IRES: U.S.-Czech Student Research Experience on Understanding Water and Chemical Transport in the Earth's Vadose Zone

Award Abstract #1460129
UNL Campus CTU Campus

About the Program

The collaborative research program Research on Vadose Zone for Understanding Water and Chemical Transport at Various Scales between the University Nebraska-Lincoln and Czech Technical University at Prague will be held at the Czech Technical University in Prague, from May 27 to July 20, 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic. This International Research Experiences for Students program, funded by the National Science Foundation, is open to undergraduate and graduate students within the U.S. majoring in science or engineering. An abstract of the project can be found at NSF.

Participants will live in on-campus dormitory rooms at the Czech Technical University. Students will work collaboratively with Czech students and researchers in the laboratory and at field sites within various watersheds. Instrumented sites in the Jizera Mountains and soil core collection from the Sumava Mountains the catchment are shown in the following figures. The students will also analyze data for pore structure for undisturbed soil cores (see below for one image using Neutron beams) to examine preferential flow pathway and measure hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils in the field. Students selected for this program will receive a living allowance of $350/week, a stipend of $550/week, and roundtrip airfare to Prague. The program includes cultural activities, and travel within Prague and the Czech Republic.

Jizera Sumava
(Left) Jizera mountain site. (Right) Sumara Mountain site.

Neutron Nucice
(Left) Neutron imaging of soil cores. (Right) Unsaturated conductivity measured.

Dr. Chittaranjan Ray, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska (and Director, Nebraska Water Center) leads the program in collaboration with Drs. Michal Snehota and Martin Sanda from the Czech Technical University in Prague. 

Prague and Czech Republic

Prague is considered as one of the most beautiful cities of Europe and is the capital of the Czech Republic, with a population slightly over 1 million. The city has many castles, cathedrals, bridges and buildings that are centuries old. Most attractions in Prague are walkable. The city is well connected by air and train in Europe.

Application

Applications for this program must include the following: the completed application form, an essay describing reasons for interest in the program and any previous research experience, college transcript(s), and two letters of recommendation. The application can be accessed here:

IRES Application

The application deadline is January 31, 2018.

Contact Information

Dr. Chittaranjan Ray Director, Nebraska Water Center
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering
Nebraska Innovation Campus
2120 Transformation Drive, Ste. 3220
PO Box 886204
Lincoln, NE 68858-6204
cray@nebraska.edu
+1 (402) 472-3305

NSF

"CzechTech Univ Campus, Prague Dejvice" by Czech Wikipedia user Packa - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons.