Alumna Completes Embassy Science Fellowship in Chad

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering alumna Dr. Kristin Gilroy (B.S. '07, M.S '08, Ph.D. ‘11) has completed an Embassy Science Fellowship in N’Djamena, Chad through support from the U.S. State Department.

Since 2001, the Embassy Science Fellows Program (ESFP), run jointly by the U.S. State Department and USAID, has placed U.S. scientists at posts to provide expertise, advice and assistance with science and technology-related issues.

Gilroy, who works for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, was assigned to the U.S. embassy in N’Djamena to assess the current status of research projects and key gaps in research to identify critical analytical information on the disappearance of Lake Chad, which provides water to more than 30 million people living in the surrounding countries.

Gilroy spent four weeks in N’Djamena meeting with government agencies and regional organizations, including the Lake Chad Basin Commission, donors, and the University of N’Djamena, in an effort to identify opportunities for U.S. involvement in improving water resources management in the region.

Upon returning to the United States, she hopes to develop collaborations between the University of N’Djamena and U.S. agencies and universities to enhance in-house capacity to solve water resources management problems.

Published July 23, 2013