What are the responsibilities and job description for the OSU Research Experience for Undergraduates: Post-Fire Stream Impacts (Summer 2026) position at Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI)?
Position period: June 18 – August 27 , 2026
Location: H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue River, Oregon and Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Description: This research project is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research grant at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and is led by the Segura Watershed Processes Lab at Oregon State University (https://people.forestry.oregonstate.edu/catalina-segura/). The study will build on the active work of this group to understand how post-fire effects on the landscape influence streamflow through canopy cover, nutrient availability, vegetation shifts, and groundwater flow. The goal is to understand fire influences on summer streamflow instream nutrient concentrations and isotope variability. We will take water samples from 12 stream locations in the study area weekly during the REU term to study nutrient concentration as well as water stable isotope analysis. This data will inform a research project developed with the student(s) to answer a research question regarding fire impacts on riparian areas. We will also participate in three other research projects while in the field, such as a fish survey, large wood survey, and synoptic sampling campaign along stream mainstems. In all, this will provide opportunities to see a wide breadth of forest hydrology research.
Location: H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Blue River, Oregon and Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Description: This research project is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term Ecological Research grant at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and is led by the Segura Watershed Processes Lab at Oregon State University (https://people.forestry.oregonstate.edu/catalina-segura/). The study will build on the active work of this group to understand how post-fire effects on the landscape influence streamflow through canopy cover, nutrient availability, vegetation shifts, and groundwater flow. The goal is to understand fire influences on summer streamflow instream nutrient concentrations and isotope variability. We will take water samples from 12 stream locations in the study area weekly during the REU term to study nutrient concentration as well as water stable isotope analysis. This data will inform a research project developed with the student(s) to answer a research question regarding fire impacts on riparian areas. We will also participate in three other research projects while in the field, such as a fish survey, large wood survey, and synoptic sampling campaign along stream mainstems. In all, this will provide opportunities to see a wide breadth of forest hydrology research.