh joined us for our H.U.B. Talk series. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics at The University of Alabama. Her research involves flow and transport modeling in highly heterogeneous subsurface formations. She also studies analytical solutions and numerical simulation of hydro-mechanical-chemical processes in porous media, as well as groundwater flow mo...

Dr. Glenn Tootle from The University of Alabama's College of Engineering discusses his recent Fulbright Scholar Grant and researching paleohydrology at home and abroad as a civil engineer.

Dr. David Weston, senior staff scientist from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, spoke at the AWI Symposium in December 2019. The topic for his presentation focuses on implications on a plant-microbiome system influencing peatland carbon and nitrogen cycling.

Dr. Mustafa Morsy, professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at The University of West Alabama, talks about understanding how plants deal with environmental stress, as well as using fungal endophytes to improve crop productivity.

Dr. Timothy Logan, director of the Houston Lightning Mapping Array Network at Texas A&M University, discusses tracking and predicting lightning and how to effectively use that data for weather events.

Dr. Cecilio Ortiz Garcia and Dr. Marla Perez Lugo, professors at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and founders of the RISE program, discuss the roles of universities in pre- and post-disaster environments.

Dr. Silvana Croope, resilience research engineer with the Alabama Transportation Institute, discusses transportation infrastructure risks and flooding.

Dr. Ryan Earley, associate professor in The University of Alabama's Department of Biological Sciences, talks about his research into pollutants and the chemical effects on fish. He focuses specifically on mangrove rivulus, a self-fertilizing hermaphroditic fish.

Dr. Laura Myers, director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety at The University of Alabama, discusses the impacts of extreme rainfall weather events. Her talk is from the inaugural AWI Symposium.