Walter+Yerk

I am currently a fourth-year doctorate student in the [|Department]of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia. I am a member of the Sustainable Water Resource Engineering [|Laboratory] at Drexel. My formal educational background is physical oceanography. My previous experience includes extensive field work and GIS applications.

My research interests include:

 * Urban ecohydrology;
 * Effects of vegetation canopy and perennial rhizosphere on urban hydrology;
 * Urban atmosphere surface layer;
 * Precipitation measurement methodologies.

Other areas attracting my interest are:

 * Prospective of water resources in relation with the climate shift;
 * Fate of nitrogen associated with managed stormwater;
 * Root-zone infiltration and hydraulic lift;
 * Energy net-zero and carbon-neutral wastewater treatment;
 * Bioremediation of stormwater and wastewater effluent.

Current research projects:

 * Quantifying rainfall interception and intra-storm evaporation in urban environment;
 * Quantifying spatial re-distribution of rainfall by small isolated canopies.

Fellowships and awards:

 * Harry T. Johnston Award in Analytical Chemistry (2011);
 * Drexel University Graduate Travel Award (2013);
 * The Joseph and Shirley Carleone Endowed Fellowship (2014);
 * Drexel University International Travel Award (2014).