The Alabama Water Institute recently welcomed student intern Natalie Crisci as an undergraduate research assistant.
Crisci, a senior at The University of Alabama, joined AWI in the fall of 2022. She is majoring in civil engineering with minors in Italian and the Randall Research Scholars program. She is an assistant to Amy Hammett, AWI’s director of regional and national collaborations. Crisci researches the intersection of water and agriculture within the food-water-energy nexus.
Growing up in the Southwest, Crisci has always been interested in water-related issues. She became involved with AWI hoping to explore that interest through her research. She was surprised to learn about the influential work on water under way on campus.
“Here at AWI, I learned very quickly the impact that water has on all spheres of life and just how many of those spheres turn around to impact water as well,” Crisci said.
Crisci has enjoyed the experience of deep diving into research topics at AWI and looks forward to seeing the institute’s continued growth and influence throughout the sphere of water research.
One of Crisci’s favorite projects she has done at AWI centered on regenerative agriculture and its viability to improve soil andwater quality.
“I am passionate about researching issues that are affecting our most essential natural resource and finding solutions for the conservation of it,” said Crisci.