U.S. Coast Guard Academy senior swimmer Owen Gibson, a civil engineering major, has been given a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a two-year Masters of Science Degree in Water Resource Engineering and Management at the University of Stuttgart in Stuttgart, Germany. This makes Gibson the 3rd announced collegiate swimmer to have earned an award so far this season, joining the University of Chicago’s Yidan Mao and Brown University’s Kelley Tackett.
The Fulbright Program is a United States Cultural Exchange Program that, among other things, provides scholarships for about 2,000 American students annually to research, study, or teach annually for one academic year. The program was funded by the United States Congress after World War 2, using the sale of surplus war property to “fund the promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture, and science.” As part of the program, American students can travel to more than 140 countries worldwide.
Gibson plans to study climate change and soil erosion models. The goal of his research, Predicting the Impact of Climate Change on Soil Erosion in Coastal Areas, is to develop a model for assessing coastal soil erosion rates. The model will address the uncertainty of climate change using probability analysis and will be tested throughout coastal regions in Northern Germany.
His research is vital to develop resilient infrastructure and to adapt designs in anticipation of future soil erosion. Civic planners and local governments could potentially use the results from this research to proactively combat and manage disruptive soil erosion before it manifests. Professors Silke Wieprecht and Kristina Terheiden from the University of Stuttgart, top experts in water resource management, have agreed to supervise Gibson’s study and research project.
The Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems and other laboratories at the University will help in constructing and testing the proposed probabilistic model.
“This program will help me to further develop and hone my engineering skills that I will use to advance the coastal resiliency efforts within and beyond my Coast Guard career,” said Gibson.
Gibson says that after attending the University of Stuttgart, that he hopes to be assigned as a Deck Watch Officer before joining a Civil Engineering UNit. He also plans to pursue a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering.
Gibson will graduate as part of the US Coast Guard Academy’s largest-ever class during a virtual ceremony on May 20th.
As a senior, Gibson had a best finish of 11th place in the 400 IM at the 2020 NEWMAC Championship meet. There he contributed to a runner-up finish for the Bears behind conference champions MIT.
Coast Guard Academy competes in NCAA Division III.
The amazing and beautifully talented Catherine Wu, who swam at MIT, was recently on a Fulbright Scholarship in Brazil (before being sent home due to the pandemic with zero compensation) #JusticeForCatherine
CONGRATS Owen……one of our best and brightest. A great investment of our tax $’s.