Environmental and Water Resources Engineering

Research opportunities including biological and chemical aspects of water quality and remediation; water resources engineering including surface and groundwater hydrology, hydroclimatology and adaptive environmental management; and coastal engineering, river and estuarine mixing and transport processes.

Faculty:

Sample Projects:

  • “What’s salt got to do with it? Linking exchange flow to mixing in estuaries”
    • Faculty Advisor: Lauren Ross
    • PhD Students: Elias Pinilla & Cristian Rojas
  • “Linking hydrodynamics to coastal hazards in morphologically complex coastal areas”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Lauren Ross
    • PhD student: Taylor Bailey 
  • “Seasonal changes in the lateral variability of subtidal flows”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Lauren Ross
    • MS student: Rachel Chambers
  • “Sensing storm surge: A Maine citizen science effort”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kim Huguenard
    • MS student: Preston Spicer
  • ” Front-wave interaction at the mouth of a low-inflow estuary”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kimberly Huguenard
    • MsStudent: Nicolas Cyr
  • “Investigating the Influence of Tidal Distortion on Material Transport and Contaminated Sediment for Diadromous Fish Habitat in a Tidal River System”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kimberly Huguenard
    • PhD Student: Vanessa Quintana
  • “Digital Twin Modeling of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Incorporating Wave Prediction-Reconstruction Capabilities”
    • Faculty Advisors: Dr. Kimberly Huguenard & Dr. Richard Kimball
    • PhD Student: Yuksel Rudy Alkarem
  • “Storm Modifications on Tidal Hydrodynamics in an Engineered Macrotidal Estuary.”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kim Huguenard
    • PhD student : Engiliyage Nalika Lakmali 
  • “Mixing of river water into the coastal ocean and the role and structure of the outer edge of the discharge”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kim Huguenard & Dr. Kelly Cole (Oceanography)
    • PhD Student: Preston Spicer
  • “The Emergent Risks of Food Waste Recovery: Characterizing the Contaminants in MSW Organics from Different Sources” 
    • Faculty Advisors: Dr. Jean MacRae, Dr. Balu Nayak (Food & Agriculture) , Dr. Cindy Isenhour (Anthropology & Envir. Policy) , Dr. Travis Blackmer (Economics), Dr.Linda Silka (Sustainability)
    • MS students: Usha Humagain & Astha Thakali
    • BS student: Peter Larson
  • “Making Maine’s Local Food System Sustainable: Opportunities to Address Hunger and Reduce Waste”
    • Faculty Advisors: Deborah Saber (Nursing) , Dr. Jean MacRae, Dr. Balu Nayak (Food & Agriculture) , Dr. Cindy Isenhour (Anthropology & Envir. Policy) , Dr. Travis Blackmer (Economics), Dr. Linda Silka (Sustainability)
    • MS student: Andrew Flynn
  • “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Release from Spent Granular Activated Carbons in Solid Waste Management Facilities”
    • Faculty Advisor: Dr. Onur Apul
    • Msc Student: Paulina Alulema
  • “Thermal Regeneration of PFAS-laden Granular Activated Carbon presents an Opportunity to Break the Forever PFAS Cycle”
    • Faculty advisor: Dr. Onur Apul
    • PhD Student: Dilara Hatinoglu
  • ” Integrated assessment of alternative management strategies for PFAS-contaminated wastewater residuals”
    • Faculty advisor: Dr. Onur Apul
    • PhD Student: Sonia Moavenzade
  • “Metastable Nanobubbles for Advanced Oxidation Processes in Water Treatment Systems”
    • Faculty advisor: Dr. Onur Apul
    • PhD Student: Kenneth Mensah