Scott Hamshaw

    Scott Hamshaw ’06

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    2006

    I am a graduate Research Assistant at the University of Vermont and a Ph.D. Candidate in the Civil & Environmental Engineering program. I study the application of advanced computational methods to solve environmental problems. My work is supported in part by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Switzer Environmental Fellowship. My research interests stem from a desire to respond to the challenges of water quality, flooding, and watershed erosion that became so evident from Tropical Storm Irene’s impact in Vermont. The storm impacted Vermont on the exact day I started my graduate program at the University of Vermont and continues to focus my effort on applied research related to natural hazards, erosion, and water quality. To date, my research has involved studying the vulnerability to mobile home park communities in Vermont to natural hazards; use of terrestrial laser scanners and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to measure and monitor stream bank erosion; and the use of artificial neural networks to characterize and predict suspended sediment movement in our river systems.

    I completed the SMC-UVM Engineering Program with a major in Environmental Engineering and a minor in Math. Prior to enrolling in the graduate program at UVM, I worked as an engineer in a civil engineering consulting firm in Winooski and am a licensed civil engineer in the State of Vermont. While there, I worked on a variety of projects including stormwater design, erosion prevention, water distribution systems, and site development. With a desire to learn more about the science behind the different engineering areas I was working in, I left the firm and applied to the graduate program at UVM in order to obtain a M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering. After obtaining my M.S. degree, I felt there was still more I was interested in learning in graduate school, so I have continued on into the Ph.D. program.

    When returning to graduate school in engineering I did not anticipate the amount of time I would spend devoted to learning statistical methods and how much I would enjoy it. It really is the core of my research now, and having a solid foundation in mathematics from my mathematics minor at SMC has allowed me to succeed in this research area. I also believe that my other classes I took at SMC that covered a broad subject area, especially my courses in geography, have helped me have a successful career as an engineer and research that can work with a diverse group of stakeholders and across disciplines.