Sergio RuizCordova
Associate Director, Global Water Watch
ruizcor@auburn.edu
Sergio has a M.S. in Aquatic Ecology from Auburn University. Sergio oversees the activities of the Global Water Watch Program including the implementation of all international projects, the development and maintenance of the database for the Global Water Watch projects in other countries through the Water Resources Center and the International Center for Aquaculture and Aquatic Environments. His work with AWW primarily involves data management and reporting. He works closely with citizens of all backgrounds and ages encouraging awareness about water issues and the environment, and conducting water monitoring and community-based, science-based watershed stewardship workshops.
Mona Dominguez, M.C.P.
Program Director
Alabama Water Watch
Phone: 334.844.9323 Email: srs0013@auburn.edu
Mona Dominguez has worked with the Alabama Water Watch and Global Water Watch Programs since 2009 in various roles including Watershed Management Coordinator, AWW Volunteer Coordinator, and 4-H AWW Program Coordinator. In Fall 2017, she became Director of the AWW Program after the retirement of former Director Eric Reutebuch. In addition to overseeing the operations of AWW, she develops training materials, facilitates workshops, and seeks out opportunities for collaboration and growth. She also works internationally with the Global Water Watch Program to develop and implement community-based water monitoring programs. Dominguez has a B.A. in Anthropology with a concentration in Environmental Studies from the University of the South (Sewanee), and a Masters of Community Planning (M.C.P) from Auburn University. She also served as a volunteer in the Community and Environmental Conservation Program with the U.S. Peace Corps in Panama.
Sydney Smith
Volunteer Monitor Coordinator
srs029@auburn.edu
334-844-4785
Sydney began volunteering as a water quality monitor with AWW in 2014 and became a citizen trainer in 2015.
Her work with AWW involves communicating and coordinating with volunteer monitors and trainers, preparing for workshops and helping the other program staff where needed.
Rachel McGuire
Programs & Communications Coordinator
rem@auburn.edu
334-844-1163
Rachel earned a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from N.C. State University and an M.S. in Wildlife Sciences from Auburn University. After some time working as a field biologist in the stream, wetland, and endangered species mitigation industry, she joined the AUWRC team in 2018.
Ritesh Karki
Ph.D. Student
Email: rzk0045@auburn.edu
Ritesh is a Ph.D. student in the Biosystems Engineering department at Auburn University. His research is focused on ground and surface water modeling of the lower ACF basin. Ritesh received his Master’s degree from Mississippi State University in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, where his research focused on evaluating nutrient, and sediment loading as well as water harvesting from agricultural fields in East Mississippi using monitoring and modeling techniques
Hemendra Kumar
Ph.D. Student
Email: hzk0065@auburn.edu
Hemendra is a Ph.D. student in the Biosystems Engineering Department at Auburn University. He holds an M.S. degree in Hydrology from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, India and a B.Tech. degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, India. His master’s research with the title “Regionalization of Flow Duration Curves of Meso-scale Catchments” was focused on streamflow predictions in ungagged basins. He conducted his master’s research at the University of Stuttgart in Germany on a DAAD fellowship. Hemendra’s Ph.D. research involves the use of short- and medium-range climate forecasts for efficient irrigation water management in Alabama and Tennessee.
Henrique Hass
M.S. Student
Email: hzh0062@auburn.edu
Henrique is a M.S. student in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University. He has a B.S. in Environmental and Sanitary Engineering from Federal University of Santa Maria (2018) in Brazil. While an undergraduate student his research focused on hydrology and water quality modeling using SWAT model. Henrique’s current research continues to rely on SWAT model and includes hydrology and forest modeling and their interactions at the watershed scale in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin.
Suman Budhathoki
M.S. Student
Email: szb0153@auburn.edu
Suman Budhathoki joined the Auburn University Biosystems Engineering Department in Spring 2019 as an M.S. student under Dr. Puneet Srivastava. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Tribhuvan University in Nepal with a focus on irrigation and water management. Suman then worked as an extension engineer for a private company, helping farmers with irrigation and greenhouse water needs. His research duties will include quantification of soil macro-pore characteristics in pasture and row crop fields.