Undergraduate Researcher return to map return to student search
Hometown:
Kathmandu, NP
School:
University of Idaho
Undergraduate student
Civil Engineering
Funded by EPSCoR Award:
ICREWS | OIA-2242769
Research Location(s):
Kootenai River, near Allens Spur, Northern Idaho
COUNTIES: Boundary
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT(S): District 1
Research Statement:
I study how water flow in gravel‑bedded rivers creates highly uneven bed‑shear stresses that drive scour, bar formation, and ultimately the safety of infrastructure such as bridge piers and bank protections. Using a fixed‑bed, two‑dimensional NAYS2DH (iRIC) model and mentor-collected ADCP and LiDAR datasets from the Kootenai River, I quantify how much local shear stress deviates from the classic reach‑averaged estimate (τ = ρgRₕS). My current focus is to connect these spatial stress “hot spots” to simple geometric predictors like channel curvature, so engineers and agencies can quickly flag high‑risk bends without always needing a full numerical model. Longer term, I’m interested in combining field measurements, open-source numerical models, and reproducible Python workflows to support flood‑resilient design and river restoration across Idaho. This project has helped me build that toolkit: data collection planning, hydraulic modelling, and clear communication of model uncertainty to non‑experts.
Research Impact:
Idaho communities regularly face costly erosion and emergency repairs when rivers undercut roads, utilities, or bridge foundations. By showing exactly where shear stress concentrates, often by more than an order of magnitude compared to the “average” value—this work lets agencies spend limited dollars where they matter most: on the true outer‑bank hotspots. The workflow and codebase are reusable for other Idaho rivers, giving local engineers and students a transparent, low-cost way to screen bends, prioritize monitoring, and design more durable protections. Beyond infrastructure, the same maps help habitat and restoration planners understand where rivers naturally deposit or scour gravel, informing projects that work with, rather than against, hydraulic forces. Training undergraduate researchers in these methods also strengthens Idaho’s future technical workforce.