Water and Food Security PIRE

Xinyu Lin

Xinyu Lin

Title/Department: Undergraduate Student, Civil & Environmental Engineering Dep.

Email: xinyu.lin@uconn.edu

Research focus: Promoting the sustainable use of groundwater resources in Ethiopia using the Integrated Groundwater Footprint index

What excites you most about your PIRE research?

I love the interdisciplinary nature of PIRE and the ability to integrate technical engineering solutions with social, cultural and economic factors. I am excited to conduct research that can be used by Ethiopian authorities and farmers to effectively combat climate change effects on rural parts of the country.

What’s the most valuable aspect of your research for the people and communities?

Climate change has affected the Blue Nile Basin heavily by causing extreme rainfall variability and low crop yields. My research addresses the need for a clean, dependable source of water to support crops and the farmers that depend on them. By investigating the spatial distribution and quality of groundwater reservoirs, we can determine the locations in which groundwater wells will most effectively serve local communities.