Water Institute 2024 Dissertation Awardees Announced
The Water Institute is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2024 Water Institute Dissertation Awards: Drs. Audrey Looby and Yuseung Shin.
This year, we received an exceptional number of outstanding dissertations in the category of Natural Science and Engineering. Consequently, we are presenting two awards, though only one dissertation will be nominated for the UCOWR Ph.D. Dissertation Award, which focuses on freshwater ecosystems.
Dr. Audrey Looby is recognized for her dissertation, “The Ecological Importance, Management Applications, and Outreach Potential of Underwater Sounds.” Dr. Looby’s work explores diverse underwater soundscapes that support essential ecological functions and offer significant applications for monitoring and conservation. To address current knowledge gaps, her dissertation presents a comprehensive literature review, a global online resource for fish sound production (FishSounds.net, with over 18,000 users), and three field studies on soundscape-habitat interactions in coastal ecosystems. This research advances our understanding of underwater sounds, highlighting their ecological value and the potential for passive acoustic monitoring to support environmental management and public engagement. Dr. Looby earned her Ph.D. from the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences under the guidance of Dr. Allen.
Dr. Yuseung Shin is honored for his dissertation, “Temporal Structure and Nutrient Controls of River Metabolism,” which explores the controls on stream metabolism over time and space. His dissertation builds on the concept of metabolic regimes, describing the spatial-temporal patterns of primary production and respiration in flowing waters. Dr. Shin’s work enhances our ability to model flowing waters, particularly their role in global carbon cycling, with critical implications for managing anthropogenic nutrient pollution. His research involved a wide range of scientific skills, including data synthesis, modeling, field experiments in Greenland, and science communication. Dr. Shin earned his Ph.D. from the School of Natural Resources and Environment under the mentorship of Dr. Cohen, and his dissertation will be nominated for the UCOWR Ph.D. Dissertation Award.
We want to thank the Review Committee for their time and expertise in evaluating the many exceptional dissertations submitted this year.
Dr. Paloma Carton de Grammont (Chair), Assistant Director, Water Institute
Dr. Eban Bean, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, IFAS
Dr. Christa Court, Associate Professor of Regional Economics; Director, Economic Impact Analysis Program, Food and Resource Economics Department, IFAS; Member of the Water Institute Faculty Advisory Committee
Dr. Katherine Deliz, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, ESSIE; Member of the WI Faculty Advisory Committee
Dr. Young Gu Her, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, IFAS
Dr. Basil Iannone, Associate Professor, School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences, IFAS
Dr. Jasmeet Judge, Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Director, Center for Remote Sensing, IFAS
Dr. David Kaplan, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, ESSIE; Director of the H.T. Odum Center for Wetlands; Chair of the WI Faculty Advisory Committee; UCOWR Delegate
Dr. Yilin Zhuang, Regional Specialized Agent, Water Resources, IFAS Extension
We cordially invite you to celebrate their exceptional achievements at the 2024 Water Institute Awards ceremony on October 29 at 4:30 p.m. at the Keene Faculty Center.
Show your interest to attend here.
October 17, 2024