Summer Undergrad Researchers
Celebrating Our Summer Undergrad Researchers
Posted by Jim Stagge on August 01, 2024
Celebrating Our Summer Undergrad Researchers: Sophea Hussain and Bryant Willis
This summer, we had the pleasure of working with two talented undergraduate researchers who made significant contributions to our understanding of climate extremes in the Midwest. Sophea Hussain and Bryant Willis, through their respective summer programs, brought fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to our ongoing research. I’m excited to highlight their work and achievements here.
Sophea Hussain: Extreme Precipitation Trends in the Midwest
Sophea was a participant in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering [Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program](https://ceg.osu.edu/cege-summer-undergraduate-research-fellowship), where she analyzed extreme precipitation trends in the Midwest under climate change. As part of her project, she delved into long-term data sets to quantify changes in the intensity and variance of heavy rainfall events across the region.
Her work is helpful in understanding the causal mechanisms behind recently identified trends in runoff for the region. Further, by identifying key trends in precipitation extremes, Sophea’s research will help inform strategies for better managing flood risks and water resource allocation in the Midwest.
Sophea’s enthusiasm for data analysis and problem-solving, made her an outstanding member of our research team. She will continue on in the Fall to wrap up this research. She will be graduating from Ohio State University this year and I have no doubt that she will continue to grow as a succesful engineer and scientist.
Bryant Willis: Drought Persistence Time Series Analysis
Simultaneously, Bryant Willis participated in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering [Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site](https://ceg.osu.edu/resilient-and-sustainable-infrastructure-systems-smart-cities-reu), focusing on Resilient and Sustainable Infrastructure Systems.
For his summer research, Bryant focused on drought persistence, analyzing historical time series data to understand how closely the temporal autocorrelation of observed Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) data match a theoretical structure outlined in [Stagge et al. (2025)](https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/29/719/2025/).
Bryant’s diligent work ethic and passion were evident throughout the summer. Bryant is an undergraduate at Central State University.
Thank you to the National Science Foundation and the CEGE department for their support of these important programs.
