Civil Engineering Master’s student Jessica Holberg (advised by Dr. Venkatesh Merwade) was named a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellowship for the 2015 award year. This award provides a yearly stipend and the cost of tuition for a period of three years.

Jessica was selected as one of 2,000 awardees from over 16,500 applicants. Jessica’s Master’s research involves the use of hydrologic modelling tools to identify the effect of various soil profile parameters on peak streamflow. She will continue research in this area here at Purdue when she begins her PhD this summer. Her proposed PhD research investigates the impact climate-induced changes to the soil profile will have on a region’s flood vulnerability.

NSF Fellowships are awarded to outstanding domestic graduate students based on intellectual merit and the student’s ability to have a broader impact on the scientific community as exhibited through their proposed research plan and community activities. Jessica joins fellow civil engineering students Kasey Faust (construction engineering) and Alana Wilbee (structural engineering) as recent recipients of the NSF Fellowship.