WALKER GRIMSHAW - MASTERS
helping the environment and have enjoyed learning through courses such as Environmental Engineering, Hydrology, and Hydraulic Systems Design. Outside of academics, I have also had the opportunity to learn more through engineering internships during the summers. These learning experiences in school and at work have prepared me for my future career and helped me successfully pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam in January 2018. Outside of school and work, some of my hobbies include cliff jumping, exercising, summer watersports, and hanging out with friends. Additionally, I enjoy playing piano, reading, and solving Rubik’s Cubes. Thank you for selecting me as the runner-up recipient of the 2019 – 2020 Richard A. Herbert Memorial Education Scholarship, Graduate (Masters) Division. ■
University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Public Health Major: Master of Science, Environmental Sciences and Engineering - Duke University: Nicholas School of the Environment - Major: Master of Environmental Management, Water Resources Management
Walker’s interest in Water Resources began in the AguaClara program at Cornell University, where he investigated water and sanitation technologies appropriate for resource-poor settings. After graduating, he continued to collaborate with the program while working for the Honduran NGO Agua Para el Pueblo (Water for the People), designing and constructing community-scale drinking water treatment plants. His work in Honduras motivated him to pursue a graduate degree in Water Resources Management, to learn more about the planning, policy, and financial instruments that must complement effective engineering interventions. Walker’s research during his graduate career has focused broadly on the provision of water and wastewater services to those currently living without. Locally, this has meant investigating the drivers of environmental injustice in the water sector and how to extend municipal services to North Carolina neighborhoods excluded decades earlier for their race. Regionally, this work takes the form of finding innovative ways for cities with shrinking populations to maintain their water infrastructure. And internationally, Walker interned at the UN’s migration agency to investigate the drivers of fecal sludge management in camps for refugees and internally displaced persons. As he begins his career, Walker hopes to have a positive impact both domestically and abroad, extending vital water and sanitation services to the most vulnerable in our society. ■ TYLER KLEINSASSER - MASTERS - Runner Up South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Major: Master of Science, Construction Engineering and Management
NGOC NGUYEN - UNDERGRADUATE University of Denver
Major: Bachelor of Science, Environmental Science Minor: Leadership Studies, Mathematics, Computer Science
Having been halfway through college, I luckily have found my passion in Environmental Science and a strong desire to coming back to help my community. I am very excited to continue working on my degree in Environmental Science double majoring in Applied Computing and minoring in Leadership. With this curriculum, I look forward to developing necessary skills that provide me enough tools to solve sophisticated environmental problems. Being inspired by the extreme water scarcity and river pollution in my hometown, which is Hanoi, Vietnam, I have been conducting a study to evaluate nutrient and heavy metal pollution in To Lich River, the longest river that runs through Hanoi, during this summer of 2019. I am lucky enough to receive strong support from DU community and the American Water Resources Association, which in combination, give me $5500 to conduct the project. Besides my current research about water pollution, I am also interested in studying marine ecosystem and geomorphology. I have worked as a Student Research Assistant in DU geomorphology lab for one year, and have developed a year- long project. In this project, I tried to distinguish between river and coastal sediment contributions to Nicaraguan mangrove estuaries, with the hope to understand more about sediment built up activities and how sea level rise affects the mangroves. I was also fortunate to receive $1500 fund from DU Undergraduate Research Center to conduct this project. I am very excited to do more research about hydrology and look forward to becoming a life-long environmental researcher in the future. This career will satisfy my scientific curiosity and my strong desire to help the world. ■
My name is Tyler Kleinsasser and I am an engineering student at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. I am originally from South Dakota, and I chose my university because of its great academic reputation and affordable in-state tuition cost. I have a passion for
24 | VOLUME 21 • NUMBER 5
Water Resources IMPACT
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