2024 El Dia Wrap-Up: And the Winners Are...

April 1, 2024
By HASSA Student Association, HASSA Symposium Committee, and Erma Santander
2024 El Dia Super Heroes Awards

Professor Jen McIntosh and Assistant Professor of Practice Eyad Atallah receive their Super Hero Awards from HASSA students. Tim Corley was not present to receive his award in person.

The Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Student Association (HASSA) presented the coveted Super Heroes Awards this year to outstanding faculty and staff. (Note: The AquaMan Award was permanently retired in 2022-2023.) This year the three awards were presented to:

  • Captain Planet to Jen McIntosh: Awarded to an outstanding faculty member/instructor in the broad field of Earth science
  • Storm to Eyad Atallah: Awarded to an outstanding faculty member/instructor in the field of atmospheric science/meteorology
  • Atlas to Tim Corley: Awarded to an outstanding HAS staff member

At the end of the day, 15 students were recognized with awards and prizes for their outstanding efforts.  Read more about the history of El Dia awards and prizes here.

2024 El Dia Student Awardees

(Top Row) Lauren Porter, Lauren Cutler, Patrick Neri, Taiwo Ajayi, Jordann Brendecke (Bottom Row) Jin Li, Gigi Giralté, Ben West, Thabo Makgoale, Wenqian Zhang, Jonathan Hasenstab, Eden Harper, Jacob Smith (Not Present) Sabrina Wilson

Montgomery Prize - Legacy Sponsor

  • Errol L. Montgomery & Associates, Inc., prize for the most outstanding oral presentation in the field of Hydrology - $2,500 Prize

  • Lin Ji for Machine Learning Analysis of Martian Valley Networks: Paleoclimatic Implications 

E. Philip Krider Award - Legacy Sponsor

  • E. Philip Krider, prize for the most outstanding oral presentation in the field of Atmospheric Sciences - $2,500 Prize

  • Patrick Neri for How Plant Fluorescence Is Affecting Our Understanding Of Carbon Assimilation In A Changing Climate

Benjamin M. Herman Award – Legacy Sponsor

  • Benjamin M. Herman, Prize for the outstanding oral presentation in Atmospheric Sciences - $1,000 Prize

  • Lauren Porter for The Evolution Of Atlantic Hurricanes That Undergo Extreme Rapid Intensification

Arizona Hydrological Society – Corporate Sponsor

  • Arizona Hydrological Society, Tucson Chapter - Best Hydrological Oal Presentation - $1,000 Prize
  • Ben West for Demonstrating Reservoirs In Parflow, A Fully Integrated Physical Hydrology Model

Matrix New World Engineering – Corporate Sponsor

  • Matrix New World Engineering Outstanding Oral Award - $500

  • Jordann Brendecke for Evaluation of Clear-Sky Surface Downward Shortwave Fluxes Computed by Modtran6.0, CCMA, and CERES Over Different Climate Regimes

GeoSystems Analysis – Corporate Sponsor

  • Geosystems Analysis, Inc., Best Oral Presentation in Applied Subsurface Hydrology - $500

  • Wenqian Zhang for Anomalous Adsorption of PFAS at the Thin-Water-Fil Air-Water Interface and the Impact on PFAS Leaching in the Vadose Zone

Pima County Flood Control – Corporate Sponsor

  • Best Poster Award - $500

  • Thabo Makgoale for Evaluation of Strom-Resolving Models in Simulating Precipitation Efficiency Over the Asian Monsoon Region

Salt River Project – Corporate Sponsor

  • Best Poster Award - $500

  • Taiwo Ajayi for Vertical Variability of Aerosol Properties and Trace Gases Over a Remote Marine Region: A Case Study Over Bermuda

Stanley N. Davis Award – Sponsored by Peter Mock Groundwater Consulting, Inc.

  • Outstanding Poster Presentation in Hydrogeology - $500

  • Jacob Smith for An Integrated Analytical Modeling Framework for Determining Site-Specific Soil Screening Le4vels for PFAS

Tucson Water – Corporate Sponsor

  • Excellence in Technical Communications in a Poster Format - $500

  • Jonathan Hasenstab for Determining the Source and Quality of Groundwater in the Headwaters of the Babocomari Watershed

Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences Award of Excellence - Oral Presentation

  • Department Scholarship - $500

  • Lauren Cutler for Evaluating the Relationship between Low Cloud Fraction and Atmospheric Stability Indices Over the Western North Atlantic

Hydrology & Atmospheric Sciences Award of Excellence - Poster Presentation

  • Department Scholarship - $500

  • Sabrina Wilson for Parameterizing Biochar Effect on Climate-Smart Agriculture Using Artificial Intelligence and Land Surface Model

Donald R. Davis Undergraduate Distinction Award 

  • Undergraduate Distinction Award for Best Poster – Department Scholarship - $500

  • Gigi Giralté for Mechanistic Drivers of the North American Monsoon

Eugene S. Simpson Award 

  • Undergraduate Award for Best Poster in Hydrogeology, Subsurface Hydrology, or Groundwater – Department Scholarship - $500

  • Eden Harper for Investigating Seneca Park Basin Storage and Establishing Replicable Analysis Protocols

The Spirit of Tom Meixner Award

  • Award Sponsored by Salt River Project - $500
  • The award recognizes an individual who most embodies the collaborative and enthusiastic spirit of El Día, something that was very important to Tom Meixner. Symposium attendees nominated a person who demonstrated throughout the day--through action, words, or attitude--their genuine community spirit. The unanimous winner for 2024 was graduate student Patrick Neri.

Congratulations to all student, faculty, and staff winners!

 

 

Contacts
UA HASSA Student Association & HAS Student Symposium Committee
uahassa@gmail.com
Erma Santander
ermasan@arizona.edu