We spent time catching up with Stevens Charles, a recent graduate from the Natural Infrastructure Fellowship at the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems at the University of Georgia! Charles graduated this past November and is now a water resources engineer at Jacobs Engineering Solutions in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Natural Infrastructure Fellowship is a funded Master’s degree program focusing on nature-based solutions, courtesy of a collaboration between Ducks Unlimited and the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems. The fellowship works to create the workforce the world needs; it trains students to be systems-level, interdisciplinary thinkers, with a range of tools in their toolbox.
“I have nothing but positive things to say about this program,” Charles said of the Natural Infrastructure Fellowship. “It took a civil engineer like me who only knew about concrete and steel and taught me so much about using nature to solve problems.”
Charles spoke especially positively about the hands-on component of the fellowship, which gives students real world experience through field courses and thesis projects that are based in ongoing Ducks Unlimited projects.
“Not only was I taught about natural infrastructure, I had plenty of opportunities to see it in action,” said Charles. “Whether it was a field class to Tybee Island or a site visit for my thesis project, I had lots of opportunities for hands on learning, which I loved.”
Charles’ thesis focused specifically on whether levee breaches (in unpopulated areas) could be used to maximize wetland ecosystems in the Midwest for species of importance, specifically migrating waterfowl. The Midwestern region has lost many wetlands to development, which waterfowl like ducks and geese rely on as they make their migratory flights each year.
In this case, Charles’ thesis looked at a spot where the levee had already breached, allowing water into the site. Once they had identified a spot, he researched whether there were ecosystem benefits caused by the levee breach, such as providing a stopover area for migrating waterfowl, or societal benefits, such as providing a place for education, recreation, or even flood mitigation.
To answer these questions, Charles visited the site and gathered data that allowed him to model how best to study the area as a wetland. Then he conducted analysis and a literature review to help provide context for the project.
His results showed that the site could be an ideal spot for migrating waterfowl to stopover along the Mississippi River. However, the site had few flood mitigation benefits—the study area was so small in comparison to the river, that it held only a very small percentage of water. But those mixed results don’t apply to all levee breaches–similar projects on a larger scale have been shown to provide greater flood relief benefits.
Through the years of taking classes, settling on his thesis, and conducting research, Charles had many mentors along the way.
“My biggest mentors had to be Dr. Felix Santiago Collazo and Dr. Brian Bledsoe,” said Charles. “Whenever I had questions, they were the first people I asked. I would not have gotten this far without their advice and aid. Will Mattison, the Natural Infrastructure Fellowship Project Coordinator, was a mentor as well. Whenever I had questions about what was next in my career, he was the one I asked, since he has experience working in industry.”
Charles was not initially sure whether natural infrastructure was the field for him: it took speaking with Santiago-Collazo, who was also one of Charles’ undergraduate professors, before he began to consider it as a potential career.
“The projects that Duck’s Unlimited had were exciting and new, and I knew that I wanted to learn more. Two years later, I can proudly say that I have learned a lot, experienced a lot, and have met many people who are superstars in the field of natural infrastructure.”
So what’s next for Charles? This month, he started his new position as a water resource engineer at Jacobs Engineering Solutions, in Jacksonville, Florida. His first project centered on water quality and using best management practices to improve water quality, a topic that he explored as Natural Infrastructure Fellow.
“I hope that I can continue working my way up the ladder as an engineer, gathering information and applying many of the things I learned during my time at IRIS into my future projects,” said Charles of his hopes for the future.
When asked about his advice for others considering graduate school, Charles encouraged potential students to follow their interests but be open to new perspectives. “If you are intrigued about something, explore it. If you had asked me what my plans were after undergrad, graduate school and learning about natural infrastructure would not have been on my bingo card. But I was intrigued, and I decided to continue school for two more years. Now I know that it was the best thing I could’ve done, and it has propelled me into the person I am now. It may sound a bit cliché but go out and explore–you never know what my catch your interest and change how you look at things.”