Celebrating faculty: Christa Kelleher ’08

Christa Kelleher ’08, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and Kate and Walter A. Scott ’59 Scholar in Engineering

What is the focus of your research?

I’m a hydrologist who studies how water moves at and below the land surface, how this impacts water quality, and how this is altered by human activity and changing climate. The current focus of my research is improving understanding of how human activity, droughts, and the changing timing and magnitude of streamflow impact stream temperature, a key measure of water quality. My main interests are to understand where (in what types of rivers) stream temperatures are more sensitive to perturbations from rising air temperatures and lower summer streamflow, versus those places that are more buffered from these changes, and what about the surrounding land and riverscape influences this sensitivity. I also continue to pursue work quantifying how streamflow and water quality have changed historically across the U.S., as well as connecting watershed form (the way a watershed “looks”) and watershed function (how a watershed responds to precipitation) in urban and suburban areas.

How do students benefit from your scholarship and research?

One of the best things about being a professor at Lafayette is that I’m always learning, whether it’s trying to master a new piece of software to incorporate into a laboratory activity, reading articles about climate change impacts on streamflow for teaching and research, or starting a new project with a Lafayette student. Because of this love for learning, I am always enthusiastic to involve students in my research, both in the classroom through semester projects, as well as outside of the classroom through tailored research experiences. While students benefit from my expertise, my goal is always to ensure that the process is cyclical, so they’re learning a lot from me, but I’m also learning a lot from them, as they explore new directions and connections in class and pursue their research projects. 

What will you be teaching in the fall?

This fall I’m teaching two courses, CE 271: Introduction of Surveying and Land Development, an introductory course for civil and environmental engineering majors. The course includes lots of hands-on time in laboratory periods for students to learn to use new equipment and software for data collection, mapping, and visualization. I’ll also be teaching CE 474: Professional Issues in Civil Engineering, a course intended to prepare our seniors for the professional world they will encounter beyond Lafayette.

What does receiving an endowed chair mean to you, and how does this endowed position further your teaching and/or research?

Academia, especially the research side, can be filled with slow progress and failure. This is why receiving this endowed chair is especially meaningful, as receiving this recognition from my colleagues and institution is a chance to pause and celebrate. This endowed position will allow me to bring new equipment into my fieldwork and teaching, supporting my engagement of students in hydrologic field measurements at new and existing study sites in the area.

Read more about faculty members newly named to endowed positions.