Each year, the UPP has four tuition waivers to support students working on UPP-funded projects. The student profile page highlights these students, their roles and responsibilities, the skills they’ve gained from their research experience, and their career aspirations after graduation.
Matt Guziejka is a graduate student pursuing a Master's in Geography and is completing his degree next month. He is currently working on the project "Stream Temperature Effects from Restoration and Beaver Dams in the Tualatin River Basin" which is a collaboration between Geography Professor Heejun Chang (PSU) and USGS Hydrologist Erin Leahy (USGS). Matt’s responsibilities include collecting stream temperature data in the Tualatin River Basin using distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology, analyzing the thermal impacts of beaver dams, and assessing landscape factors influencing temperature variability.
This experience has developed Matt’s project management and data analysis skills while sticking to complex deadlines and deliverables.
“Through this project, I’ve learned to structure and prioritize my work effectively, balancing technical data analysis with public communication needs. Additionally, I've become adept at building websites—a skill I taught myself specifically for this project to better share our results with the public.”
After graduating, Matt is interested in career opportunities that merge research and practical application within water resource management or environmental consulting.
“I’m drawn to positions where I can continue to bridge data science and public engagement, particularly in ways that support sustainable resource use and climate resilience.”
Logan Hastings is a graduate student pursuing a Master's in Environmental Science and Management (ESM). She and Kelly Gleason, an associate professor in ESM, are working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' HEC-HMS hydrologic model to develop adjustments and calibrations that improve its ability to model the effects of wildfires. Logan is also collaborating with USGS scientists Marc Stewart, Will Long and Brandon Overstreet on this project.
As a first-year Master’s student, Logan knows there is still so much to learn from this project, especially when thinking about the impacts of wildfires on hydrological processes.
“Wildfire impacts on water systems are both fascinating and deeply concerning. In burned watersheds, the cascading effects of fire on hydrological processes are interconnected, often compounding rapidly to reshape entire ecosystems. The way wildfires change water flow, sediment transport, and water quality highlights the delicate balance within these systems—and how quickly that balance can shift in response to disturbance. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for managing and protecting watersheds in fire-prone landscapes.”
Quinn Morgan is a graduate student pursuing a Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering and will be finishing up his studies this spring. He is working with David Burnett, an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and James White, a USGS hydrologist, on a project titled "Developing Tools and Workflows for Acoustic Unattended Monitoring of River Bedload." The goal of this project is to create acoustic signal processing techniques and physical hardware to enhance the detection of bedload transport in rivers.
Take a look at these student profiles here.