Is water quality in Iowa an invisible problem? The risks to human health are significant and costly. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), high levels of nitrates in drinking water are especially dangerous for babies, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. Cities such as Des Moines are investing in expensive nitrate-removal systems to make […]
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Carrie Davis: Playing in the Mud
by Shianne Gruss Penny Davis likes to say that her daughter Caroline never grew out of the sandbox. Today, Carrie Davis, an assistant research scientist at IIHR— Hydroscience & Engineering, often spends her days knee-deep in riverbeds, monitoring water quality. Before joining IIHR as a postdoc in 2011, Davis was a contract geologist for Iowa […]
J.V. Loperfido: Going with the Flow
Computer modeling is invaluable for a water-quality researcher, but IIHR alumnus J.V. Loperfido still likes to get his feet wet. “I think you gain a lot of insight from being out in the stream,” the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researcher says. Loperfido says he learned the value of field studies at IIHR, where he earned […]
Scott Hagen: Far from the Farm
Scott Hagen jerked awake to find the tractor he was driving slowly veering off course, leaving a meandering trail of newly planted corn behind it. He had nodded off just for a second, after a long night of studying for the three classes he was taking that spring at the University of Iowa. Hitting the […]
Cleaning Up Groundwater Contaminants
IIHR Associate Research Engineer Tim Mattes is exploring the use of micro-organisms to transform vinyl chlorides in the groundwater into an environmentally benign product.
Species Transport Models
This area of research explores species transport using complex multi-physics models to understand spatial and temporal distribution on smaller and larger scales of nutrients. IIHR researchers currently use the OpenFOAM (free platform) and FLUENT models, both of which have been extended through in-house codes developed to improve mass transport. Present research covers the use of […]
Ecohydraulics
Integration of Mathematical Models and Assimilation of Samples on Ecohydraulics Applications at Different Spatial and Temporal Scales Species in fresh water environments: biology, chemistry and transport Nutrient dynamics (at different scales) Zero-dimensions (0D) Multi-physics modeling (2D-3D): OpenFOAM & FLUENT (What are the main processes that enhance nitrogen removal?) Water-sediment interface influence on nitrogen removal This […]
Sampling and Monitoring
IIHR Assistant Research Scientist Carrie Davis is leading an effort to develop a real-time water-quality monitoring program on Iowa rivers, and at Lake Odessa in Louisa County, Iowa. Read more about Davis’ research … Species concentrations in real time Monitoring Lake Odessa What is the influence of Lake to high nitrate concentration taken from the […]
Michelle Scherer: Solving the Puzzle
As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Michelle Scherer always liked math and problem solving. “Engineering seemed like the logical choice,” she says. “Once I was in college and realized you could actually do engineering in an environmental context, I was hooked!” Scherer is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University […]
LACMRERS: Productive Partnerships
Every day seems to bring a flood of negative environmental news. The problems are so complex, they often seem beyond the scope of what one person can address. IIHR researchers know how challenging the problems can be. That doesn’t stop them, though, and in fact, they believe they knows the key: collaboration. LACMRERS can bring […]
