UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sasmita Sahoo, a postdoctoral researcher in Penn State’s Department of Geosciences, won first place in Penn State’s eighth annual Postdoctoral Research Poster Exhibition, held this fall at the Nittany Lion Inn. She received a cash prize of $500.
Sahoo’s research poster, “Estimation of Groundwater Storage Changes in the Ogallala Aquifer, United States,” focused on the evaluation of changes in groundwater storage and showed that groundwater is depleting in major aquifers of the United States, leading to a serious threat to the sustainability of vital groundwater resources. Her goal is to study the impact of climate change and human effects on the groundwater level fluctuations across the United States. Sahoo’s adviser is Tess Russo, assistant professor of geosciences.
“There were many high-level research presentations at this year’s competition. I’m honored and humbled to have won first place and have been given the opportunity to communicate my research. Receiving the award has inspired me to continue researching and publishing in the area of hydrogeology,” said Sahoo. “I am really thankful to my adviser, Tess Russo, for giving me the excellent opportunity to do this research.”
Sahoo received a B.Tech. in agricultural engineering from Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology as well as an M.Tech. in water resources development and management and Ph.D. in groundwater hydrology, both from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. She is the author of several peer-reviewed articles and also received a Young Scientist Award from the Association of Global Groundwater Scientists, a Young Engineers Award by the Institution of Engineers (India), and a best paper award by the American Academy of Sciences during her Ph.D. for her research contribution in the field of groundwater hydrology.
The annual postdoc exhibition is organized by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and receives support from the Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research.