Katrina Marini and James Vanderwaal joined the MGWA Foundation as new directors this year. The MGWA Foundation provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students and grants for educational events like the Children’s Water Festival.
Katrina Marini’s interest in geology started through her family’s summer vacations, which included camping at National Parks and Monuments throughout the western US and at Minnesota State Parks. She found her passion for groundwater while studying geological engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Katrina was exposed to environmental issues affecting active mines and historic mining districts during two internships at a Nevada copper mine. As a graduate student, she had the opportunity to develop a groundwater model of a glacial aquifer system with the U.S. Geological Survey (Water Science Center in Rapid City). Since 2012, she has worked at Barr Engineering Co. (Duluth office), where she has continued to work on groundwater models, frequently in glacial and fluvial systems.
She enjoys assisting clients with a wide variety of questions related to quantity and quality of groundwater – with and without use of groundwater models. She remains interested in mining and mine remediation, particularly in Minnesota. Katrina hopes to see an increase in groundwater education opportunities in greater Minnesota during her time on the MGWA Foundation Board.
James Vanderwaal, PH PG, holds degrees from the University of Montana, Oregon State University, and Heriot-Watt University (Scotland). Prior to joining the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 2012, he worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and consulting firms in Alaska (15 years), and taught engineering students at two colleges in Malaysia (16 years). He has published research work in both Forest Science and the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
With the DNR, James started as a monitoring hydrologist, and in 2014 became the SW Minnesota regional groundwater specialist, stationed in Marshall. In his fun time, James gardens with his wife, plays mandolin, and sings with the trio Red Hat Gypsy.
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