With an interdisciplinary team that spans over ten University of Georgia Schools and colleges, IRIS projects are as diverse as the people who conduct them. Examples of our current projects are below:
Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems researcher Dr. Matthew V. Bilskie, assistant professor in the College of Engineering, is working to understand how natural- and nature-based infrastructure can mitigate flooding and reduce wave energy in coastal communities.
Dr. Rod Lammers is working alongside Wright Water Engineers, an engineering firm in Denver, and other UGA researchers to create methods for quantifying benefits that stream restoration activities may provide to regions seeking to improve water quality. These methods are applicable to stream restoration projects everywhere, but are receiving the most attention in parts of the country with significant water quality challenges.
As climate change causes rising temperatures and changes in rainfall across the planet, IRIS researcher Dr. Don Nelson is shedding light on the differing values of populations in Northeastern Brazil to inform future water management decisions.
IRIS and partners are streamlining the consultation process involving imperiled aquatic species potentially affected by GDOT construction projects that affect freshwater ecosystems. A streamlined consultation process will ensure that species receive protections that are most important to their life stage and sensitivities.