Dr. Luke Pangle and Sarah Ledford are recruiting two M.S. students for fall 2025 to work on a new urban critical zone project at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. This project will expand the existing urban critical zone cluster (https://criticalzone.org/urban) to Atlanta. The goal of this project is to assess if fluctuations of the groundwater table driving differing inundation patterns of sewer pipes impact likelihood of pipe failure or pipe leakage that will then reach urban streams and impact major ion chemistry. There are two research projects for this project:
1. Urban groundwater hydrology. One student will focus on building a statistical model of depth to groundwater and the seasonal variability of groundwater depth in urban watersheds. These maps will be used to evaluate risk to sewer infrastructure of groundwater inundation or leakage. The student will develop expertise in applications of GIS to urban groundwater hydrology, multi-variable statistical modeling techniques, monitoring of groundwater wells, and use of Ground-Penetrating Radar surveys to map depth to groundwater. (working with Dr. Pangle)
2. Longitudinal patterns in “chemical cocktails”. The other student will focus on longitudinal sampling along urban streams at risk for pipe failure to assess for spatial and temporal changes in major anions and cations and their alignment with areas identified as high risk for pipe failure or leakage. This student will develop expertise in surface water sampling, ion chromatography, and applications of GIS. (working with Dr. Ledford)
Both students will participate in all field and lab work. In addition, students will be able to mentor both undergraduate students and high school students from the Atlanta Public School system.
Funding is $25,000/year for two years and includes a full tuition waiver.
No additional criteria beyond those needed for our degree are required, but some experience with GIS is a plus. Students can select from a concentration in geology, geography, or water science. In addition, they can earn a professional GIS certificate at the same time. Please see our catalog for more information on admission requirements for the M.S. in Geosciences: https://catalogs.gsu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=39&poid=11922&returnto=5118
To apply, please first email Dr. Ledford (sledford at gsu dot edu) or Dr. Pangle (lpangel at gsu dot edu) to indicate your interest. We will reach out to top candidates to talk. The final application to our M.S. program is due February 15, 2025.
