UI Center for Hydrologic Development expands national reach

The University of Iowa College of Engineering is home to a new research center—the Center for Hydrologic Development (CHD)—that is designed to improve the country’s ability to predict and manage water-related hazards. Up to $21 million in funding from the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) will go toward the center, according to a press release. The center will focus on the forecasting of floods, droughts and water quality. "We have been waiting for this day for a long, long time, even before the creation of the Iowa Flood Center (IFC)," said IFC Director Witold Krajewski to the media Feb. 1. “The new Center for Hydrologic Development will build on the work of the Iowa Flood Center and provide a mechanism for researchers and students to expand flood center innovations beyond Iowa,” said Larry Weber, a co-founder of the research center and the Iowa Flood Center, in a statement. According to Ibrahim Demir, chief architect of the Iowa Flood Information System, the center will help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) "advance web-based visualizations of critical water-related data." The Iowa Board of Regents recommeded approval June 1 granting permission for the center to form. "Our mandate is research operations," said Steven Burian, executive director of CIROH. "How can we support the operational prediction of water hazards, floods and droughts?

Under CIROH funding, the new center will support a team of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars seeking experience in cutting-edge hydrology and informatics research. “People are becoming increasingly aware of the impacts of climate change on their local community, especially the increasing number of extreme events such as flooding,” said Krajewski. “Students, postdoctoral scholars, and other researchers will have a unique opportunity to study these events.”