Multiscale Fluid, Sediment, and Biota Interactions in Aquatic Ecosystems

A Warren Distinguished Lecture with 
Judy Yang

Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, 
University of Minnesota

Abstract
Addressing environmental challenges such as coastal erosion and sediment-associated pollution requires understanding the complex interactions among fluids, sediments, and biota (microbes and vegetation) across multiple scales. For instance, sediment transport at the channel scale can vary by orders of magnitude, due to micro-scale processes such as aggregation and biofilm formation. Similarly, predicting the fate and transport of sediment-associated pathogens depends on sediment-fluid-microbe interactions spanning from the micro- to macro-scale. Yet, experimental studies that span these scales remain rare.

In this talk, Yang describes how her group integrates microfluidic and flume experiments to investigate biofilm dynamics, sediment transport, and hyporheic exchange. Their work reveals how microbes and vegetation influence sediment stability, geomorphic evolution, and pollutant transport. These findings provide insights relevant to erosion control, water quality, and ecosystem health.

Speaker
Judy Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota. She earned her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT in 2018 and was a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University from 2018 to 2020. Her research focuses on designing multiscale experiments, including microfluidics and flume experiments, to understand how microbes and vegetation control coastal erosion and water quality. She has received academic awards such as National Science Foundation CAREER Award, American Chemical Society PRF New Doctoral Investigator Award, and the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship. She was also recognized as the Best Undergraduate Instructor for 2022-2023 in her department and serves as an Associate Editor for Water Resources Research.