News:

Prof. Enrique Vivoni Receives U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award (February, 2008):

New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor of Hydrology, Enrique R. Vivoni, has been named a US Fulbright Scholar to perform research entitled: "US-Mexico Studies on Ecohydrological Interactions during the North American Monsoon". The award provides salary and travel support for an extended stay at the Universidad de Sonora in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and the Centrode Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico during the 2008-2009 period. Dr. Vivoni is looking forward to writing up some recent research combining remote sensing, field observations and numerical modeling of summer season hydrological phenomenon in the North American Monsoon region.

Hugo Gutierrez Featured for Recent Research (January, 2008):

New Mexico Tech Graduate Research Assistant, Hugo Gutierrez, has been featured in the Defensor Chieftain for his recent work on monitoring the hillslope hydrologic response during a strong 2006 summer monsoon storm. See article at Effects of the Rain Storm.

Prof. Enrique Vivoni Receives HENAAC's Most Promising Engineer Award (August, 2007):

New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor of Hydrology, Enrique R. Vivoni, has been named Most Promising Engineer- Advanced Degree by HENAAC (Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award Conference) for 2007. HENAAC is an independent group of representatives from industry, government, military, and academia. The award will be conferred at the annual HENAAC conference on October 11-13, 2007 in San Diego, CA. See the HENAAC Press Release and the New Mexico Tech Release.

Hugo Gutierrez Receives NCALM Funding for Airborne LIDAR mapping (March, 2007):

New Mexico Tech Graduate Research Assistant, Hugo Gutierrez, has been selected as one of the receipients of the 2007 NCALM (National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping) Student Research Awards. This research award will allow Hugo to obtain high resolution LIDAR datasets over the Sevilleta Experimental Catchment area from which topographic and biomass estimates will be possible. This award will support Hugo's doctoral studies in hydrology in the Surface Hydrology Research group.

New Mexico Tech Signs Agreement with Universidad de Sonora (October, 2006)

In a recent visit to Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, Mexico, New Mexico Tech President Dr. Daniel López signed an agreement with Universidad de Sonora and their Rector Dr. Pedro Ortega Ramos for research and educational exchanges related to the study of the North American Monsoon system.  The agreement opens the door for enhanced collaborations between New Mexico Tech faculty and students and counterparts in the Universidad de Sonora, particularly the Physics, Civil Engineering, and Geology Departments.  The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two institutions was officially established by signatures from Dr. Daniel Lopéz,  Dr. Pedro Ortega Ramos, Dr. Christopher Watts, and Assistant Professor Enrique Vivoni. The initial three-year collaboration will focus on research and education in the field of hydrological sciences due to the strong and complementary programs at New Mexico Tech and Universidad de Sonora. Focusing on the theme of “Hydrological Predictions in Regions Affected by the NorthAmerican Monsoon System (NAMS)”, the collaboration will sponsor student exchanges between the institutions, one-week short courses on advanced topics, and the promotion of collaborative research among participants. Specific topics of interest include remote sensing, modeling and observations in hydrological systems of Sonora, Mexico. Universidad de Sonora Article.  El Imparcial Article

Prof. Enrique Vivoni Featured in New Mexico Technology Research Collaborative Magazine (Summer, 2006):

New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor Enrique R. Vivoni was featured in the New Mexico TRC Magazine in a section on Great Minds in New Mexico. The short research piece highlights the recent research activities in the Surface Hydrology Research group at New Mexico Tech, in particular work related to the North American Monsoon and efforts with High Performance Computing for Hydrological Science. For the full article see: TRC Article.

New Mexico Tech leads Sonora Monsoon Hydrology Field Campaign (Summer, 2006):

The Surface Hydrology Research group at New Mexico Tech's Department of Earth and Environmental Science is leading a multi-institutional field campaign in the Rio San Miguel watershed in Sonora, Mexico from July 2nd to July 22nd, 2006. The field campaign is funded by the National Science Foundation Office of International Science and Engineering through the Developing Global Scientists and Engineers program. The purpose of this experiment is to quantify the regional variability in soil moisture and rainfall conditions in a semiarid, monsoon region characterized by dynamic vegetation over complex terrain. We are collaborating with the Universidad of Sonora in Hermosillo and the Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora in Obregon, Sonora. Three experiments will be carried out: (1) the installation of five new continous sampling stations to augment the existing hydrologic monitoring network, (2) a small-scale rainfall variability experiment for comparison to TRMM observations, and (3) soil mositure and evapotranspiration relation within an eddy covariance tower footprint. Regional, catchment-based rainfall and soil moisture measurements will be used to (1) validate satellite soil moisture estimates, (2) investigate landscape factors leading to rainfall and soil moisture variations, and (3) test and verify the predictions of a spatially distributed watershed model applied to the region. The New Mexico Tech team is composed of seven undergraduate, graduate and faculty researchers. Sponsors: National Science Foundation.

Alex Rinehart selected for National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (March, 2006):

New Mexico Tech Graduate Research Assistant, Alex Rinehart, has been selected as one of the 2006 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Recipients. This prestigious award will allow Alex to continue his doctoral studies in hydrology in the topic of using multi-resolution wavelet representations to characterize hydrological fields such as topography, vegetation and snow cover from remote sensing, field observations and numerical modeling in the Surface Hydrology Research group.

Two Visiting Researchers from Italy at New Mexico Tech (February, 2006):

As part of the agreement between the Honors Center of Italian Universities (H2CU) and New Mexico Tech (NMT), two visiting researchers are spending a period at the Surface Hydrology Research group: Giuseppe Mascaro from University of Cagliari and Francesco Di Benedetto from University of Rome, "La Sapienza". Giuseppe brings considerable experience in space-time analysis and scaling of precipitation fields, while Francesco has expertise in erosion-based interpolation of digital elevation models. Welcome! Sponsors: H2CU-NMT Agreement.

New Mexico Tech hosts Winter School on Time Series Analysis in Hydrology (January, 2006):

The Honors Center of Italian Universities (H2CU) and New Mexico Tech (NMT) will be hosting a short course entitled: Winter School on Time Series Analysis for Hydrological Applications. The purpose of this short course is to transfer knowledge on time series analysis across the two institutions as part of the H2CU-NMT Collaborative Agreement on Climate Predictions Across Climate Regimes. The short course will be held January 9 - 13th at New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM and taught by Dr. Salvatore Grimaldi (Universita degli Studi della Tuscia - Viterbo). The short course is open to students and professionals from our region. Sponsors: NMT President, H2CU-NMT Agreement. More information is available at the H2CU-NMT Winter School Website.

New Mexico Tech leads Valles Caldera Hydrometeorological Field Campaign (Summer, 2005):

The Surface Hydrology Research group at New Mexico Tech's Department of Earth and Environmental Science has led a multi-institutional field campaign in the Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) in the Jemez Mountain, New Mexico from June 20th - August 2nd, 2005. The purpose of this experiment was to quantify the regional variability in soil moisture and hydrometeorological conditions in a mountainous area dominated by the North American Monsoon, and is part of a broader effort to understand semiarid hydrology as part of the SAHRA NSF Center. We have collaborated with the University of California, Los Angeles, University of Arizona and MIT in ground sampling at seventy-two plots arranged within topographic transects in four separate headwater basins. Regional, catchment-based soil moisture measurements will be used to (1) validate satellite soil moisture estimates, (2) investigate landscape factors leading to soil moisture variations, and (3) test and verify the predictions of a spatially distributed watershed model applied to the region. Sponsors: National Science Foundation, SAHRA and NM Water Resources Research Institute. See article in SAHRA Ephemeral Flow Newsletter.

Luis Mendez selected for CONACYT Fellowship (August, 2005):

New Mexico Tech Graduate Research Assistant, Luis Mendez-Barroso, has been selected as one of CONACYT (Mexican National Council of Science and Technology) Doctoral Fellowship awardees. The four-year fellowship will provide stipend, living expenses and other allowances for Luis's doctoral studies in hydrology at New Mexico Tech. His current research in the Surface Hydrology Research group involves the spatial and temporal distribution of soil moisture and evapotranspiraion in semiarid environments using in-situ data, remote sensing and hydrological model applications.

New Mexico Tech Signs Agreement with Honors Center of Italian Universities (April, 2005)

In a recent visit to the capital city of Rome, New Mexico Tech President Dr. Daniel López signed an agreement with the Honors Center of Italian Universities (H2CU) for research and educational exchanges. The agreement opens the door for enhanced collaborations between New Mexico Tech faculty and students and counterparts in a number of Italian research entities.  The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two institutions was officially established by signatures from Dr. Daniel Lopéz,  Professor Lucio Ubertini, Dr. Salvatore Grimald, and Assistant Professor Enrique Vivoni. The initial three-year collaboration will focus on research and education in the field of hydrological sciences due to the strong and complementary programs at New Mexico Tech and H2CU institutions. Focusing on the theme of “Hydrological Predictions Across Climate Regimes”, the collaboration will sponsor student exchanges between the institutions, one-week short courses on advanced topics, and the promotion of collaborative research among participants. Specific topics of interest include remote sensing, modeling and observations in hydrological systems.  New Mexico Business Weekly article.

Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award Recipient (March, 2005):

New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor Enrique R. Vivoni  has recently received the Department of the Army's Young Investigator Program (YIP) award from the Environmental Sciences Division. The three-year award will fund work on linking a high-resolution regional atmospheric model with a distributed hydrologic model for investigating physical coupling between meteorological forcing and land-surface hydrologic response. The proposal, entitled: "Linking Atmospheric Dynamics with Land-Surface Hydrology over Complex Terrain: A Multiple Resolution Modeling Approach", will fund one graduate student in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Tech from 2005-2008.

Promising Scientist Seminar at University of Arizona, School of Natural Resources (Feb, 2005):

New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor Enrique R. Vivoni will offer an invited seminar as part of a series entitled: "A Showcase of Promising Scientists in Natural Resources" in the School of Renewable Natural Resources at The University of Arizona. The seminar will be entitled: "Incorporating the spatial variability in climate, hydrologic and ecosystem processes into watershed simulations" and will be offered on February 16th, 2005. As part of the speaker series, six nationally-recognized women or minority young scientists from around the United States will offer talks on topics of interest in natural resources, ecology, hydrology and other related disciplines. Seminars will be complemented by meetings with undergraduate and graduate students to discuss current research topics and pathways for academic success.

Surface Hydrology Research Group at American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2004:

The Surface Hydrology Research group at New Mexico Tech's Department of Earth and Environmental Science presented research results at the American Geophysical Union Fall Conference held in San Francisco, CA during December 13-17, 2004. An oral presentation was offered by New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor Enrique R. Vivoni  and co-authors entitled "Landscape Controls on Monsoon Soil Moisture Distribution in Northern Sonora, Mexico", while Valeri Ivanov (MIT) and co-authors presented "Aspects of radiation budget, subsurface lateral moisture exchange, and vegetation function in areas of complex topography". Several poster presentations were made during various hydrology sessions at AGU, including: "Fine-Resolution Hydrologic Modeling of Semiarid River Basins: Preliminary Results from Upper Rio Grande Subbasins", "Analysis of a Monsoon Flood Event Effect on Surface and Groundwater Interactions in a Regional Semiarid Watershed", "A Semiarid Long-Term Hydrologic Observatory at the Continental Scale: The Upper Río Grande Basin" and " On the effects of triangulated terrain resolution on distributed hydrologic model response".

New Mexico Tech Participates in Soil Moisture Experiment 2004 (SMEX04):

The Surface Hydrology Research group at New Mexico Tech's Department of Earth and Environmental Science will be participating in the Soil Moisture Experiment 2004 (SMEX04) in Sonora, Mexico from August 1- 17th. The purpose of this experiment is to quantify the regional variability in soil moisture in a semi-arid, mountainous area dominated by the North American Monsoon, and is part of a broader North American Monsoon Experiment 2004 (NAME) carried out in the region. We will collaborate with the University of Sonora, Instituto Tecnologico de Sonora, University of South Carolina in ground sampling within a 50 km by 75 km region in northwest Sonora. Regional soil moisture measurements and targeted sampling along an orographic gradient will be used to (1) validate satellite and aircraft soil moisture estimates, (2) investigate landscape factors leading to soil moisture variations, and (3) understand land surface conditions leading to summer monsoonal rainfall. Sponsors: NASA Terrestrial Hydrology Program, USDA Agricultural Research Service, AMSR-E Validation.

CNR-MIT 2004 Summer School on Distributed Hydrologic Modeling:

New Mexico Tech Assistant Professor Enrique R. Vivoni will offer a week-long summer course (June 21-25, 2004) on distributed hydrological modeling at the University of Rome, Italy as part of the MIT-CNR Summer School series. This summer school will focus on the theory, concepts and applications of distributed hydrological models with geospatial data and tools. The short course will consist of lectures and “hands-on” experimentation with GIS-based data, tools and models. The course will provide the theoretical and applied knowledge for conducting distributed simulations in a set of hydrologic basins prone to hydrometeorological hazards in Italy. The summer school project will focus on the problem of extreme flood events and the spatial distribution of their runoff processes in basins of different characteristics. Participants will be divided into teams and guided through the application and synthesis of results from a distributed hydrologic model. Model applications over a set of basins will constitute an assessment of hydrometeorological extremes over various hydrologic regimes. See course website at: MIT-CNR Summer School on Distributed Hydrologic Modeling. Sponsors: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche and MIT.