Professional Title:

Graduate Student

University, Department, Lab, Etc:

Kansas State University, Department of Civil Engineering, Dr. Moore’s Lab

Brief Bio:

Vittla, my grandparents’ village, is part of an ecological hotspot nestled in southern India's Western Ghats.  There, every home depends on monsoon-generated water from a private pond for domestic and irrigation purposes.  Perennial streams service the ponds through crevices. Witnessing and being a part of the area’s cyclical hydrological phenomena fueled my enthusiasm towards hydrological systems.

Of the many mysteries that surrounded me, one that fascinated me was ‘Suranga’, or ‘Tunnel’.  A 3 x 5 foot tunnel wedged between mountains provided water throughout the year. Holding my grandfather’s hand and admiring Suranga was my first interaction with water resources that left a deep impression. Most of the rural homes in the region had similar interconnected tunnels for domestic water.  

Although I completed my bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, I went back to water resource management. I worked with a development organization in an arid Indian state to improve livelihood through natural resources management. There, I came across innovative ways from frugal techniques employed to keep animals off farms.   These experiences highlighted challenges with groundwater, socio-economic conditions, and climate change in rural areas. As a result, I am completing my master’s in Water Resources engineering at K-State with Drs. Moore, Sharda, and Koehn.

Current Research Question:

How do we integrate citizen science and climate change to model the hydrologic system?

Background on Research:

Water resources like lakes, streams, and rivers over the last century are impacted by anthropogenic factors coupled with climate change. Some of the extreme events we come across are floods, droughts, and water quality challenges. We need to develop model of natural systems to understand these changes and predict them. To help us better implement adaptation/mitigation strategies efficiently, there is a need to investigate innovative ways to involve local community in the process.  

Connect with Anish Holla

Anish is open to connect through virtual platforms or in-person meetings with groups and public audiences. Virtual platforms are better as this can easily take on mini hands-on exercises for participants to try. This makes the interaction more conducive to learning and sharing while having fun.  

Let Sunset Zoo’s Behind the Science staff help you connect with Anish Holla by emailing behindthescience@cityofmhk.com.