Water Resources research involves the use of science and policy tools to identify contaminants and make assessments of water quality. Students will acquire laboratory skills to detect water contaminants and track their movements and transformations, while learning related policy and management concerns. Research areas could include microbial contaminants, the impact of urbanization on water quality, and marine and estuarine water quality and its impact on fisheries and shellfish industries. Option coursework covers water sciences and hydrology, environmental policy and management. Students completing this option will be prepared for graduate school or for positions in environmental consulting, research, and natural resource management.
Link to catalog
Examples of thesis titles:
- Biosorption of dyes and heavy metals by the marine alga, Palmaria mollis. Martine Torres. Mentor: Dr. Ganti Murthy, Biological and Ecological Engineering.
- Laboratory studies on growth conditions of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) with international considerations to shellfish-associated illnesses in South Korea. Jeehye Lee. Mentor: Dr. Claudia Hase, Biomedical Science, Veterinary Medicine.
- Whole system perspective: Steelhead, Onchorynchus mykiss, glutathion S-transferase as a biomarker for chlorpyrifos exposure. Rachael Pecore. Mentor: Dr. Jeff Jenkins, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology.
- Fate of 15N-labeled atrazine in a wetland mesocosm. Casey Corliss. Mentor: Dr. Jeff Jenkins, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology.
- Feasibility of freshwater mussel as a biomarker for environmental pollutants in the Willamette River. Doug Lauderbach. Mentor: Dr. Max Deinzer, Environmental and Molecular Toxicology.
- Antibiotic resistance gene transfer in oysters as a result of fecal pollution. Becky Cooper. Mentor: Dr. Kate Field, Microbiology.
