Gigi A. Richard, Ph.D.

Academic Qualifications

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

 

Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, 2001, Area of Specialization: Environmental River Hydraulics and Fluvial Geomorphology

M.S. in Civil Engineering, 1997, Hydraulic Engineering Program

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

 

B.S. in Civil Engineering, 1989, concentration in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering

Awards and Honors

Fulbright Fellowship (New Zealand), 2001

Chi Epsilon civil engineering honor society, 1999-2001

Recipient of Jeng Song Wang Memorial Scholarship, Colorado State University, 1997-98

Accreditations

Engineer in Training, State of Colorado, 1990.

Teaching experience

Assistant Professor of Geology: Mesa State College, 2002 - present
Full-time instructor of undergraduate geology and environmental science classes.

Guest Lecturer: Fluvial Geomorphology, Lincoln University/University of Canterbury, 2001

w        Invited lecturer for undergraduate hydraulics course to provide introduction to fluvial geomorphology.

Instructor: Engineering Mechanics – Dynamics, Colorado State University, 1999

w        Taught entire eight-week summer class to 15 undergraduate students.  Included one-hour lecture daily, office hours, and homework and exam preparation and grading.

Teaching Assistant: River Mechanics, Colorado State University, 1998

w        Lectures and homework review.

Teaching Assistant: Engineering Mechanics,  Colorado State University, 1998

w        Lectures and homework review.

Science Instructor: Outdoor science education, Keystone Science School, Keystone, CO, 1985-1986

w        Instructed geology and stream ecology and led backpacking trips.

University and Community Service

Researcher: Member of the Nature Conservancy’s North Fork Cache la Poudre River and Phantom Canyon Preserve Riparian Restoration Team, 1999-2001.

w        Contributed to the development of the North Fork Cache la Poudre River: Phantom Canyon Preserve Restoration Recommendations.

Researcher: Institute for Lifecycle Energy Analysis, Seattle, WA, 2001

w        Contributing author to newsletter.

Academic Committee: Graduate Instruction Committee (GIC), Department of Civil Engineering, Colorado State University, 1997-2000.

Committee Chair: Organizing committee for the 1998 Student Water Symposium, Colorado State University, 1997–1998.

Commissioner: Summit Water Quality Commission, Summit County, CO, 1994-1996.

w        Representative on local government commission whose goal was to protect water quality.

Commissioner: Snake River Planning Commission, Summit County, CO, 1991-1996

w        Served as representative on eight member regional planning and zoning commission.

Research Experience

Postdoctoral Research: Civil Engineering Department, Colorado State University, March 2002 – Present (research advisor: Dr. Pierre Y. Julien)

w        Continued anaylsis of lateral adjustments of the Rio Grande including recently collected 2001 data.

Postdoctoral Research: Natural Resources Engineering Department, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand, Jan. 2001 – Dec. 2001 (research advisor: Dr. Tim Davies)

w        Studied the impact of lateral confinement on sediment transport capacity of gravel-bed braided rivers using a small-scale physical hydralic model.

Doctoral Research: Civil Engineering Department, Colorado State University, 1997–2000 (research advisor: Dr. Pierre Y. Julien)

w        Quantification and prediction of lateral channel adjustments downstream from Cochiti Dam, Rio Grande, NM

w        Research involved thorough investigation of geomorphologic adjustments of the Rio Grande, New Mexico downstream of the Cochiti Dam. 

w        Project management of data collection efforts, as well as analysis of hydrologic, geomorphic and sediment data funded by the US Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque, NM.

w        Focused on quantification and prediction of lateral stability including planform classification and adjustments prior to and following construction of the dam. 

Masters Research: Civil Engineering Department, Colorado State University, 1992–1997

w        Evaluation of Proposed Surface Waste Remediation Alternatives
French Gulch,
Colorado

w        Research project involved evaluation of proposed surface waste remediation strategies for an abandoned metal mine in Summit County, Colorado

w        Evaluation included analyses of water quality impacts from contaminated surface waste piles and costs of remediation alternatives. 

Professional experience

 

Beaton and Associates                                                       September 1992 – December 1996

Project Engineer

Dillon, Colorado

Project engineer for small environmental consulting firm specializing in solid waste management.  Project responsibilities included solid waste research, cost estimating, and computer data management.  Assisted in recycling planning for rural communities, including a construction and demolition recycling project being conducted in western Colorado and a waste characterization study for the Town of Vail, Colorado.

U.S. Geological Survey                                                     September 1992 – September 1996

Field Technician

Montezuma, Colorado

Responsible for collection, filtration, and analysis of surface water samples collected from the Snake River and Deer Creek as part of an ongoing study of the water quality and hydrology in the upper Snake River valley.

Pearson-Richard, Inc.                                                               January 1994 – Septmber 1994

Partner/Project Engineer

Frisco, Colorado

Designed and planned several major developments in Summit County, Colorado and surrounding communities.  Responsibilities included septic system design, water and sewer line design, road and street design, subdivision planning, financial management of Pearson-Richard, Inc. and construction management.  All design work was performed using AutoCAD R12 and SoftDesk/DCA civil engineering design packages. 

McLaughlin Water Engineers                                                           May 1990 – October 1990

Project Engineer

Silverthorne, Colorado

Designed sewer line repairs, inspected municipal sewer and water line construction, and aided in management of branch office.

The Keystone Center                                                                        January 1990 – July 1990

Program Assistant

Keystone, Colorado

Organized and planned a three-day biotechnology workshop for the southeast U.S. held in Atlanta, Georgia.  Assembled participants and speakers from diverse interest groups and developed an agenda covering biotechnology issues relevant to the southeastern U.S.

Center for Advanced Decision Support for                                       July 1989 – January 1990

Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES)                                             

University of Colorado - Department of Civil Engineering

Graduate Research Assistant

Boulder, Colorado

Developed a graphical advanced decision support system for the EPA surface water quality model, QUAL2E-UNCAS, for SUN work-stations written in FORTRAN using GKS graphics.  The system is used by policy makers in the Santa Ana River Basin, California to aid in decision-making regarding input of waste loads into the river.

M.I.T. Department of Civil Engineering                                           January 1989 – June 1989

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Researched the history of the greenhouse industry in Woburn, Massachusetts.  Explored the possibility of effects on the Aberjona River from the application of greenhouse chemicals.  Compiled results from chemical analyses of ground water and surface water samples taken within the watershed in which pesticides and other greenhouse chemicals were detected.

Computer Skills

w        Extensive experience working with AutoCAD and SoftDesk civil engineering design products.

w        Experienced with ARC/Info and ArcView GIS, HEC-2, C, Pascal, FORTRAN, Web page design, spreadsheet macro programming and modelling, and word-processing applicatons.

Other Interests

w        Parenting, SCUBA diving, running, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, modern dance, yoga and skiing.

Publications and Presentations

Richard, G.A. and Julien, P.Y., 2006, “Statistical Methods of Modeling Lateral Movement of the Rio Grande, New Mexico”, Geomorphology.  Invited paper at the Binghamton International Geomorphology Symposium, Bloomsburg, PA, October 11-13, 2002.

Richard, G.A. and Julien, P.Y., 2006, Case Study: Lateral Mobility Modelling of the Rio Grande below Cochiti Dam, New Mexico, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering

Richard, G. A., Julien, P.Y., and Baird, D.C. In revision, Morphological changes in the Rio Grande downstream from Cochiti Dam, Regulated Rivers

Richard, G.A. and Julien, P.Y., 2003, “Dam Impacts and Restoration on an Alluvial River – Rio Grande, New Mexico”, Invited Paper at the U.S.-Chinese Joint Workshop on Sediment Transport and Environmental Studies, Milwaukee, WI, July 21-28, 2002, International Journal of Sediment Research.

Schmidt, J.C., Everitt, B. L. and Richard, G. A., 2003, Hydrology and geomorphology of the Rio Grande and implications for river restoration, in Aquatic Fauna of the Northern Chihuahuan Desert, edited by G.P. Garrett and N. L. Allan: Museum of Texas Tech University, Special Publication Number 46, p. 25 45.

Julien, P.Y. and G. Richard, 2002. “Reservoirs, Stream Restoration and Environmental River Mechanics”, Invited Paper at the International seminar on instream flow and self-purification in urban stream, Korean Institute for Construction Technology, Seoul, Korea, May 9, 2002, pp. 3-26.

Richard, G.A., 2002, Invited presentation. Downstream Impacts of Dams from a fluvial geomorphologist/river engineer’s perspective.  Case Study: Rio Grande, New Mexico, Invited Presentation, 27th Colorado Water Workshop, Gunnison, CO, July 31 – August 2, 2002.

Richard, G. A. 2002. Human Carrying Capacity of Earth. Institute for Lifecycle Energy Analysis, v.1, Winter 2002. 

Richard, G., Leon, C., and Julien, P. 2000.  Rio Puerco Reach Geomorphic Analysis, Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico - Draft, Colorado State University:Fort Collins, CO.

Richard, G., Leon, C., Julien, P., and Baird, D., Geomorphic Analyses and Data Collection, Middle Rio Grande, NM, presented at the 2000 conference on Gravel-Bed Rivers in Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand.

Richard, G. “Beyond Historic Geomorphic Analysis…Quantification and prediction of lateral channel adjustments downstream from Cochiti Dam, Rio Grande, NM”, presented at the CSU Student Water Symposium, 2000, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Bauer, T., Leon, C., Richard, G., and Julien, P. 1999. Middle Rio Grande, Bernalillo Bridge to San Acacia - Hydraulic Geometry, Discharge and Sediment Data Base and Report, Colorado State University:Fort Collins, CO.

Leon, C., Richard, G., Bauer, T., and Julien, P. 1999. Middle Rio Grande, Cochiti to Bernalillo Bridge,  Hydraulic Geometry, Discharge and Sediment Data Base and Report, Colorado State University:Fort Collins, CO.

Richard, G. “Evaluation of surface waste remediation strategies, French Gulch, Colorado”, presented at Hydrology Days, April 1998, Fort Collins, Colorado

Richard, G. “Evaluation of Proposed Surface Waste Remediation Alternatives French Gulch, Colorado”, presented at the CSU Student Water Symposium, 1997, Fort Collins, Colorado.