Ross earns NSF CAREER award to study fresh, saltwater mixing in estuaries

Lauren Ross at the helm of a boatLauren Ross, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, was recently awarded more than $600,000 in a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The award will advance research on land-sea connections, fresh and saltwater exchange, and transport of materials in complex tidal estuaries.

The NSF CAREER award is the most prestigious given to early career faculty and supports establishment of independent research careers that promote educational outreach.

As part of Ross’ research, high school students from Maine Ocean School in Searsport, working with a graduate student on Ross’ team, will help verify the accuracy of a model of the Penobscot River estuary by collecting data in the estuary over the course of the five-year-long project. After completing the study, Ross will create and share lesson plans about her findings for high school math and science classes. She also plans to share research findings on the Penobscot River estuary in a yearly Summer Lecture Series at the UMaine Hutchinson Center in Belfast, Maine, starting in 2022.

Read the full story at UMaine News.

Support for Ross’ land-sea connection research has also been provided through the Mitchell Center’s Maine Water Resources Research Institute grant programs. Learn more about these research projects here and here.