Students engage in lesson with the United States Geological Survey at Mill River

September 09, 2021

Students gathered at the Mill River

Ten civil engineering students had a unique opportunity to better understand water hydrology last week following a storm that dumped several inches of water across Connecticut.

The students worked with the U.S. Geological Survey to better understand the impact of the storm on the Mill River, which flows just feet from the university’s Mount Carmel Campus.

“We met with Dee-Ann McCarthy, a hydrologic technician at the U.S. Geological Survey,” said Kim DiGiovanni, associate teaching professor of civil engineering. “She demonstrated the use of an acoustic doppler current profiler to take flow measurements in the Mill River.”

Students used the acoustic doppler current profiler to measure the velocity and flow rate of the water. They are all part of a water hydrology course, which examines hydrologic processes relevant to surface water hydrology, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, surface runoff and streamflow. The course also considers climate change and sustainable development.

In addition, two students in the class, Connor Becerril and Luke Desilva, participated in research this summer on the Mill River, supported through the You Got This Kid! Leadership Foundation, Quinnipiac University Interdisciplinary Program for Research and Scholarship and several Quinnipiac professors. They will be sharing the results of their research with the Mill River Watershed Association on Tuesday.

Check out the data students collected

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