People

Faculty

Admin Husic, PhD

Admin Husic (husic@vt.edu) is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech and the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Lab. His research interests center on the impact of human activity in changing water, sediment, and nutrient pathways to waterbodies. He completed his PhD in 2018 from the University of Kentucky.

He enjoys soccer, cycling, kayaking, and documentary films!

Lab Mascot

Darcy

Darcy is a good girl (yes, she is) and is our lab mascot. She is a Great Pyrenees mix and loves to run through snow, be praised, and solve vexing problems related to human-environment interactions and sustainability. She was adopted from the Lawrence Humane Society and joined our team in January 2021.

Graduate Students

Aayush Pandit

Aayush is a M.S. student in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. He completed his B.E. in Civil Engineering from Pulchowk Campus, Nepal in 2022. He aspires to improve the understanding of eutrophication and prevent irreparable harm to water resources and aquatic ecosystem. His future ambition is to work as a researcher on regional climate interaction and novel solutions to existing water hazards. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, going outdoors, and basketball.

Abby Percich

Abby is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. She was previously an undergraduate research assistant in the Ecohydraulics Lab (2019-21) and graduated from KU in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering, with an emphasis in environmental engineering. Outside of school she enjoys yoga, cooking, and spending time with her friends, family, and cat, Mochi.

Kyle is an Environmental and Water Resources Engineering PhD student. In 2018 he earned his bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Connecticut. He worked as a civil engineer in Ohio and Louisiana before returning to school. After completing his program, his goal is to research and inform decisions related to water use and allocation. Outside of school he enjoys basketball, cooking, and hiking.

Kyle Cappotto

Kyle is an Environmental and Water Resources Engineering M.S. student. In 2018 he earned his bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Connecticut. He worked as a civil engineer in Ohio and Louisiana before returning to school. After completing his program, his goal is to research and inform decisions related to water use and allocation. Outside of school he enjoys basketball, cooking, and hiking.

Sugam Shrestha

Sugam is a Ph.D. student in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. His interest is to contribute positively to the global challenge of sedimentation and siltation in reservoirs. This has been a huge problem in his home country as well, where numerous beautiful lakes and ponds and lost. His future aim is to become a researcher in this sector and find mitigating processes on a local level. Besides this, he also enjoys playing soccer, badminton, cycling, hiking and walking aimlessly with music on.

Nishchal Sigdel

Nishchal is pursuing an M.S. in Environmental and Water Resource Engineering. He earned his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Pulchowk Campus, Nepal in 2023. He is interested on applying machine learning architectures to analyze and find innovative solutions to challenges concerning hydrology and water quality. His ambition is to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and sustainable water resource management. Outside of his academic pursuits, he enjoys cooking, travelling, and watching cricket.

Cayden is an incoming M.S. studying civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering. Outside of school, he spends his time listening to music, playing guitar, lifting, watching the Denver Nuggets, and reading philosophy.

Cayden Lloyd

Cayden is an incoming M.S. studying civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering. Cayden is interested in understanding where sediment that is captured by reservoirs originates from and how landscapes can be managed more effectively. Outside of school, he spends his time listening to music, playing guitar, lifting, watching the Denver Nuggets, and reading philosophy.

Undergraduate Students

Jack Respelliers

Jack is a junior studying mathematics and civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering. In his free time he enjoys making alternate history maps, playing board games, and reading books.

Elizabeth Appel

Elizabeth is a senior studying civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering. Outside of school, she enjoys gardening, listening to music, and trying new recipes.

Avery Mohn

Avery is a senior studying civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering. In her free time she enjoys spending time outside, watching movies, and reading.

Laura VanderMeulen

Laura is a junior in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, taking walks in the Baker University Wetlands, and watching nature documentaries, particularly those narrated by David Attenborough.

See Lab Alumni