by Rachel McGuire
The Annual Alabama Water Resources Conference (ALWRC) is steeped in tradition.
The event was born 35 years ago alongside the Alabama Chapter of the American Water Resources Association (AWRA). For decades the ALWRC has been held in Orange Beach, Alabama. The 2021 ALWRC was held from September 8-10 and hosted nearly 230 water resources professionals and students from across the state of Alabama and beyond.
The 2021 ALWRC saw an unprecedented number of student presenters with 27 students in oral concurrent sessions and 28 students presenters in the Poster Session. Students represented Auburn University, Troy University, The University of Alabama, and The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Each year a competition is held for the two categories of student presenters with the top three presenters recognized.
Wenjing Ren – 1st Place in the Student Oral Presentation Competition
Wenjing Ren is a PhD candidate in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. Her faculty advisor is Dr. Yucheng Feng. Ren’s presentation, “Evaluation of Bacterial and Mitochondrial DNA Markers for Microbial Source Tracking” garnered the top spot in the Student Oral Competition. Ren is also a recipient of the inaugural Alabama Water Resources Research Institute’s (AWRRI) Auburn University Graduate Student Grants-In-Aid, part of the Annual Water Resources Grants Program. Ren’s work will assess fecal pollution sources in the Lake Martin Watershed using a quantitative PRC-based approach.
Annabelle McEachin – 2nd Place in Student Oral Presentation Competition
Annabelle McEachin is a M.S. student in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. Her faculty advisor is Dr. Beth Guertal. McEachin’s presentation, “Calibration of Solvita® CO2 Burst System for Reducing Nitrogen Pollution in Agronomic Systems” earned 2nd Place in the Student Oral Competition. McEachin joins Ren as a fellow recipient of the AWRRI Auburn University Graduate Student Grants-In-Aid Program. McEachin’s work will investigate better measurement of mineralizable soil Nitrogen (via overapplication of N fertilizer) for protecting water quality.
Benjamin Webster – 3rd Place in the Student Oral Presentation Competition
Benjamin Webster is a PhD candidate in the College of Agriculture’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. His faculty advisor is Dr. Matt Waters. Webster’s presentation, “Variations of Nutrient Deposition and Transport Between Agricultural and Urban Watersheds Through Time” took 3rd Place in the Student Oral Competition.
Jaime Schussler – 1st Place in the Student Poster Presentation Competition
Jaime Schussler is a PhD candidate in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering‘s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His faculty advisor is Dr. Michael Perez. Schussler’s poster, “In-Channel Sediment Basin Performance Evaluation using Large-Scale Testing” earned the top spot in the Student Poster Competition.