Elizabeth W. Boyer, Ph.D.

Scientific Interests:  hydrology, atmospheric deposition, climate, coastal zone, critical zone, ecosystems, forests, freshwater, geochemistry, STEM education, sustainability, water quality, watershed management.  

Vita
Google Scholar - publications & citations
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Penn State IEE, AGU Ecohydrology, and AGU Witherspoon Lecture - profiles

Research and Service:  As a hydrologist, my research explores coupled hydrological, biological, and geochemical processes affecting water resources - at local, regional, and global scales.  I am interested in status and trends of water quality, and cumulative watershed effects on downstream waters.  Such work provides a scientific basis for policies and management strategies to mitigate the effects of environmental pollution and to protect, conserve, and restore surface waters.  I approach research from an interdisciplinary perspective, and have worked with over 400 collaborators from around the world on my publications.  Toward communicating scientific information, I participate in conferences and public events, provide scientific perspectives, and make Congressional visits.  I serve on advisory committees of the US Environmental Protection Agency considering air pollution and water resources, and serve on the National Academies advisory committee reviewing the New York City Watershed Protection Program.  I am an Editor of the international journal Hydrological Processes, and lead one of the 54 centers comprising the National Institutes for Water Resources.   

Teaching and Advising:  I enjoy working with students toward meeting their academic and professional goals.  I teach courses in hydrology, water quality, and research methods; and welcome undergraduate and graduate students for individualized studies (see current semester listing in LionPath).  My research group conducts projects involving field observations, laboratory studies, or hydrological modeling.  I advise graduate students in degree programs suited to their interests, including Ecology, Environmental Pollution Control, Fisheries Science, Forest Resources, and Soil Science.  I participate in interdisciplinary dual-title graduate education programs in Biogeochemistry, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources & the Environment, Operations Research, and International Agriculture.  Graduate students in my research group are standing on the shoulders of giants as part of hydrogeologist Irwin Remson's Academic Family Tree!  Prospective students should contact me to discuss opportunities.  Find us at Beth's office (304 Forest Resources Building), grad student offices (234 Forest Resources Building), or water quality lab (329 Forest Resources Building).   

Some Current Projects:

• Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center
• Pennsylvania Atmospheric Deposition Research Program
• River Corridor Hot Spots for Biogeochemical Processing: a Continental Scale Synthesis
• Coupled Hydrological, Geological, and Ecological Processes Controlling Water Quality in Critical Zone Observatory Watersheds
• Chesapeake Research Consortium
• Quantifying Nitrogen Flows, Threats, and Benefits at Global and Regional Scales

Professional Societies:  AAAS, AGU, ESA, EGU, GSA, IAHS