KINGSVILLE (August 20, 2019) — Officials at the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering at Texas A&M University-Kingsville have received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish a Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology for Sustainable Water Use (CREST-SWU).
The center will facilitate regional, multidisciplinary research, education and stakeholder collaborations to advance the understanding of sustainable water in the context of complex physical, climatic, regulatory and social-economical settings.
Teams of faculty and students from the College of Engineering and the Dick and Mary Lewis Kleberg College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will develop and assess water monitoring networks, models and management tools to promote sustainable water use in South Texas.
“The overall goal for CREST-SWU is to integrate academic researchers, regional stakeholders and regulatory policy experts to develop management strategies for attaining sustainable water use in semi-arid regions, particularly from the perspective of the water, energy and food security nexus,” said Dr. Mohammad S. Alam, dean of the College of Engineering.
The center’s five-year program of research, education and outreach is related to three over arching focus areas:
- monitoring and information systems,
- modeling and dynamic forecasting
- decision support systems
During that time period, the center will support the research of 10 doctoral students and 33 master’s students. Twenty-seven undergraduate students will participate in the center research activities each year.
“The center’s integrated educational program will recruit students from the South Texas region and provide them with knowledge, skills and motivation to become next-generation water sustainability experts,” Alam said.
The center’s leadership includes
Dr. Lee Clapp, principal investigator (PI), professor and department chair, environmental engineering;
Dr. Selahattin Ozcelik, co-PI, professor and interim chair, mechanical and industrial engineering;
Dr. Tushar Sinha, co-PI, assistant professor, environmental engineering;
Dr. Mahesh Hosur, professor, mechanical and industrial engineering and associate dean for research and graduate affairs;
Dr. Shad Nelson, co-PI, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources; and
Dr. Benjamin Turner, co-PI, assistant professor, agriculture, agribusiness and environmental sciences.
Other senior investigators include
Dr. Matthew Alexander, associate professor, chemical and natural gas engineering;
Dr. Joseph Amaya, visiting professor, chemical and natural gas engineering
Dr. Juan Bezares-Cruz, assistant professor, environmental engineering;
Dr. Nuri Yilmazer, associate professor, electrical engineering and computer science;
Dr. Jianhong Ren; professor, environmental engineering;
Dr. Veronica Ancona-Contreras, assistant professor, agriculture, agribusiness and environmental sciences;
Dr. Greta Schuster, professor and chair, agriculture, agribusiness and environmental sciences.
-TAMUK-
