Email to Advisor/Mentor

Dear Professor,

This is to follow up on the phone conversation we had regarding my interest in a graduate program now that I have a BS in Civil Engineering. Subject interests listed are in order from most interested to significantly interested.

M.S. Water Resources Engineering:

1. Hydrology

2. Computational Programming

3. Remote Sensing

4. Environmental Law

I have one question at the end of this email.  If we could have a zoom meeting to discuss your concerns or comments I would greatly appreciate it. 

In long (my apologies), my ikigai is to design a framework computer program that enables the user to generate a study on the suitability to significantly increase a given water catchment's groundwater recharge capability. In short, I want to build a program that I can input satellite imagery, soil type, slope, aquifer capacity, precipitation data, etc. and deliver a BMP type report to a municipality to use to plan their watershed management policies.The report will include a map that highlights areas with the potential for return on investment when implementing the results of the study. My target audience for the BMP type reports will be moderate to large cities and agricultural regions.

Humans waste a lot of water and currently the most effective way to address this is to reduce per capita consumption though education, policy and cost rates. However, with increasing climate instability, the severity and frequency of storms may flip this paradigm. Increased number of floods and fewer rain events dictate that an increase of storage capacity is necessary. Humans will need to develop more innovative ways to catch the water that falls on the land. 

The age of dams is waning due to the detrimental impacts on the environment and wildlife diversity and populations.(Agreement of this statement is an assumption of this study)

This work aims to complement land's natural ability to sustain wildlife, soil biomass and thus groundwater recharge. Many others are working parallel to this effort such as with legislature and funding towards removing or remodeling human structures that damage the environment. As a design parameter, this study will address solving water crisis problems with solutions that improve the natural environment relative to its state before human encroachment. This study is not proposing to go back to the way things were.

Means being considered to accomplish this goal are: increase of soil biomass; installation of bio-swales on contour; increase of the land's capacity to carry wildlife; and extension of seasonal groundwater recharge periods. The scale of applications being implemented are in the acres to hundreds of acres--these are not BMP's for typical construction projects.

Some potential theses I am considering for this study:

1. Can Groundwater recharge period be increased by adding irrigation swales on contour?
2. Does increasing soil biomass extend groundwater recharge periods?
3. Can soil biomass be increased by installation of irrigation swales on contour?
4. Can capacity of land to carry wildlife ( number of animals per acre) be increased by adding soil biomass? 
5. Can capacity of the land to carry wildlife be increased by irrigation swales on contour?
6. Can groundwater recharge period be extended by increasing the land's capacity to carry wildlife?
7. Can increasing the land's ability to carry wildlife extend groundwater recharge period?

My preference is No. 7 but they are all just titles. I plan on addressing all of these questions. Strategically I'm unsure of the best starting point for this study.

Ending question: Should I be considering a PhD.?

Thank you for everything,

Carl

Tech-Fest at CSUN

Good News,

I never would have imagined working for a very large municipality but after running into a classmate at a job fair, I now am interested.

Let me back up a bit: I have always imagined working for a consulting firm focusing on hydraulic and hydrological engineering tasks, getting a PE license; all the while working on changing the world on my own time, with modest designs of forests that recharge groundwater while nurturing the environment in a time of environmental turbulence brought, or not brought on by human activities(honestly, I care less about blaming than being part of the solution). I used to even dream of creating a template for forest rehabilitation and groundwater recharge but I now believe the best that I may develop, in the meta sense, is a framework for diagnostics and recommendations to take to town hall meetings.

So, back to that large municipality. When I spoke with my friend Jim(Alias, I haven't gotten permission to use his real name yet), he explained how the department in which he worked was centered around the developing engineer. And that, new-hires went through a cycle of rotations that gave them exposure to several stages of the life of a CIP(capital improvements project) such as planning, construction and maintenance to name a few. To add further, and what I am most interested in, at the end of the 6 year cycle, 4 each at 18 months per each, the developing engineer has a good chance of joining the team where she/he belongs. And who knows, by the end of this cycle I may be designing CIPs aligned with my passion during my nine to five(dear God, wouldn't it be nice!).
If not, I am confident that hard work ethic, honesty and a friendly smile will find me in the hands of a good employer.

Thank you,

CH

Update, Spring 2020

Hello Again,
This is an update on my whirlwind of a last semester, full-time, at university. I feel like I'm coming out of the clouds to find solid ground on earth. Not giving up on dreams, but rather, getting a firm footing on which to take off from... when the time comes.
Thanks to my amazing family, wife and kids, I have the fortune to take a load heavy enough that it required approval from the Associate Dean of my college. As I have explained in previous writing, breaking into a niche field via a degree program that doesn't lend to it has put me on my heels for the last few years. Although... all is not for not, as much as I have been groomed outside the classroom for a career in water resources, thanks to all who have made this possible, I now will drop the grooming and focus on fundamentals:

- Graduate with a degree in civil engineering
- Take and pass the FE Exam and obtain an EIT Certificate
- Register and start prep work to pass the PE Exam.
- Find a job where: 1.) My passion will benefit the company's mission; 2.) I can work under a PE who is interested in guiding me on my path to becoming a Professional Engineer.

God willing, these goals(above) will happen this year.
At which time I can again take flight by:

- Getting certified in  Python Programming
- Continue project based learning of PCSWMM
- Applying for an online graduate program in environmental and water resources
- Continuing to set goals that will lead to being expert in watershed management, groundwater recharge, etc.

Thank you,

Carl Humphrey