Introduction

Hello! My name is Daria, and my senior project will explore runoff flows into the Potomac River at the Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge. Runoff in our area is becoming increasingly polluted due to urban development. This pollution harms not only the aquatic life and surrounding ecosystem but also the five million people who rely on the Potomac for water. My independent research will examine the surrounding landscape and identify significant factors for runoff flow at the Refuge. I will then consider how to mitigate runoff at the Refuge, examining past research and runoff mitigation models and efforts and their applicability to the Refuge’s particular land features.

Additionally, I will intern at the George Mason Center for Computational Fluid Dynamics with Dr. Rainald Löhner and his students. Their research studies fluid flows in real-life applications, such as a simulation of air flow showing the dispersement of COVID-19 from an infected individual throughout different environments. I am excited to experience their lab and aid their research.