News

Fall 2022: Soelem was awarded the IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship! 

Soelem Aafnan Bhuiyan was awarded George Mason University’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) Predoctoral Fellowship - 2022. This fellowship will allow Soelem to test the hypothesis that, by assimilating satellite data products within a storm surge model, the estimation of storm surge process dynamics and operational forecasting can be improved.

This project will advance our understanding of such processes to build resilience of our coastal infrastructure and economy, therefore, promoting security, prosperity, and the well-being of coastal populations. Learn more about Soelem's research and fellowship here: https://idia.gmu.edu/idia-predoctoral-fellows/

 

Summer 2022: SMAPVEX-2022 Adventures 

Ishrat and Soelem participated in SMAPVEX-2022!

Read about their adventure here: https://agu-h3s.org/2022/09/08/science-through-adventure-smapvex-2022/

 

Summer 2021: Group Outing at Burke Lake and Back-to-School Event at the Potomac Science Center

Fall 2019: Postcards from Australia

Students Jeremy Johnston and Tasnuva Rouf took part in a 3-week field campaign in southeastern Australia hosted by the Monash University Civil Engineering Department in October 2019. The campaign was developed to determine if new longer wavelength (P-band) radiometers are capable of measuring soil moisture to a greater depth (10-15cm) than current L-band based approaches as used by SMOS and SMAP (~5cm). To support this effort students took samples of soil moisture, surface roughness, and vegetation water content, as well as acquiring variables such as Leaf Area Index (LAI) and spectral signatures of vegetation in focus fields. These ground sampling activities took place coincident with aircraft overpasses in which several instruments including P- and L-band radiometers acquired data over the study area. The PRISM experiment is expected to continue in the fall of 2020 (northern hemisphere spring) to test the utility of P-band radiometry for soil moisture measurement in varied conditions. https://volgenau.gmu.edu/news/581646

 


Spring 2019

Congratulations, Ingrid, Jeremy, Margie, and Sana! 


January 2019

Environmental and Water Resources PhD student Jeremy Johnston recently returned from the CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc) snow school held in Bozeman, Montana. The 4 day long field intensive course, taught by experts in the field of snow science,  covered topics from the measurement of snow water content, depth, snow properties, as well as remote sensing techniques of snow and field study design. Students were required to develop a small scale field campaign to answer a snow related question on the final day of the course. Jeremy helped design a study intended to quantify the variability in snow water equivalent (SWE) over a small area as measured by different methods.

 

 


November 2018

Dr. Maggioni has been appointed as the 2018-2022 Co-Chair of the International Precipitation Working Group (IPWG). The International Precipitation Working Group was initiated in 2000 after the 52nd session of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Executive Council recommended involving relevant science groups to improve satellite system utilization. The IPWG focuses on satellite precipitation measurement issues and challenges. It provides a forum for operational and research users of satellite precipitation products to exchange information and assess the impact of these measurements in numerical weather forecasting and climate studies.

The Working Group is chaired by two Co-Chairs appointed by the plenary of the CGMS. Dr. Maggioni and Dr. Philippe Chambon (Météo-France) have been appointed as the 2018-2020 Co-Chairs in November 2018 at the 9th IPWG workshop, held in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The Co-Chairs compile reports on relevant activities for the scheduled CGMS plenary meetings, interactively connect with satellite operators and with a Rapporteur (Dr. Ralph Ferraro from NOAA) who will attend and report to the CGMS meetings. Under the lead of the two Co-Chairs, IPWG organizes workshops, co-sponsored by CGMS and WMO, approximately every two years. The workshops promote the exchange of scientific and operational information between the producers of precipitation measurements, the research community, and the user community. The group wider body is composed of all scientists, operational hydrometeorologists and stakeholders who are interested in the progress of satellite precipitation estimations for a wide variety of applications. In this respect, there is no limit to membership and all these categories of scholars and professionals are strongly encouraged to apply.

 


August 2018

Ph.D. students Azbina Rahman and Tasnuva Rouf were selected and offered a summer research fellowship to participate in the 2018 National Water Center (NWC) Innovators Program: Summer Institute organized by CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. sponsored by the National Science Foundation). The Summer Institute took place at the University of Alabama and the NWC in Tuscaloosa, AL from June 10 to July 28, 2018. The intent of the Summer Institute is to create an innovation incubator where students from different universities exchange ideas and collaborate on research projects that advance our understanding and estimation of water resources. Azbina and Tasnuva teamed up with other student research fellows and worked on projects designed to enhance water-related products and decision-support services across the US. 

Azbina Rahman worked on incorporating realistic channel geometry into a continental-scale hydrologic model with two colleagues from Tennessee Technological University and University of Alabama. Azbina describes this experience as a fantastic opportunity for teamwork, networking, implementing existing skills, and learning new ones. She says: “My whole experience at the CUAHSI Summer Institute has been way more inspiring and fun that I had ever dreamed it would be. I have formed a new network of friends and colleagues, and I feel more motivated and inspired to do research in my field of interest. We had two weeks of intensive training during which we learned about the National Water Model and got introduced to everyone. Then, we selected our team and project based on our own interests and skills. Our team’s work included geospatial data analysis, hydraulic model simulations, and USGS (United States Geological Survey) data analysis. This summer program gave me an exceptional opportunity to hone my skills and professional network.”

Tasnuva Rouf joined three colleagues from Iowa State University, Michigan Technological University, and University of Alabama to study the effects of spatial resolution on estimating flood extent and depth in low gradient watersheds with a distributed hydrologic model. She thinks that “this experience was a great opportunity to meet new colleagues from different universities across the US who are working in a similar field.” She also says: “In our group project, we had to set up and run the GSSHA (Gridded Surface/Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis) model using LIDAR topographic data, atmospheric data, land use and soil type data. This requires knowledge and skills in many fields, including engineering, geoscience, atmospheric science, and statistics. Working as a group, we took advantage of each one’s expertise to the fullest and learned how to prioritize and plan ahead to complete our project within the given timeframe. It was such a unique and valuable professional experience that I would recommend it to all my fellow graduate students.”