Stroud Water Research Center is pleased to congratulate Diana Oviedo Vargas, Ph.D., and Charles Dow, Ph.D., on recent achievements highlighting their commitment to advancing freshwater science.
Diana Oviedo Vargas, Ph.D., Promoted to Associate Research Scientist
Diana Oviedo Vargas, who is the principal investigator of the Watershed Biogeochemistry Group, has been promoted to associate research scientist.
Her research examines how chemicals like carbon move and transform in streams and rivers and the relationship between these cycles, terrestrial ecosystems, and human activities.
In the last year, Oviedo has gained widespread recognition for her research examining the role of biosolids in the contamination of farm soils and nearby surface waters with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — most notably in The New York Times.
Beyond the Stroud Center, she serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware and as a board member of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Charles Dow, Ph.D., Receives Award From WCU
Charles Dow recently received the Distinguished Service Award from West Chester University’s Department of Mathematics.
As director of information services and a research scientist, Dow launched an internship program in 2016 to mentor data analysis students enrolled in the university’s WCU Master of Science in Applied Statistics program.
Mathematics Professor Randy Rieger, Ph.D., said, “Dr. Dow has provided invaluable internship and work experiences for our students that have launched all of them onto successful careers as statisticians. Not only does he create and maintain the internship opportunity for our students; he works closely with them and ensures that they have appropriate and meaningful projects to work on. Every intern has had a fantastic experience at the Stroud Center.”
Students expressed their gratitude as part of the department’s awards ceremony on November 2. One said, “Working with Charlie gave me the foundation for who I am becoming in statistics and statistical programming. His mentorship shaped how I think about data acquisition, management, and analysis, and it continues to inspire the kind of statistician I want to be.”
A data wizard behind the scenes, Dow’s visualization work makes mountains of data accessible and meaningful to lay audiences, most recently through a public map of road salt pollution using data collected by community scientists.
From the Director
David Arscott, Ph.D., executive director of the Stroud Center, said, “I thank and congratulate Drs. Vargas and Dow for their commitment to freshwater science and their leadership and outreach efforts!”
