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~ for immediate release
news release May 2, 2006
Contact: Heather Emmons, DRI PIO, heather.emmons@dri.edu, Reno (775) 673-7313 (w), (702) 743-3435 (c)
All DRI News Releases are available at: http://news.dri.edu/
UNLV's
Baron receives $18,000 Guinn Fellowship to study watershed
in southern Nevada
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Alexander Baron |
Las Vegas, Nev. --
With researchers from the University of Nevada, Las
Vegas, and the Desert Research Institute, Alexander
Baron, a graduate student at UNLV, plans to conduct a study of the soil-moisture
content of the floodplain of the Virgin River in southern Nevada. Based
on Baron's research proposal for this study of the Virgin
River watershed, DRI President Dr. Stephen G. Wells
has announced that Baron has been awarded the Governor Kenny Guinn Environmental
Fellowship for 2006.
The Governor Kenny Guinn Environmental Fellowship,
which is awarded annually to a graduate student in Nevada whose
work is directly related to the environmental sciences, was established by
DRI in 2001 to acknowledge Governor Guinn's Millennium Scholarship Program. The
DRI Research Foundation underwrites the annual $18,000 fellowship.
Baron is pursuing a master of science degree at
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas working with Dr. Zhongbo Yu of UNLV and
Dr. Jianting Zhu of DRI. Two main outcomes of Baron's research will be
measurements of variations in soil moisture in the Virgin Valley floodplain—showing
the significance of soil moisture to the Virgin Valley water balance—and
how much rainfall runs off into the river and how much goes into the soil. He
also will be using to field-measured data to calibrate remote-sensing data
in order to estimate soil moisture throughout the region.
"My hope is to provide policymakers with models
that will contribute to the longer-term vision of water management in the Southwest," said
Baron.
He also plans to apply the knowledge he gains from
his studies not only to southern Nevada,
but also to other areas around the world that face severe water shortages.
Baron, who has an undergraduate degree in geography,
said, "I intend to assist policymakers in interpreting hydrological data in
order to manage arid watersheds for diverse human and other environmental needs."
Baron is particularly interested in water issues
facing Africa and
said he ultimately would like to work for an international organization that
addresses issues of water supply and quality in arid regions, at the watershed,
regional and global level.
ABOUT
DRI: A nonprofit, statewide division of the Nevada System of Higher
Education, DRI pursues a full-time program of basic and applied environmental
research on a local, national, and international scale. More
than 500 full- and part-time scientists, technicians, and support staff
conduct more than 300 research projects at DRI annually. DRI
generates $45 million in total revenue consisting predominately of competitively
won research contracts and grants. The State of Nevada provides
critical funding in support of DRI's administration, operations, and maintenance
through the Nevada System of Higher education budget. While
DRI’s portion of the NSHE budget is approximately one percent, the
institute leverages these funds to enhance its competitiveness. |
