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About the Water Systems Working Group

The Water Systems Working Group (Water) is comprised of an energetic group of faculty and graduate students dedicated to the advancement of water-related research and education at UK and in the broader community.

Initiated in 2013, the Water Systems working group is composed of 27 faculty and staff, representing five Colleges or other administrative units within the University of Kentucky. The group contains a diversity of water-related expertise and research interests and originally coalesced with the aim to better highlight water-related research and educational opportunities on campus and throughout the state. Initiatives have included the development of Water Week- an intensive series intended to engage undergraduate students- and the creation of the CATchemtn rain garden which mitigates UK stormwater impact and helps demonstrate stormwater best management practices to students and community members. Currently the working group is collaborating with Environmental management to help UK meet its MS4 permit requirements and is actively seeking additional collaborative projects.


Water Systems Experts

Carmen Agouridis
Extension Associate Professor
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Sarah Arpin
Geologist II
Kentucky Geological Survey

Christopher Barton
Professor
Forestry & Natural Resources
Natural Resources & Environmental Science

Ennis Beck
Geologist IV
Kentucky Geological Survey

Steven Buck
Assistant Professor
Agricultural Economics

Megan Combs
Research Facility Manager
Environmental Research Training Laboratories

Rick Durham
Professor
Horticulture

Steve Evans
Assistant Director
Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

Isabel Escobar
Professor
Chemical Engineering

William Ford
Assistant Professor
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

James Fox
Raymond-Blythe Professor
Civil Engineering

Alan Fryar
Associate Professor
Earth and Environmental Sciences

Amanda Gumbert
Extension Specialist for Water Quality
Agricultural Programs

Stephen Higgins
Director of Environmental Compliance
Agricultural Experiment Station

Shakira Hobbs
Assistant Professor
Civil Engineering

Emily Koyagi
Principal Research Analyst
Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

James Landon
Research Engineer
UK Center for Applied Energy Research
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Chemical Engineering

Brad Lee
Extension Associate Professor
Plant and Soil Sciences

Brian Lee
Professor
Natural Resources & Environmental Science
Landscape Architecture

Chris Matocha
Associate Professor
Plant and Soil Sciences

Lindell Ormsbee
Director
Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute
Professor
Civil Engineering

Ashley Osborne
Extension Specialist
4H Natural Resources Education

Kelly Pennell
Acting Director
Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment
Associate Professor
Civil Engineering

Wei Ren
Assistant Professor
Plant and Soil Sciences

Charles Taylor
Section Head
Kentucky Geological Survey

Benjamin Tobin
Geologist V
Kentucky Geological Survey

Suzette Walling
Extension Associate
Plant and Soil Sciences

Ole Wendroth
Professor
Plant and Soil Sciences

Scott Yost
Associate Professor
Civil Engineering

Junfeng Zhu
Geologist
Kentucky Geological Survey