Interdisciplinary and Interdepartmental

Our mission is to connect hydroscientists across campus with academic programs and research organizations. The overarching goal is to support hydrologic students and bridge the gap in cutting edge research between multiple fields for advancements in water-related science.

Certificate and PhD Subplan

Graduate students enrolled in participating departments at the University of Colorado at Boulder may apply to earn the interdisciplinary and interdepartmental graduate certificate or subplan designation with their PhD degree. Hydrologic Sciences Graduate Program focuses on quantitative studies of water in the environment including its role in geologic and biogeochemical processes, ecosystem functions, and global elemental cycling.

Student Symposium

The student led Hydrologic Sciences Symposium is held every spring semester.

Career Mentoring

CU students interested in careers related to Hydrologic Sciences may join the CU Boulder Chapter of the American Water Resources Association, apply for scholarships, and participate in career development opportunities.

Laser light sheet illuminating sediment transport in a sediment flume.

Laser light sheet illuminating sediment transport in a sediment flume. The image is a single frame from a high-speed video (200 frames per second) acquired during an experiment mimicking the turbulence and sediment flow in rivers. Illumination of the flowing particles is from an argon-ion laser that generates a 1.5mm-thick sheet of light. Flow vectors were visualized and the force on the purple sphere was measured. The experiment was led by Mark Schmeeckle, while he was a graduate student at CU-Boulder (Department of Geography, Advisor: John Pitlick). Schmeeckle is now an assistant professor of Geography at Arizona State University, where he runs the River Dynamics Lab.