AHS is happy to announce our selections for the 2023–2024 academic scholarships: Eden Harper, a junior at the UA; Swastik Ghimire, a master’s student at ASU; and Marleigh Nicholas, a UA undergrad and former Halpenny intern scholar. All three students have demonstrated a passion for the field of water resources. We are proud to support you!
Eden Harper
Eden has always known that she wanted to help people, and what brought her to hydrology was the disproportionate way that environmental impacts affect marginalized groups. To Eden, hydrology was the field where she felt she could truly give back to communities and make an impact, as everyone has the right to safe drinking water. This led her to where she currently is today — a junior at the UA, majoring in environmental hydrology and water conservation.
Eden’s recent participation in a research project included validating a model that predicted the first flowering dates of certain desert species and then comparing these results to historical data to see the potential effects of climate change on first blooms. She also worked on a team thaht developed a poster for the 2023 El Día del Agua y la Atmósfera, which won the best undergraduate poster presentation and the Donald R. Davis Undergraduate Distinction Award.
Next year, Eden plans on working on a senior capstone project with hydrologists from Pima County Regional Flood Control District. There, she will be analyzing data from several washes and retention / detention basins within the Tucson metro area, along with corresponding rain gauges.
Next year, Eden plans on starting an accelerated master’s program in hydrology, something she has worked very hard to qualify for. Overall, her experiences at the UA have greatly influenced her future decisions, as she is now more passionate than ever about working to make a positive impact in the field of hydrology. Eden sees graduate school as an investment that would help push her further toward her goals and allow her to continue doing research that she is passionate about.
Swastik Ghimire
Swastik has strong interest in hydrology and its practical applications in the field of water resources management. As a current graduate student majoring in civil, environmental, and sustainable engineering with a specialization in hydrosystems engineering, he believes this scholarship will give him the support he needs to pursue his academic and career goals.
Swastik comes from Nepal, a country that is enriched by abundant water resources yet is plagued by the concomitant natural extremes. His predilection for understanding the intricacies of how water works has been substantiated by his undergraduate courses. Swastik was always keen to understand and analyze the burning issues surrounding him and decided to pursue a career in water resources. As he learned more about this field, he also became more aware of the impact of climate change on river systems through hydroclimatic characterization of extreme events like floods, droughts, and warming. With most of his academic study and research being confined to science and engineering, Swastik felt the need to be more involved with the stakeholders and policy makers who are impacted by water management decisions. This led him to pursue a master’s degree at ASU, which has allowed him to collaborate with different agencies to solve local and regional water-related problems, both in Arizona and the U.S.
Swastik’s future goals and career aspirations are to become a hydrologist who can employ practical solutions to support equitable management of water resources, especially on issues like the multidecade Colorado River drought. Given our uncertain future, he wants to be involved with scenario-based management to support water-resource-related decision making. Swastik also hopes to explore the integration of advancements in remote sensing, machine learning, and AI in water resources.
Marleigh Nicholas
Marleigh is currently majoring in hydrology and atmospheric sciences at the UA. She will complete her undergraduate degree, along with a graduate certificate in hydrology, in December 2024. She then plans to pursue a master’s in hydrology in the UA’s accelerated program, graduating in December 2025.
After graduating, Marleigh would like to work for a year or two in the field to better understand current water problems, methods, and technologies. Her long-term goal is to start her own consulting firm centered on water development impacts — specifically, she would like to help rural areas with their water quality and water rights and inform people of the issues they may face when starting a farm, business, or building on previously undeveloped land.
AHS has already significantly improved Marleigh’s academic and professional career: her experience as a Halpenny intern scholar provided useful experience that has led to additional opportunities. Marleigh is currently working as a student researcher to create a database for stream gages in Arizona. The Halpenny intern scholarship has also made Marleigh a competitive candidate for additional internships. During the summer of 2023, she will be working at the University of Nebraska in the DAWN and CONSERVE intern program.
The more Marleigh understands the need for hydrology and experience working on projects in the field, the more excited and invested she has become in completing her degree.