Newsletter_Spring 2016

IWRA Newsletter - May 2016

Hydros Around the
World

In this issue:

Hydro Across the Pond

Nearly a year ago, Allison Goodwell and Zach
(the real Zach, not the other one) Barker
represented the UIUC IWRA Student Chapter
at the Fifteenth World Annual Water
Conference held in Edinburough, Scotland
(that's the UIUCIWRASCWWCXV if you're
keeping track). Goodwell and Barker sat on
a panel discussion about future water
challenges and the Sustainable
Development Goals, which focused
specifically what role young professionals play. They
also attended other sessions at the Conference, such as one
which discussed private industry and water sustainability. The Conference
was attended by professionals from diverse fields, including policy-making,
engineering, and law.

Although other students were in attendance, the UIUC IWRA Student Chapter is the
International Alpha Chapter and Goodwell and Barker's attendance was a historic first for the
Chapter's involvement. Barker says that conference organizers and attendees "were excited that
students, especially engineering students, care about more than technical aspects of water." The
IWRA Student Chapter was lauded for Illinois Water Day in particular because of its
interdisciplinary nature. Goodwell and Barker noted that students from other universities became
interested in forming their own student chapters of IWRA.

Outside the conference, our UIUC representatives enjoyed hiking in the highlands and taking in
the hundreds of years of history that surrounded them. Barker states that he and Goodwell also
nearly perfected some Scottish sayings. "Quite nice, pronounced "quoite noice". You really have to
emphasize the non existent w's." While scotch was certainly on the menu, Goodwell recommends
passing on the haggis. "Let the sheep live!"

UIUC Welcomes Dr. Tinoco

Written by Jorge San Juan
Last fall, Prof. Rafael Tinoco became part of The Hydro

Group. He joined the CEE department as Assistant Professor on
August 24. Dr. Tinoco did his bachelor’s degree in Civil
Engineering at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in
2005. In 2008 and 2011, he earned his Master’s and PhD degree,
respectively, at the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at Cornell University.

Prof. Tinoco has worked as lecturer, postdoctoral research,
and visiting instructor at Cornell University and the
Environmental Hydraulics Institute of Cantabria (Spain).
His group focuses on the on the hydrodynamics of aquatic
ecosystems and biomorphodynamics. Through an
interdisciplinary approach, they investigate interactions between aquatic vegetation,
hydrodynamic, and sediment transport. Dr. Tinoco’s work is at the “the confluence of Ecology,
Biology, Life Sciences and Natural Resources (ECO), with Geology and Geography (GEO), in
relationship with Hydrology and Hydraulics (HYDRO).”

Some of his ongoing projects involve: Tidal EcoMorphodynamics, effects of mean grain
size on ripple formation, forces on aquatic vegetation under oscillatory flow, and unified drag
coefficient characterization for unidirectional vegetated flows.

Stay active this
summer! Don't forget
to sign up for:

Soccer
Tennis
Volleyball

Illinois Water Day 2016

April 8, 2016 marked IWRA's third installment of Illinois Water Day, a day
where comtemporary water issues, research, and solutions are brought into
focus. From the IWRA Water Day website, "IWD promotes the themes and
values of World Water Day by raising public awareness of water resources
issues, and aims to provide a thought-provoking environment to foster
discussions and collaboration regarding local water issues." Illinois Water Day (IWD) is a unique
opportunity for interdisciplinary discussion and for students touch base with "the big picture" of
what we work towards as engineers. At the World Water Conference in Scotland this past year,
IWRA lauded the UIUC Student Chapter for IWD's interdisciplinary approach to water security
and solutions.

This year's IWD's theme was "Water and Jobs", and the day included a panel discussion poster
session featuring IWRA student's research. Panel members included Colleen Callahan, Illinois

Director of USDA Rural
Development, Richard Lanyon,
Former Executive Director of
Metropolitan Water Reclamation
District of Greater Chicago, and
Lance Schideman, Research Scientist
at Illinois Sustainable Technology
Center. The panel was led by UIUC's
own Dr. Ashlynn Stillwell.

A big congratulations to IWD's team,
shown left. The day was a great
success!

A Very Hydro Halloween

October 30th, IWRA hosted their annual pumpkin carving event in classroom 1518, our second
home. The event was attended by several celebrities including Curious George, the Man with the
Yellow Hat, Elsa, a Roman Caesar, Hello Kitty, and Som. Hydro students put their carving skills to
the test (as well as their ability to follow basic instructions) and destroyed a number of squash that
evening. Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat (aka Landon Marston's
adorable kids) took home the prize for best costumes. Winners of the
pumpkin carving competition are shown middle left.

Hydro Across the Big Muddy

In Summer of 2015
IWRA reached out to
Hawkeye Civil
Engineering student
groups and organized a great trip to
promote networking and sharing of
ideas. UIUC IWRA crossed the Great
Mississippi to find Stanley Hydraulics
Labratory of the University of Iowa
nestled in its muddy banks. Students
toured Iowa's hydraulics labs and wave
basin facility and saw demonstrations
of radio-controlled scale model navy
vessels and urban stormwater
management designs. The trip was an
opportunity to discuss research, see
how other labs run, and meet new
friends.

After touring the University of Iowa's research
park, IWRA also paid a visit to LACMRERS
research facility which partners with NSF's
extensive CZO project.
Perhaps most importantly, students from both schools enjoyed a break from their offices and made
new connections over a few beers. Special thanks to Kensuke Naito for putting the trip together and
trying to make us be on time.

Hydro in San Francisco Hydro Word Search

Twenty-three thousand people attended the
American Geophysical Union Fall Conference
in December 2015, and UIUC students and
faculty (current and former) made up by some
estimates around 45% of those (just kidding.
AGU wishes, amiright?). Many students
presented research posters, made presentations,
and waited in line for free beer. It's safe to say
that UIUC students in attendance carried their
same work ethic and enthusiasm to the the
Honors Banquet where they left it all on the
dance floor. This coming year, AGU will be
December 12-16 again in San Francisco.
A special congratulations to Dr. Praveen Kumar
who was made an AGU Fellow at December's
conference.

EWahtahteeallsteh?y, stay hydrated, blah blah. Hydro Thanksgiving!
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-moBrre.eaks taken with others refresh you
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-aodfUdficsaeeltcuhhmeabiarrr;igsshuwtpitptcoorhotlsoc!utuGsyheiotounratomofofyniciotueerrc;hair

Tushar Apurv
Degree: PhD
Adviser: Cai

Tushar comes to UIUC with a
not-too-shabby record of a
Bachelor's in Technology in Civil
Engineering from the Indian
Institute of Technology
Guwahati and a Masters of
Technology in Civil Engineering
from the Indian Institute of
Technology Kanpur. Tired of his hometown Faizabad's toasty
summer weather, Tushar was looking for a change and chose to
pursue a PhD with Dr. Cai. Tushar's research will focus on the
impact of climate change on water resources; speaking of climate
change, it seems like he brought some warm weather with him!
Or maybe it was ENSO. Could go either way.

When Tushar isn't doing research, he enjoys going beast-mode on
the cricket pitch, playing some occasional badminton, and
listening to Hindi songs.

Congratulations to everyone graduating this semester!
A very special congratulations goes to those Hydros
who have completed their PhDs. It is a special and
elite group you have joined.

Be sure to shake hands with

Dr. Nam Jeong Choi
Dr. Debsunder Dutta (aka 3-D)
Dr. Yao Hu
Dr. Phong Le
Dr. Viviana Morales

Congratulations!!

from "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Amir Kohanpur
Degree: PhD
Adviser: Valocchi

Amir Kohanpur came to us from
Shiraz, Iran in January of last
year, but since he didn't make the
last newsletter, he gets a special
shout-out here. Although Amir's
background is in Mechanical
Engineering (BS from Shiraz
University, MS from Sharif
University of Technology), he converted to Civil and teamed
up with Dr. Al Valocchi. For his PhD, Amir is interested in
CO2 sequestration, pore-scale modeling, and flow in porous
media.

When Amir isn't brewing up a cup of coffee with his spiffy
office coffee machine, he's playing volleyball, tennis, soccer,
or hustling locals in pool. He's known to take time out of his
schedule to school you in history - he also holds a Bachelors
in History, you know. To round it out, this Renaissance Man
enjoys photography and can tear up a dance floor with
Tango.

Hydro in Boneyard Creek “Be like water making its way
through cracks. Do not be
This year, over 20 Hydro students came assertive, but adjust to the object,
out to clean up our beloved Boneyard and you shall find a way around or
Creek! Armed with waders, gloves, and through it. If nothing within you
up-to-date shots, Hydros cleaned for stays rigid, outward things will
several hours, removing a year's worth of disclose themselves. Empty your
trash, bikes, and a few pretty strange mind, be formless. Shapeless, like
items. Unlike last year, team hydro water. If you put water into a cup,
cleaned the actual creek this year and not it becomes the cup. You put water
just a parking lot near it. Several bikes, into a bottle and it becomes the
car bumpers, a car battery, and many bottle. You put it in a teapot, it
forms of trash were recovered from becomes the teapot. Now, water
Boneyard's banks. can flow or it can crash. Be water,
After finishing the job, Hydros wandered my friend.”
over to Black Dog BBQ for a reward. - Bruce Lee
Great job, Hydro!!

trivia corner