Mines doctoral student receives NSF research grant

Chelsea Panos, a civil and environmental engineering Ph.D. student at the Colorado School of Mines, was one of four Mines alumni to earn 2016 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships.

"The Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a vital part of our efforts to foster and promote excellence in U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics by recognizing talent broadly from across the nation," NSF Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources Joan Ferrini-Mundy said. "These awards are provided to individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements, and they are investments that will help propel this country's future innovations and economic growth."

Through the fellowship, Panos will receive a $34,000 annual stipend for three years, a $12,000 allowance for the cost of her education, and international research and professional development opportunities. Panos plans to use her time at Mines to study the impact that development in Denver is having on stormwater modelling.

“As more green spaces become homes, stormwater is no longer soaked into grass — instead it runs off roofs and travels over cement, often roads with oil and other pollutants, and into our water ways without any treatment,” Panos said. “As a graduate research fellow, I will model and analyze the impact of impervious cover change due to infill development on stormwater quality and quantity. The intent of my research is to inform stormwater management decisions and regulations, particularly in the face of climate change.”