Centers for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST)

The Center for Water and the Environment has received funding from the Centers for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). A $5 million grant was received in 2014 and a second $5 million grant was received in 2019.

The UNM CREST Center is focused on increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities (URM) in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions while conducting cutting-edge research into technological and engineering-based solutions to problems with water and the environment. The grant is organized around 3 research themes:

Watersheds & Wildfires is investigating the impact of wildfires on hydrologic and ecological processes and how disturbances propagate and affect communities along entire fluvial networks.

Treatment Technologies is investigating innovative biofilm-based and membrane-based technologies to protect water quality and public health to help communities overcome challenges to long-term water supplies and environmental protection.

Water & Energy is investigating threats to the region’s water resources and economy caused by the development of energy resources, and methods for remediating contamination from past energy resource extraction.

Descriptions of specific research projects can be found on our Projects page.

An integral part of the CREST Center is to increase the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM professions. CWE has developed innovative educational and outreach activities, which are detailed on our Outreach page.

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants HRD-1345169 and HRD-1914490. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations resulting from this work are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.