Dr. Chris Martinez
Associate Professor, Urban Water Resources
The Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology
With his appointment is through the University of Florida's Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, Chris Martinez has a focus on urban water resources. Martinez uses his position in the department and his role with the Center to take both a broad view and a narrow view of his subject.
Taking a broad view, Martinez works to understand how climate forecasting can benefit urban water management. The numerous factors that water managers take into account must be handled through a decision-making process that involves managing large volumes of data. The trend in decision-making situations of this kind is to try to create mathematically based, computer-run procedures, usually called models, that analyze the data. Often, managers will run numerous scenarios through the models, and in the end, human judgments must be made about the best actions to take.
In addition to the technical questions of using climate forecasting in water resource management, Martinez would also like to understand the barriers that keep water managers from including climate forecasts in their standard management approaches. Strictly speaking, this is not an engineering problem, but it demonstrates the growing need for engineers to go beyond technical issues in understanding and engaging their clients.
The "narrow" view fills out Martinez' program perfectly. As part of his work with the Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, Martinez conducts workshops that train building professionals how to plan, design, and build for more efficient use of resources. Martinez works the problem of urban water resources from both sides by dealing directly with the needs of water managers and the needs of water users. The workshops are part of the Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC), a University of Florida program that focuses on bringing the university's many areas of expertise to bear on promoting "design, construction, and management practices that measurably reduce energy and water consumption and environmental degradation in new residential community developments. The training Martinez offers through this program helps to build professionals' understand the impact of their decisions on non-point source pollution, which basically means fertilizers and pesticides that are washed off residential and commercial properties by irrigation or rain.
Contact Information
352-294-6744
Office:
279 Frazier Rogers Hall
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 110570
Gainesville, FL 32611-0570
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Research and Extension
Departmental Research Area:
- Land and Water Resources Engineering
Research and Extension:
- Impact of Climate and Change on Shoreline-dependent Bird Populations
- Using Climate Forecasts to Predict and Reduce Residential Irrigation Demands
- Use of Retrospective Weather and Climate Forecasts to Improve Hydrologic Forecasts
- Incorporating Large-scale Climate Information in Seasonal Streamflow Forecasts
- Modeling of Water Source Allocation Strategies and Demand Scenarios to Reduce Risk in Public Water Supply Management
- Streamflow and Water Quality Trends Associated with Urban Development in West-Central Florida
- Development of a Tool for Wet-Weather Storage and Potential Nitrogen Leaching from Reclaimed Water Land Application Systems
- Estimating Reference with Minimum Data
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Education
- Ph.D. Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 2006
- M.S. Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 2001
- B.S. Environmental Studies, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, 1996
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Professional Experience
- 2013 - Present
Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida - 2007 - 2013
Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida - 2006 - 2007
Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida - 1998 - 2006
Graduate Instructor, Research Assistant, and Teaching Assistant, Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida
- 2013 - Present
- Publications
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Awards and Honors
- Outstanding Service Award, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers - Florida Section, 2014
- Early Seed Grant Award, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, 2013
- John and Martha Woeste Professional Development Award, 2011
- Fellow, United States Department of Agriculture National Needs, 2002–2006
- Chi Epsilon, Civil Engineering Honor Society
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Other Professional Activities
- Faculty Advisor, American Water Resources Association - Student Chapter
- American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
- American Water Resources Association
- Society of Wetland Scientists