VICKSBURG, Miss. – Researchers from eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Districts have been selected for the 2024 session of the Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U).
Dr. John McEnery, a Senior Hydraulic Engineer with the USACE St. Louis District, has been chosen as a participant for this detail program, now in its ninth year.
ERDC-U Program Lead Antisa Webb, who also serves as Chief of the Office of Research and Technology Transfer (ORTT), Technology, Knowledge and Outreach (TKO) Division and program co-sponsor, announced the 2024 selectees.
“ERDC-U facilitates collaborations between participants from USACE Divisions and Districts and mentors from relevant laboratories, engaging in six-month research projects aimed at developing technical solutions that benefit their workplaces, the Corps and the nation,” Webb said.
Andy Pannier, who serves as McEnery’s Commander at the St. Louis District, praised his selection for ERDC-U.
“As shown in John’s application statement and CV, further supported by his suprevisor’s endorsement, he is a highly qualified engineer with several years of experience in all aspects of hydraulic engineering. This opportunity would greatly benefit John’s career and enhance the capabilities of the St. Louis District and its Hydrologic & Hydraulics Branch.”
While working with subject-matter experts from ERDC’s seven laboratories, participants will focus on real-world solutions and develop leadership skills to take back to their home organizations.
McEnery serves as a Senior Hydraulic Engineer in the Hydrologic and Hydraulics Section of the St. Louis District, where he conducts floodplain and watershed analysis using software such as Adaptive Hydraulics (AdH) and Hydrologic Engineering Center - River Analysis System (HEC-RAS), with recent projects including flood impact assessments for the Meramec River basin and flow frequency studes of the upper Mississippi River.
Additionally, he mentors coworkers in the Engineering and Construction - Hydrology and Hydraulics (EC-HH) section and represents the USACE St. Louis District on a Missouri state working group developing a statewide flood modeling and information system.
Having worked in different capacities at both state and federal levels, McEnery is striving to use his abilities to enhance the work of others by sharing knowledge and expertise within the USACE and the professional community.
Based on his experience and capabilities, he is confident that he can make significant contributions toward achieving the goals of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and ERDC-U.
He joined fellow selectees during their orientation session February 27-29, 2024, on the Vicksburg, Mississippi, campus, where they met their mentors and discussed planned projects.
McEnery was mentored by Gaurav Savant, a Senior Scientific Technical Manager from the Coastal Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), and Katherine Staebell, the Acting Associate Technical Director at CHL.
A new study aims to improve the estimation of riverine bathymetry, which is crucial for accurate hydraulic modeling of floodplains. With limited and sometimes inaccessible data for many river, traditional aerial Lidar, while effective for terrain data collection, often falls short in capturing submerged river sections.
Researchers at the Engineer Research and Deverlopment Center (ERDC) have addressed this gap by developing a computational method to estimate the synthetic representation of river channel bottoms. This technique utilizes existing river segment characteristics to approximate the shape and depth of unmeasured portions of the channel.
The study applied ERDC’s AutoRoute and FloodSpreader tools using domestically available Lidar data. By comparing the generated channel geometry with field-measured cross sections from the State of Missouri, the research evaluates the accuracy of these approximations.
This work leverages geospatial tools such as ArcGIS and QGIS for data processing and operates within an Anacando Pythan environment, using the National Land Cover Dataset and the GEOGlows hydrologic system for additional hydraulic parameters.
The investigation benefits from collaboration with experts from the ERDC-CHL, the National Geospatial Agency, the National Water Center, and participants from the 2024
Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) Conference.
Successful application of these methodologies could significantaly enhance resource management for the St. Louis District (MVS) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
The program is co-sponsored by ERDC’s Directorate of Human Capital (DHC) through an application process for the March through August session. Program funding is split between the selectees’ Division or District for choice of labor costs or travel with the other funded by ERDC.
Upon completion of ERDC-U, McEnery, along with the seven other selectees, will attend a graduation ceremony on September 10 at the Vicksburg, Mississippi, campus. During the ceremony, McEnery will present his extensive research efforts and results from his project titled “Application and Evaluation of Tools for Estimating River Bathymetry.”
Applications will open in October for the 2025 ERDC-U session. For information on ERDC-U and applications, visit: https://wiki.erdc.dren.mil/ERDC_University