Author Archives: Laura Toran

Our group took a break to have lunch together this month.  Clockwise from back left, Sarah Beganskas, Ashleigh Kirker, me, Kyle Collins, and Naomi Morgan.

This summer I edited a video about what it is like to be an urban geoscientist featuring undergrad students and alumni from the department.  The video was funded by our NSF Geopath grant.  Check it out and be inspired! 4 … Continue reading →

Two new masters students joined our research team this month:  Kyle Collins who got his undergraduate degree at University of Pittsburgh and Naomi Morgan who got her undergraduate degree from Dennison University in Ohio.  WELCOME TO TEMPLE!

My grad student Ashleigh Kirker is trying to understand overland flow and its sources.  We tested mapping overland flow with a controlled icewater input using our new drone with a thermal camera.  We pumped ice water from a black garbage … Continue reading →

I passed my drone pilot exam this month and can direct flights now.  The test involves reading airspace maps and pilot weather reports.  Flying skills are not tested, so you just have to get out there and practice.  My team … Continue reading →

Two new undergrads joined my lab this summer.   Kate Lyons is a Velay Fellow studying stormwater runoff.  No shortage of storms so far, but she quickly became adept at installing stormwater sampling bottles.       Chris Kobol is … Continue reading →

Ashleigh Kirker got a high pass on her PhD prelim this month, officially becoming a PhD candidate. Congratulations, Ashleigh!

My research was the cover story for the Temple alumni magazine. You can download the article if you didn’t get it in the mail.  I think I have gotten more readers and emails from this story than any of my … Continue reading →

Congrats to Liz Cushman who defended her masters thesis on stormwater monitoring and started a job at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  I’ll miss installing rain samplers in the dark and burying stormwater sampling bottles with her.

Two important people graduated with their PhD this spring:  my first PhD Jim Berglund and my daughter Kate with a PhD in Economics from University of Kentucky.  Both have jobs lined up, Jim at the Montana Bureau of Mines and … Continue reading →