PhD Student, Ayman AlAfifi, Receives First Place in 2016 J. Paul Riley AWRA Utah Section Student Paper Competition

CEE and UWRL PhD student Ayman AlAfifi won first place in the recent American Water Resources Association Utah Chapter student paper competition for this presentation titled: "Systems Modeling to Improve River and Riparian Habitat Quality."  This research investigates the use of systems models to better manage river and riparian areas. Ayman developed an optimization model that shows the implications of management decisions on the quality of a river’s ecological habitat. The model attempts to improve habitat quality for priority species by allocating water to the sites and at the seasons that will best serve the needs of the desired species while also meeting human demands. He also developed an interactive GIS web platform that allows managers to interact with the model results and visualize the spatial and temporal scales of ecological restoration needs. The model is uses the Lower Bear River as a case study to help ongoing conservation efforts to define and prioritize sites for restoration efforts in the Bear River watershed.

Ayman will receive a cash scholarship and will present his research at the Annual Conference of the Utah Section of AWRA on May 10, 2016 at the Rice-Eccles Stadium Tower on the University of Utah campus. Congratulations, Ayman!

See more information about the presentation here.