Environmental / Water Resources Engineering Research
At PSU, we have core strength in environmental and water resources engineering. Our faculty have diverse interests in the field and conduct research in many areas described in the table below. In addition, faculty direct the following key labs:
- Fluvial, Oceanic, and Water-level Sciences (FLOWS) Laboratory
- Water Quality Research Group Laboratory
- Pankow Group Laboratory
Student Spotlight: Bashar
As a child growing up in Baghdad, Iraq, CEE PhD candidate and environmental engineer Bashar Al Daomi saw the devastating effects of pollution in the Diyala River. Now, he has dedicated his life to devising new ways to treat wastewater at home and abroad.
Environmental / Water Resources Engineering Research Faculty
Faculty contact information is listed in our Faculty & Staff Directory.
| Faculty | Title | Research Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Berger | Research Assistant Professor | Water quality modeling of lakes, estuaries, and rivers; hydrodynamic modeling, numerical methods |
| Bill Fish | Associate Professor | Transformation and transport of heavy metals and other contaminants in soil, surface water, sediment, and groundwater systems; treatment of stormwater and wastewater. |
| Samantha Hartzell | Assistant Professor | Ecohydrology, modeling the impact of vegetation on water, carbon, and energy fluxes between the land surface and atmosphere, sustainable agriculture in dryland ecosystems |
| David Jay | Professor | Tidal analysis, fluid mechanics research on the impact of the Columbia River plume on oceanic dynamics as they relate to tides, fish migration up the Columbia, and impacts of dams and dikes on fish habitat in the lower Columbia River. |
| Gwynn Johnson | Associate Professor | Groundwater hydrology, subsurface contaminant transport and fate, and environmental chemistry. |
| Li Li | Postdoctoral Scholar | |
| Wentai Luo | Senior Research Associate | |
| James Pankow | Professor | Design of autonomous water samplers for surface waters, gas/particle (G/P) partitioning, air quality model development, chemistry of tobacco products. |
| Scott Wells | Professor | Surface water quality and hydrodynamic modeling, fluid particle dynamics. |
| Zhonglong Zhang | Research Professor |
Environmental / Water Resources Engineering Research Facilities
| Laboratory | Location | Primary Contact | Additional Contact | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydraulics Research Laboratory | EB 120 | Annette Dietz | Tom Bennett | Fluid mechanics, hydraulics, and environmental flow work. |
| Water and Soil Quality Laboratory | EB 210 | Bill Fish, Gwynn Johnson | Wet-chemistry in the study of toxins in the environment. | |
| Water Quality Research Group Laboratory | EB 220 | Scott Wells | Chris Berger | Water quality and hydrodynamic modeling of rivers, lakes, reservoirs and estuaries. Project sponsors include NSF, EPA, OR DEQ, Idaho DEQ, Washington Ecology. Development of open source software for modeling with funding from the Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiments Station. |
| Water Quality Control Laboratory (Rainwater Lab) | EB 225 | Annette Dietz, Bill Fish | Process rainwater captured on EB roof to be used in first floor restrooms. | |
| Water Resources and Remote Sensing Lab | EB 226 | Inverse modeling and data assimilation, hydrologic and hydraulics modeling, uncertainty quantification, risk analysis, hydroinformatics, remote sensing, climate change impact assessment, extreme event analysis, and water resources management. | ||
| Air Quality Modeling Laboratory | EB 230 | Jim Pankow | Wentai Luo | Modeling laboratory. |
| Environmental Laboratory D | EB 275 | Scott Wells | Chris Berger | Particle characterization, settling dynamics of particles, sedimentation processes, flocculation and filtration in water and watsewater treatment as well as in natural systems (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries). |
| Fluvial, Oceanic, and Water-level Sciences (FLOWS) Laboratory |
EB 280 | David Jay | Fluid mechanical research on the impact of the Columbia River plume on oceanic dynamics as they relate to tides, fish migration up the Columbia, and impacts of dams and dikes on fish habitat in the lower Columbia River. | |
| Containment Transport and Chemistry Laboratory | EB 285 | Gwynn Johnson | Wet-chemistry in the study of toxins in the environment. | |
| Advanced Instrumentation Laboratory for Environmental Chemical Analysis |
EB 490 | Jim Pankow | Wentai Luo | Aerosol, air quality, and chemistry testing. |