Water Systems Lab
Welcome to the Water Systems Lab, within the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech! We use systems engineering methodologies, such as machine learning, simulation, and risk and decision analysis to improve the understanding and management of water resources and agricultural systems, with an emphasis on understanding and responding to climate change impacts. Please visit the Research page to read about the lab's work and see a list of recent publications, and the Extension page to learn more about education and outreach activities conducted. Prospective students should visit the Opportunities page to learn about open positions.
News
Summer 2023 and ongoing: I am recruiting MS and PhD students for Spring and Fall 2024! Visit the opportunities page for information on these positions.
August 2023: Lab alumnus Momtaz Jahan just had her research assessing decision support tools for climate change adaptation published in Climatic Change. Well done!
June, 2023: Dr. Shortridge is leading a new USDA-funded project on using precision irrigation and nitrogen management to manage climate change impacts in humid cropping system. Our group will be working with colleagues at VT's Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, Agricultural Economics, and Soil, Plant and Environmental Sciences Departments to quantify the benefits of precision management and understand the factors that influence grower adoption of these technologies.
June, 2023: Laljeet Sangha has had two papers recently published in Agricultural Water Management that quantify unreported irrigation water use for improved water supply management and demonstrate the benefits of using forecast-informed irrigation management on crop yields and nitrogen use efficiency .
April, 2023: Dr. Shortridge is leading a new project with Virginia 4-H to develop educational materials on coastal flooding and sea level rise for middle school students. We will do a pilot implementation of these materials to learn how we can use them to increase student confidence and empowerment to respond to climate change.
December 2022: Laljeet Sangha has successfully defended his PhD, "Advancing water security and environmental sustainability through evaluation of water use from the field to state-wide scale." Congratulations Dr. Sangha!
June 2022: Morgan McCarthy's paper, entitled "Estimating Facility-Level Monthly Water Consumption of Commercial, Industrial, Municipal, and Thermoelectric Users in Virginia," has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
Congratulations Dr. Sangha!