Fassnacht, Steven

Steven Fassnacht grew up in the Great Lakes region that has a lot of water falling from the sky (three times as much as the Front Range of Colorado, where he now lives).  However, even in a place where water resources appeared to be limitless, water availability was an issue, due to the timing of rain and snow, and water quality problems that come with long term development.  Dr. Fassnacht was drawn to study water because there is an analytical component, a resources conservation component, and an environmental field component. He has focused on the physical aspects of watershed science, but acknowledges that to solve the bigger and more important problems, that often include water quality issues, we must work in interdisciplinary teams.  Such groups expand our boundaries and build our understanding of physical, biological, and social systems.

As an undergraduate, Dr. Fassnacht was exposed to a number of water quality issues and he graduated with a water resources concentration.  His master’s research focused on sediment transport and data collection for environmental assessments of infrastructure development in an ecological sensitive area, specifically a very large delta (Mackenzie) on the Arctic Ocean.  He has also worked for the Water Survey of Canada as an assistant hydrometric technician, and as a research associate in the hydrology and Water Resources Department at the University of Arizona.  His Ph.D. is in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo.