The North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute announced its Graduate Research Fellowship recipients for 2013-14. Fellowships ranging from $3,000 to $11,500 were awarded to five doctoral students and nine master’s degree students conducting research in water resources topics at NDSU and the University of North Dakota. 

A panel of state water resource professionals reviewed the applications and selected the fellows and award amounts. Students prepare the proposals with the guidance of their advisers. Regional, state or local collaboration or co-funding are encouraged. The general criteria used for proposal evaluation include qualifications of the students, scientific merit, originality of research, research related to state or region, and extent of regional, state or local collaboration and/or co-funding. 

Funding for the Fellowship program comes primarily from the annual base grant provided to the institute by the U.S. Geological Survey, and an additional support of 15 percent of the base grant comes from the North Dakota State Water Commission. The institute is one of 54 located in a land-grant institution of each state and territory under the umbrella of National Institutes for Water Resources. 

Fellows, their advisers and Fellowship research projects include: 

• Amanda Kreiger, geology and geologic engineering, UND; Scott Korom, “Electron Donor Contributions to Denitrification in the Elk Valley Aquifer, ND” 
• Brian Mager, civil engineering, UND; Howe Lim, “Physical model evaluations of scour holes below a singular and multiple step rock weirs” 
• Jiexia Wu, earth system science and policy, UND; Xiaodong Zhang, “Drought monitoring and prediction using NOAH land surface model and GRACE satellite observation” 
• Jun Yang, civil engineering, NDSU; Xuefeng Chu, “Improved Overland Flow Modeling for Hydrologic Connectivity Analysis of Potholes” 
• Kelsey Kolars, agricultural and biosystems engineering, NDSU; Xinhua Jia, “Development of a Model for Subsurface Drainage and Subirrigation Water Management” 
• Kyle Horntvedt, agricultural and biosystems engineering, NDSU; Xinhua Jia, “Measurement and modeling of soil moisture changes for subsurface drained and sub irrigated fields in the Red River Valley” 
• Melissa Wygant, geography, UND; Paul Todhunter, “A Place Vulnerability Analysis of Flood Hazard Risk at Grand Forks: 1990-2010” 
• Mengqi Xiong, civil engineering, NDSU; Zulu Lin and G. Padmanabhan, “Application of Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model for Estimating Nutrient Loads to Lake Ashtabula, ND, under Different Climate Scenarios” 
• Prosper Gbolo, geology and geologic engineering, UND; Phillip Gerla, “The Cycling and Fate of Phosphorus at an Abandoned Feedlot” 
• Rick Thalacker, geography, UND; Gregory Vandeberg, “Mapping Techniques for Soil Erosion using Digital Camera LiDAR and GIS” 
• Ruchi Joshi, environmental and conservation sciences, NDSU; Eakalak Khan and John McEvoy, “Understanding the Survival of Cryptosporidium Oocysts in North Dakota Under Winter Conditions” 
• Tanush Wadhawan, civil engineering, NDSU; Eakalak Khan and John McEvoy, “Investigation of Cryptosporidium oocysts in Influent and Effluent of the Fargo Water Treatment Plant” 
• Veselina Valkov, environmental and conservation sciences, NDSU; Wei Lin, “Temporal-spatial distribution (dynamics) of phytoplankton and diversity in relation to lake physical and chemical condition” 
• Yangbo He, soil science, NDSU; Thomas DeSutter, “Sodic soil characterization and management on subsurface drainage” 

For more information, contact G. Padmanabhan, institute director and professor of civil engineering, at 701-231-7043, or g.padmanabhan@ndsu.edu or visit www.ndsu.edu/wrri.