CWSS News

2021

January 29

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) recently funded Dr. Mohamed Ahmed to study the parched landscape of one of the most arid regions in the world in search for water resources. Using geophysical technology the team will map a new fresh groundwater source for an Egyptian Bedouin community. The story is featured here: https://www.tamucc.edu/news/2021/01/012921-egyptian-water.html#.YBR_juhKhaQ.

Congratulations!!

January 11 CWSS welcomes new ESCI MS student William Wooten (faculty advisor: Dr. Dorina Murgulet).

2020

December 18 Congratulations to our own Ryan Turner, graduate research assistant (faculty advisor: Dr. Mohamed Ahmed), on his recognition as an outstanding Fall 2020 graduate!!!

Outstanding Graduate Ryan Turner Follows His Passion for Coastal Bend Geology, Geophysics

December 12 Doctoral student Audrey Douglas (left, faculty advisor: Dr. Dorina Murgulet) and master's student Ryan Turner (right, faculty advisor: Dr. Mohamed Ahmed) completed their dissertation and thesis during the COVID-19 pandemic and graduate this fall term. Congratulations to you both!!!

December 1-17 Faculty and students from the Center for Water Supply Studies attend the American Geophysical Union Conference (AGU) Fall Meeting online. High school student Ioana Murgulet and graduate students Christopher Vickers, William Wolfe, and Bimal Gyawali presented their research.

August 17 CWSS welcomes new CMSS PhD student Chrissy Barrera (CMSS, faculty advisor: Dr. Dorina Murgulet), a recent graduate of St, Mary's University and former McNair Scholar.

August 15 Congratulations to our own Megan Greige, undergraduate research assistant and McNAir Scholar (mentor Dr. Dorina Murgulet), on her recognition as an outstanding Spring 2020 graduate!!!

Outstanding Graduate Megan Greige Follows Passion for Coastal Environment

June 10 Undergraduate research assistants and McNAir Scholars, Megan Greige (left) and Loren Walker (right) (mentor Dr. Dorina Murgulet) graduate honoring Dr. Ronald McNair’s legacy through their research and persistence and provide hope for the future of a diverse, inclusive and educated world. Congratulations to you both!!! Here is their virtual graduation recognition information:

https://spark.adobe.com/video/o8gOO4Ozu8ACs

May 8 PhD candidate, Audrey Douglas (faculty advisor Dr. Dorina Murgulet) successfully defended her doctoral research on "the importance of submarine groundwater discharge on nutrient fluxes and dissolved organic matter molecular composition in a semiarid, highly disturbed estuary" (i.e. Nieces Bay). Congratulations Dr. Audrey Douglas!

April 21 Undergraduate research assistant and McNAir Scholar, Megan Greige (mentors Dr. Dorina Murgulet, Dr. Hussain Abdulla, and PhD candidate Audrey Douglas) has been selected as an outstanding graduate for the Spring 2020 semester! Congratulations Megan! We are all proud of you!

March 25 The Center for Water Supply Studies received a two-year $863,921 grant from the Texas General Land Program (GLO), Coastal Management Program (CMP) as part of a Special Merit Project to study the nonpoint source pollution – or pollution coming from many different sources rather than one central one – loading to Baffin Bay.

January 7, CWSS welcomes a new MS graduate student, Chris Vickers (CMSS, faculty advisor: Dr. Dorina Murgulet). He will expand on existing work begun by CWSS into constraining submarine groundwater discharge inputs to Baffin Bay.

2019

December 14 Joseph Stearns, (MS, faculty advisor Dr. Dorina Murgulet), graduates from the Environmental Science Program at TAMUCC. He has accepted a position with TDI-Brooks International Inc., a marine scientific services company headquartered in College Station, TX. Congratulations Joe, and thanks for all your hard work with CWSS!  

December 9-13 Faculty and students from the Center for Water Supply Studies attend the American Geophysical Union Conference (AGU) in San Francisco, CA. 

Undergraduate Research Assistant and McNair Scholar, Loren Walker, presents her research into temporal changes in radiogenic signatures of groundwater at the Hydrology poster session.

Graduate Research Assistant and PhD Candidate, Audrey Douglas, presents her research into dissolved organic matter at the Biogeosciences poster session.

PhD Candidate, Bimal Gyawali, presents his poster: "Quantifying the Change in Groundwater Storage in the Coastal Region of Texas" at the Hydrology poster session.

Megan Greige, (CWSS undergraduate research asst. and McNair Scholar) delivers an oral presentation at the Biogeosciences session, covering Hurricane Harvey's impact on Dissolved Organic Nitrogen in Corpus Christi Bay.

November 14 Joseph Stearns (MS graduate research assistant with CWSS), defends his thesis, titled: "AN EVALUATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF THE TIME-LAPSE ELECTRICAL RESISTIVITY TOMOGRAPHY METHOD IN QUANTIFYING SUBMARINE GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE IN FINE SEDIMENT AND HIGHLY SALINE, SHALLOW EMBAYMENTS" Committee Chair: Dr. Dorina Murgulet

September 30 Improvements are being made to the CWSS's coastal monitoring research platform at University Beach. This project investigates seasonal changes in groundwater-surface water interactions on a basin wide scale by detecting levels of radon dissolved in the bay water. Radon, along with other naturally occurring radio-isotopes such as radium and thoron, serve as useful tracers for quantifying submarine groundwater discharge. Additional solar panels, pumps and a fixed water inlet have been installed to improve measurement reliability. 

Coastal Monitoring Platform at University Beach, the gas exchangers, water pump and battery bank.

September 7 CWSS welcomes a new MS graduate student, Will Wolfe (CMSS, faculty advisor: Dr. Dorina Murgulet). He will expand on existing work begun by CWSS into long-term continuous monitoring of submarine groundwater discharge.

Since September 2019