Vinicius Taguchi receives 2018 Nels Nelson Fellowship
Vinicius Taguchi, Masters Candidate in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering and student at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, was awarded the 2018 Nels Nelson Memorial Fellowship during a special SAFL seminar on March 20th, 2018. The Nels Nelson Memorial Fellowship is awarded annually to a University of Minnesota student pursuing her/his Master’s degree in a water resources-related discipline at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Special consideration is given to students involved in hydraulics, hydrology, sediment transport, water quality or surface water management.
Vini received a monetary award to support his research, a certificate, and recognition on the SAFL website and in future presentations of the award. He is advised by Dr. John Gulliver of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering and Dr. Jacques Finlay of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota.
Vini’s research, entitled “Phosphorus Release from Stormwater Ponds,” focuses on urban hydrology and stormwater management with the goal of understanding and addressing phosphorus dynamics in urban stormwater treatment ponds. This understated topic is a major component of nutrient pollution in urban environments and is responsible for eutrophic ponds throughout the Twin Cities and beyond. By combining phosphorus release experiments in the lab with water quality measurements in the field, Vini and the rest of Dr. Gulliver’s and Dr. Finlay’s research teams are trying to identify causes and controls of phosphorus release, simple methods for detection and measurement of release rates, and cost-effective treatment methods for contractors and watershed district managers to use.
Several friends and colleagues attended the ceremony held in the SAFL auditorium, including Kathy Nelson (Nelson's wife), and the award presentation was followed by a Distinguished Lecture given by Dr. Christian Frias, Water Resources Engineer at Barr Engineering.