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You can download my latest CV here. (Updated as of June 2007)

JUDE A. BENAVIDES, Ph.D.

Work Address: 80 Fort Brown / MO 1.140

4935 Lakeway Dr Brownsville, TX 78520

Education

2001-2004 Ph.D., Environmental Science and Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas.

• Dissertation: “Advanced Methods for Improving the Lead-Time and Accuracy of a Flood Alert System in an Urban Watershed.” • Advisor: Philip B. Bedient • Degree requirements completed November 2004. Degree conferred May 2005. GPA: 3.96/4.00.

1998-2001 M.S., Environmental Science and Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas.

• Thesis: “Information Technologies in Water Resources: Modeling Flood Control Alternatives for the Clear Creek Watershed within a GIS Framework.” • Advisor: Philip B. Bedient • Degree conferred May 2001. GPA: 3.97/4.00.

1988-1992 B.S., Civil Engineering Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.

• Degree conferred May 1992. GPA: 3.30/4.00. • Commissioned, Ensign, United States Navy

Research Experience

2004-Present Assistant Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources, The University of Texas at Brownsville, College of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science. 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas, 78520.

• Associate Editor of Journal of Hydrologic Engineering - appointed Fall of 2006. This is a national, peer-reviewed research journal sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The board is comprised of 25 leading hydrologic engineers from across the United States in the academic, governmental and private arenas. • Research projects ranging from floodplain analysis of local watersheds (TWDB funded), water and sediment quality analysis of Brownsville “Resacas” (partnership with Ambiotec Group Inc.), concentrate disposal studies on a local groundwater desalination plant (funded from NSF via subcontract through TAMU Kingsville) , and analyses of hydrologic properties of the Bahia Grande (fund search in progress).

1998-2004 Graduate Research Assistant, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas, 77005.

• Major research focus was on the development of advanced methods for improving the lead-time and accuracy of flood alert systems designed for rapidly responding urban watersheds. • Operations manager for the Rice University / Texas Medical Center Flood Alert System (RICE / TMC FAS) developed in 1998 and located on the web at www.floodalert.org. • Co-developer of the next generation flood alert system (FAS2) designed to improve system lead-time and accuracy through utilization of a quantitative precipitation forecast tool and both distributed and lumped-parameter hydrologic models running in real-time. • Formulated GIS-based hydrologic and hydraulic models for a detailed flood damage reduction alternatives analysis for flood prone sections of the Clear Creek watershed in Friendswood, TX. • Additional research experience as follows: - Floodplain mapping and flood damage reduction modeling for watersheds in Brownsville, Texas. - Long-range water management and planning issues in Tampa Bay, Florida. - Groundwater contaminant site investigation and remediation in McAllen, Texas. - Conjunctive water use strategies for the Lower Colorado River Authority, Austin, Texas. • Supervision of other graduate student research and assisting other graduate students as follows: - Annemarie Whitko: Development of a physics-based, distributed model (VfloTM) applied toward a flood damage reduction alternatives study in Brownsville, Texas. (MS thesis, 2004) - Carlo Quinonez: Development of HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS models for urban floodplain mapping and flood damage reduction in Brownsville, Texas. (MS thesis, 2005) - Erin Williford: Designing and implementing a Flood Alert System for the Onion Creek watershed in Austin, Texas. (MS thesis, 2004) - Eric Stewart: Development of a Distributed Hydrologic Model with Application to a Flood Alert System. (MS thesis, 2003)

Teaching Experience

2004-Present Assistant Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources, The University of Texas at Brownsville, College of Science, Mathematics and Technology, Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science. 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas, 78520.

• Responsible for teaching the following undergraduate (U) and graduate (G) courses as needed: - Introduction to Environmental Sciences (U) - Conservation of Natural Resources (G) - Hydrology and Water Resources (U) - Environmental Regulations (U) - Geographic Information Systems (U,G) - Principles of Remote Sensing (U,G) - Earth Science (U) - Research Problems in Environmental Science (U)

1998-2004 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas, 77005.

• Independently developed and taught a 3-credit hour undergraduate/graduate course (spring 2004) entitled CEVE 512: Geographic Information Systems and Hydrologic Design. The course taught basic to intermediate GIS skills and their applications to hydrologic modeling problems at various watershed scales. • Provided additional individual instruction, graded papers, and gave occasional lectures for the following graduate and/or undergraduate courses: - Hydrology and Watershed Analysis (3 credit undergraduate course) - Hydrologic Design Laboratory (1 credit undergraduate hydrology and GIS lab) - Groundwater Hydrology and Contamination (3 credit graduate course) - Introduction to Environmental Science and Engineering (3 credit undergraduate course) - Global Environmental Law and Sustainable Development (3 credit undergraduate course.

Consulting Experience

2005-Present Associate Senior Engineer, Ambiotec Civil Engineering Group, Inc., Brownsville, Texas.

• Part-time employment leading consulting projects ranging from hydrologic/hydraulic design, floodplain management, water resources engineering, etc.

1999-2004 Consulting Engineer, P. B. Bedient and Associates, Inc., Houston , Texas.

• Responsible for investigative fieldwork, collection and analysis of data from a variety of surface and groundwater sites. • Assisted in the review and formulation of expert opinion through hydrologic and hydraulic model analyses for a variety of sites undergoing litigation.

1990, 1992 Field Engineer. Ambiotec Environmental Consultants, Inc., Harlingen, Texas. Summers • Responsible for conducting numerous environmental site assessments. • Initiated pilot project which evaluated emergency response resources and developed contingency plans for environmental hazards for US/Mexico border cities. • Assisted in developing and enforcing a pre-treatment program for the local public utilities board wastewater division.

Other Professional Experience

2004-Present Lieutenant Commander, United States Naval Reserve, Brownsville, Texas, 78521.

• Member, Individual Ready Reserve

1998-2004 Lieutenant Commander, United States Naval Reserve, Houston, Texas, 77054.

• Training Officer (Department Head), Naval Coordination and Protection of Shipping, Pacific Detachment Alpha. • Supervision of 3 officers and 4 enlisted personnel responsible for maintaining mission readiness for a 25-person reserve unit.

1992-1998 Lieutenant and Ensign, Active Duty, United States Navy

• Shift Supervisor and Electrical Division Officer, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), 1996-1998. - Directed all aspects of initial nuclear power plant testing including training, operation, quality assurance, and maintenance. Supervised 4 officers and over 70 technicians. - Performed as Plant Operations Manager and Shift Manager to initiate and maintain test program on $800 million nuclear reactor plant consistently ahead of schedule. • Graduate, Naval Nuclear Power School and Nuclear Power Prototype, Orlando, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina, 1995-1996. - Qualified U.S. Naval Nuclear Power Plant Operator. - Completed one year of intense post-graduate level and hands-on studies in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemistry. Acquired additional training in nuclear engineering and power plant design, operation, and management. • Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Division Officer, USS Nicholson (DD-982), 1992-1995. - Directly managed 30 technicians maintaining ship’s ASW systems including sonars, helicopter support systems, ordnance, and supporting electronic and computer systems.

Awards and Honors

• Appointed to the associate editorial board for the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineering (2006). • Outstanding Doctoral Student Award (2005) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. • Sigma Xi Doctoral Dissertation Co-Award (2005) from the Rice University / Texas Medical Center Chapter, Houston, Texas (2005). • Navy Achievement Medal (2005) for sustained superior performance as Training Officer (Department Head) for Naval Cooperation and Guidance of Shipping Pacific Detachment Alpha, Houston, Texas. • Outstanding M.S. Student Award (2001) in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Rice University. • Eleanor and Mills Bennett Fellowship awarded for two consecutive years (1999, 2000). • Navy Commendation Medal (1998) for superior performance of duties as Shift Officer in the successful completion of all post-construction operational and safety systems testing for the nuclear reactors onboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). • Navy Achievement Medal (1995) for outstanding performance onboard USS Nicholson (DD-982) during a Persian Gulf deployment and for overseeing a $25 million overhaul of the ship’s anti-submarine warfare combat systems.

Publications and Presentations

Refereed Journals

• Shipley, Heather J., Sujin Yean, Jude A. Benavides, Amy T. Kan, Mason B. Tomson, Submitted 2006. “Effects of Bicarbonate on Arsenic Adsorption to Magnetite Nanoparticles” Submitted to Environmental Science and Technology, Dec 2006.

• Benavides, J.A., P.B. Bedient, In Progress. “Improving Lead-Time and Accuracy of Flood Alert Systems in Urban Watersheds” Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, Expected submission 2007.

• Benavides, J.A., A. Whitko, P.B. Bedient, In Progress. “Advanced Technologies in Floodplain Modeling: Applying GIS, LIDAR, and NEXRAD toward solutions for urban flooding in Brownsville, Texas” Journal of the American Water Resources Association, Expected Submission 2007.

• Bedient, P.B., A. Holder, J.A. Benavides, B.E. Vieux, “Radar-Based Flood Warning System Applied to Tropical Storm Allison” Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 8(6), 308-318, 2003.

Book Chapters

• Benavides, J.A., “Severe Storm Impacts and Flood Management” Chapter 13 (pp. TBD) of Hydrology and Floodplain Analysis, 4th, Ed. (P.B. Bedient, W.C. Huber, and B. Vieux). Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007.

• Heise, E., Benavides, J., Berg, W. and Shands, M.J., “The Restoration of the Bahia Grande: A south Texas story of cooperation for ecosystem recovery” in Transborder Conservation between the U.S. and Mexico: Binational Solutions to our Shared Problems. (Flessa and Lopez-Hoffman). University of Arizona Press. 2006. (accepted and pending)

• Benavides, J.A., “Floodplain Management Issues in Hydrology” Chapter 12 (pp. 682-713) of Hydrology and Floodplain Analysis, 3rd Ed. (P.B. Bedient and W.C. Huber). Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2001.

Oral Presentations at Professional Meetings and Conferences

• Benavides, J. A. “Floodplain Delineation and Flood Risk Assessment in South Texas” 2006 Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters, Rice Univeristy, Houston, Texas.

• Benavides, J. A. and L. Clapp, 2006. “Brackish Water Desalination Concentrate: Applications Toward the Restoration of the Bahia Grande Wetland Complex” 2006 Conference on Environmental Sustainability Focusing on U.S. – Mexico Issues, Monterrey, Mexico.

• Benavides, J.A., 2006. “Utilizing Geographic Information Systems to Monitor Restoration Efforts in the Bahia Grande” 2006 Rio Grande Valley ArcGIS Users Group – 5th Annual Conference. South Texas College, McAllen, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., 2006. “Flood Risk Assessment and Hazard Mitigation Planning: A Brownsville, Texas Case Study for Hurricane Emily.” 2006 Annual National Conference of the American Institute of Hydrology, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

• Benavides, J.A., 2005. “Urban Flood Prediction and Hazard Mitigation within a GIS Framework.” 2005 Rio Grande Valley ArcGIS Users Group – 4th Annual Conference. The University of Texas at Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., 2005. “Flood Hazard Mitigation and Damage Reduction.” Keynote Address at the 2005 Congreso Nacional de Ingenieria Civil, Guanajuato, Mexico.

• Benavides, J.A., 2005. “Urban Flood Prediction and Hazard Mitigation within a GIS Framework.” 2005 Rio Grande Valley ArcGIS Users Group – 4th Annual Conference. The University of Texas at Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., 2005. “Hydrologic Issues Pertaining to the Bahia Grande Restoration Project.” Bahia Grande Restoration Research Summit. The University of Texas at Brownsville, Brownsville, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., 2005 “Beneficial Use of Concentrate from the Southmost Regional Water Authority Desalination Plant.” CREST-RESSACA Conference on Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Development. South Padre Island, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A. and E. Heise, 2005. “A Baseline Data Assessment for the Bahia Grande Restoration Project.” 2005 CREST-RESSACA Conference on Modeling and Decision Support for Environmental Systems, San Antonio, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., 2004. “The Second Generation Rice / Texas Medical Center Flood Alert System (FAS2): Improvements to Lead-Time, Accuracy, Reliability and Effectiveness.” Symposium on Severe Weather Preparedness – 2004, Houston, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A. and P.B. Bedient, 2004. “Combining Real-Time Hydrologic Models, Radar Rainfall, and Precipitation Forecasts for Enhanced Flood Warnings in Houston, Texas.” 2004 Conference of Flood Warning Systems Technologies and Preparedness, Fish Camp, California.

• Benavides, J.A. and P.B. Bedient, 2003. “Lead-Time and Accuracy Issues for a Flood Alert System in an Urban Watershed.” 2003 American Water Resources Association Annual Conference, San Diego, California.

• Benavides, J.A., and P.B. Bedient, 2003. “Improving the Performance of a Flood Alert System Designed for a Rapidly Responding Urban Watershed.” 2003 Conference of Flood Warning Systems Technologies and Preparedness, Dallas, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., and A. Holder, 2003. “On-going Improvements to the Rice University / Texas Medical Center Flood Alert System.” Symposium on Tropical Storm Allison: Two Years Later, Houston, Texas.

• Bedient, P.B. and J.A. Benavides, 2002. “Flood Warning and Geographic Information Systems for Disaster Reduction.” Conference on Mitigating Severe Weather Impacts in Urban Areas, Houston, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., B. Pietruszewski, B. Kirsch, and P.B. Bedient, 2001. “Analyzing Flood Control Alternatives for the Clear Creek Watershed in a Geographic Information Systems Framework.” Proceedings of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute’s World Water and Environmental Resources Congress. Orlando, Florida.

• Benavides, J.A., 2001. “New Directions for Water Resources in Local Watersheds: GIS and Improved Floodplain Management” Guest speaker for the 9th Annual Rice Environmental Conference. Houston, Texas.

• Benavides, J.A., B. Pietruszewski, E. Stewart, P.B. Bedient, 2000. “A Sustainable Development Approach for the Clear Creek Watershed.” Proceedings of the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Austin, Texas.

Grants and Sponsored Research

• Current: System-Level Monitoring of Restoration Efforts at Bahia Grande, Lower Laguna Madre. Source: EPA – Gulf of Mexico Programs. Role: Co-PI. Total Award Amount: $489,774. • Current: Status and Trends Analysis of Estuarine / Riparian Wetlands in the Southernmost Rio Grande Basin. Source: USDA. Role: PI. Total Award Amount: $34,500 • Current: Award from The University of Texas at Brownsville’s Center for Civic Engagement. Title: “GIS/GPS Mapping of Native Trees on the UTB Campus.” Role: PI. Status: On-going. Amount: $750 • Recently Awarded: Sub-contract research grant from the NSF sponsored CREST-RESSACA (Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology / Research on Environmental Sustainability of Semi-Arid Coastal Areas at Texas A&M University – Kingsville). Title: “Collaborative Research on Concentrate Disposal from the Southmost Regional Water Authority (SWRA) Desalination Plant.” Role: PI Status: On-going. Amount: $15,000. • Pending: NSF Partnership for Innovation submission in conjunction with Rice U / U of Houston / LSU / UT Austin / Various Private Partners. Title: “Severe Storm Prediction and Warning Along the Gulf Coast”. Role: Co-PI. Amount: $560,000 (entire grant) / $40,000 (UTB). • Previously Awarded: Texas Water Development Board and the City of Brownsville. Awarded to Philip B. Bedient and Associates and Ambiotec Group, Inc. (2003-2005). Title: “Floodplain mapping and flood damage reduction studies on four major watersheds in Brownsville, Texas.” Role: Senior Personnel. Status: On-going. Amount: $90,000. • Previously Awarded: Award from The University of Texas at Brownsville’s Center for Civic Engagement. Title: “Collecting Bathymetric Data in Brownsville Resacas for Flood Damage Reduction Studies Utilizing Field-Based Geographic Information Systems.” Role: PI. Status: On-going. Amount: $2,400. • Previously Awarded: Award from The University of Texas at Brownsville’s Center for Civic Engagement. Title: “Mapping Native Plants on the UTB/TSC Campus Utilizing GPS and GIS.” Role: Co-PI. Status: On-going. Amount: $1,200. • Previously Awarded: USGS grant from the Texas Water Resources Institute (2002). Title: “Enhanced Flood Warnings for the Texas Medical Center” Role: PI Status: Completed May 2003. Amount: $5,000. • Previously Awarded: Assisted in the procurement of a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (2002-2004). Title: “Flood Alert System II” Role: Senior Personnel Status: Completed April 2004. Amount: $300,000. • Previously Awarded: Assisted in the procurement of a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Advanced Technologies Program (ATP). Awarded to a consortium of five universities including the University of Houston (P.I.: Hanadi Rifai), Rice University, University of Texas – Brownsville, Texas A&M International, and Texas A&M Kingsville. Title: “Multi-Purpose Water Management Technology for the Texas-Mexico Border” (2000-2002). Role: Senior Personnel Status: Complete.

Professional Memberships

• Associate Editor, Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers • Associate Member, American Society of Civil Engineers • Associate Member, Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Society o Founding Member and Current Secretary of UTB Sigma Xi Chapter • Member, Chi Epsilon, Civil Engineering Honor Society • Member, American Water Resources Association • Member, American Meteorological Society • Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science • Member, Naval Reserve Association • Member, Sorin Society, University of Notre Dame