Veronica Sosa-Gonzalez first came to the University of Vermont (UVM) as an Undergraduate Intern through the VT EPSCoR Streams Project in the summer of 2009 from the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (UPR) where she was an Environmental Sciences major. The strong partnership between Vermont EPSCoR and the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras was cultivated through the VT Streams Project; created and launched in 2007 under NSF EPS#0701410.
After obtaining her BS from UPR, Veronica successfully applied to the Department of Geology graduate program at the University of Vermont and obtained her Master’s Degree in Natural Resources with a concentration in Aquatic Ecology and Watershed Science in 2012. Veronica successfully defended her Master’s Thesis entitled:
Determining Long Term Erosion Rates in Panama: An Application of 10BE. Her research is on the determination of background erosion rates in Panama, and exploring physiographic controls on erosion in tropical climates.
Veronica is continuing in her career now as a Doctoral Student in the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) under the guidance of Dr. Paul Bierman, Associate Professor in the Department of Geology, and a faculty leader from the Integrated Research on Water and the Environment (iRWE) program funded by VT EPSCoR EPS #0236976.
Veronica will be working on an NSF-supported project in China deciphering the connections among land management, soil erosion, and sediment yield in large river basins on Western China – Deciphering Connections between Land Management, Soil Erosion and sediment Yield in Larger River Basins – NSF EAR 1114159, of which Dr. Bierman is Co-PI.
Of her experience with the Streams Project, Veronica shared: “The Streams Project was the gateway to hands-on interdisciplinary research on water resources. Interning with the Project was an eye-opener and a great experience. I am currently working on my PhD in water resources. I am grateful for the experience I got with the Streams Project as it is paramount to my performance in graduate school.”