Register here: https://cornell.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtdeGhpjotG9PFB42K1bs68I1v70ZHbVNx

Every year, the New York State Water Resources Institute (NYSWRI) at Cornell supports research that addresses critical water resource issues in New York State and the nation. The seminar will focus on ways in which robust science can support and influence on-ground water management and policy outcomes, and center collaborative and interdisciplinary work between academics, water resource scientists, educators, managers, and policymakers.

Abstract: 

In this talk Dr. Liz Carter, Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University, will be joined by Emily Fell, Eastern Great Lakes Watershed Coordinator at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to discuss Dr. Carter’s project, FloodViz. Urban pluvial flooding, a costly and dangerous natural disaster, is challenging to monitor continuously, limiting effective planning and response. This research introduces "FloodViz," an innovative, low-cost camera-based sensor network. The "FloodCam" prototype aims to automatically monitor urban inundation, notify officials of flooding occurrences, and generate maps of peak flooding extent. Dr. Carter will discuss how FloodCam will be calibrated and deployed in Syracuse, NY, a city grappling with aging hydrologic infrastructure, frequent extreme precipitation events in collaboration with community stakeholders. The technology addresses the critical need for quick and effective flood monitoring, ensuring equal data coverage across socio-economic gradients.

Speaker Bios:

Elizabeth Carter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University. She is a computational hydrologist, focusing on using globally-available earth observations to address the equity and effectiveness of water resources/risk management. Dr. Carter’s research in applied computational hydroclimatology attempts to fuse tools from modern data science with risk assessment in water resources engineering to mitigate social, environmental, and economic impacts of hydroclimatic extremes.

Emily Fell works as the Eastern Great Lakes Watershed Coordinator for the NYSDEC and WRI. Her background is in natural resources management, and she received her B.S. from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Emily enjoys working with communities and stakeholders to advance goals of NY’s Great Lakes Action Agenda, including water quality, natural resource management, invasive species, resiliency, and stewardship of recreational resources, and works closely with NY Sea Grant to promote Great Lakes Literacy and Stewardship under the Great Lakes Ecosystem Education Exchange.