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My motivation to study water quality began ten years ago when I co-coordinated the Cooks Creek stream restoration project during high school. Our goals were to help improve the greater watershed and to educate the community on how to be stewards of our environment. Our project was extremely successful and solidified my desire to improve water quality through environmental management and better decision making.

After high school, I went to the University of Virginia to study environmental sciences. There I focused on courses and research projects in water quality assessment and economic decision making . Upon completion of my B.A., I entered Duke University’s Ph.D. program to study water quality modeling and decision analysis.

My dissertation is entitled: Which nutrient criteria should States and Tribes choose to determine waterbody impairment?: Using science and judgments to inform decision-making. More specifically, I have developed a method to assist states in setting water quality standards that explicitly consider the water quality goal. One question posed by states is how to set standards for eutrophication control. Eutrophication is complex since different levels of nutrients cause different waterbody responses. Additionally, standard setting inherently involves a tradeoff between maximizing long-term environmental protection and minimizing short-term costs. Therefore, I have created a procedure that statistically links water quality variables to the waterbody goals and then analyzes a decision maker’s tradeoffs to suggest standards that maximize citizens’ benefit. I am applying this method to lakes in North Carolina to reevaluate their standards.

The current guidance for setting eutrophication-related criteria fails to address the water quality goals; we need an alternative method. My dissertation addresses a vital U.S. policy need by developing an alternative method to evaluate water quality goal attainment given the current data limitations. The use of these techniques provides a novel and practical approach to select nutrient criteria. I hope that my research will ultimately establish methodology that is adopted by state agencies and the EPA to set nutrient criteria, which will lead to improved protection of our water resources.

After completing my dissertation and a postdoctoral position, I plan to pursue a career as a professor. As a professor, I look forward to conducting research, teaching classes, and advising students. As a researcher, my research agenda will concentrate on topics that are novel and applicable to needs in water quality decision making. As an instructor, I will create active learning environments that encourage multidisciplinary education. As an advisor, I will mentor undergraduate and graduate students, particularly women and underrepresented groups, and guide them to becoming independent researchers. Ultimately, I hope that the models I develop and the students I train will improve and protect freshwater resources and advocate science-supported policy options.