Research Projects
Water Security of Paraíba Municipalities (SIGMA)
Through spatial analysis and community-based research, SIRJ assesses water security in Brazil, highlighting public engagement for a resilient future.
RISING Mid-Atlantic
The goal of this project is to significantly improve the resilience and well-being of rural coastal communities in Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey who are impacted by saltwater intrusion and sea-level rise.
Linking Vulnerability to Urban Flooding and Infrastructure
By using secondary flood and infrastructure data, SIRJ examines how flooding impacts the quality and serviceability of essential infrastructure in Washington, D.C.
Internet of Things (IoT) and Sensor Technology
Using IoT and smart sensors, SIRJ monitors campus streams to improve stormwater management at the University of Maryland.
Water Emergency Team (WET)
Exposure to raw sewage from failing infrastructure can lead to health issues and distress. WET addresses these gaps by conducting inspections, surveys, and sample analyses for AR bacteria.
Mitigation of Water-related Risks in Vulnerable Communities
The main goal is to develop a community-driven, spatially informed framework for adaptive flood management in the US and Brazil.
Past Projects
Alternative Crops and Renewable Energy (ACRE)
The Alternative Crops and Renewable Energy (ACRE) project aims to utilize bioenergy crops to enhance anaerobic digestion, transform chicken litter, improve soil health and establish climate-smart commodity pathways for small farms on the Delmarva Peninsula. The bioenergy sector, including anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis, offers economically viable solutions for excess litter. The project seeks to create new commodities and markets accessible to underserved farmers by promoting bioenergy crops like switchgrass and ryegrass, which also sequester soil carbon. Partnering with scholars from UMD, UMES, and Chesapeake Utilities, the SIRJ lab explores the environmental justice and equity impacts of adopting these technologies in the region.
Maryland Animal Waste Technology Assessment and Strategy Planning (MDA)
The project goal is to provide strategies for animal waste management and give guidance on how to incorporate environmental justice into the selection and siting of future Animal Waste Technology projects. The project researches and evaluates animal wastes generated in Maryland (by county), animal processing waste, and relevant food wastes that are generated in Maryland, transported across state lines, or generated outside of Maryland but land applied or processed in Maryland to the greatest extent possible. Recommendations incorporate nutrient management to improve public health, reduce nitrogen and phosphorus transport, address MD climate change and environmental justice goals, and preserve the viability of the agricultural industry. We provide strategies for animal waste management and give guidance on how to incorporate environmental justice into the selection and siting of future Animal Waste Technology projects.
A Multi-Method Approach to Assess Sanitary Risks and Pathways to Waterborne Microbial Exposures Associated with Vulnerable Infrastructure in Baltimore, Maryland
This study uses a multi-method approach to assess sanitary sewer overflow (SSO), among other sanitary risks and exposure to bacteria from contaminated surfaces within the built environment across Baltimore neighborhoods. The study will use SSO incident data, waste and trash data, land use data, and American Community Survey Data to map and statistically model incident risks, along with environmental sampling data, stakeholder interview data, and household surveys to understand exposure and impacts.
Citizen Science for Infrastructure Monitoring at the Neighborhood Level
In the pursuit of safe and reliable infrastructure systems, monitoring data are collected to assess the condition, usage, and in-service performance of these systems. This research pursues design and test protocols and techniques for collecting infrastructure monitoring data at the neighborhood level by volunteer citizen scientists. This project will contribute to understanding the factors that influence the reliability and validity of citizen-generated infrastructure monitoring data, with a focus on stormwater infrastructure. Successful implementation of protocols and techniques for collecting infrastructure monitoring data by residents would accelerate the production of high-quality data at the neighborhood level.
A Partnership for Advancing Participatory Methods and Technologies in Stormwater System Management in Disadvantaged Communities
The aim of this work is to design and field test new methods and digital technologies to enable citizens to provide data for and participate in the decision-making processes pertaining to managing stormwater systems, including both housing and neighborhood infrastructure. The ultimate purpose of these methods and technologies is to improve the resilience of disadvantaged communities to flood and stormwater-related hazards in ways that also empower them to advocate for equitable and prudent use of public resources. These participatory methods and tools could help build trust and facilitate engagement between the residents and their local government, a challenge commonly found in minority and disadvantaged communities.
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Manuscripts from SIRJ
Alves, P. B. R., Amanguah, E., McNally, D., Espinoza, M., Ghaedi, H., Reilly, A. C., & Hendricks, M. D. (2024). Navigating the definition of urban flooding: A conceptual and systematic review of the literature. Water Science and Technology, 90(10), 2796–2812. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2024.351
Goode, M., Abu, J. J., Alves, P. B. R., Woerner, E. M. H., Levell-Young, T., Smith-Hams, T., Volpitta, A., Crews, R., Brown, M., Rosenberg Goldstein, R. E., & Hendricks, M. D. (2025). A peek at leaks and basement backups: A pilot survey exploring the impacts and outcomes of untreated sewage in homes. Environmental Research Communications, 7(4), 045025. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adcb06
Hendricks, M. D., & Rosenberg Goldstein, R. E. (2025). Sanitary sewer overflows, household sewage backups, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria: The new frontier of environmental health risks and disasters. Environmental Research: Health, 3(1), 013001. https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ad8d05
Jones, A. V., Alves, P. B. R., Drakeford, B., & Hendricks, M. D. (2024). Slow violence to disasters: Exploring racialized topographies and contextualizing social vulnerability to flood and other environmental risks. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 105, 104409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104409
Oliveira Lobão, G. S., Brito, H. C., Ribeiro, M. D. do A. V., Alves, P. B. R., & Rufino, I. A. A. (2025). Water security evaluation in small-sized cities in Paraíba, Brazil. Water Supply, 25(7), 1125–1141. https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2025.067
Park, M., Alves, P. B. R., Whiteheart, R. M., & Hendricks, M. D. (2024). Socially vulnerable people and stormwater infrastructure: A geospatial exploration of the equitable distribution of gray and green infrastructure in Washington D.C. Cities, 150, 105010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2024.105010
Si, Q., Alves, P., Pavao-Zuckerman, M., Davis, A., Burke, T., Quinn, B., Bonsignore, E., Cotting, J., Baer, J., Peterson, K., Gaunaurd, P., Clegg, T., Loshin, D., Fellows, A., Keen, T., Knaap, G., & Hendricks, M. (2025). Internet of Things‐Based Framework Application at a University Campus Scale: Linking Smart Monitoring Systems and Stormwater Management. Advanced Intelligent Discovery. https://doi.org/10.1002/aidi.202400027
Si, Q., Brito, H. C., Alves, P. B. R., Pavao-Zuckerman, M. A., Rufino, I. A. A., & Hendricks, M. D. (2024). GIS-based spatial approaches to refining urban catchment delineation that integrate stormwater network infrastructure. Discover Water, 4, 24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43832-024-00083-z
Woerner, E. M. H., Anderson-Coughlin, B. L., Alves, P. B. R., Levell-Young, T., Barlow, C. M., Smith-Hams, T., Volpitta, A., Crews, R., Brown, M., Hendricks, M. D., & Goldstein, R. E. R. (2025). Antibiotic-resistant bacteria detected in homes impacted by sewage. PLOS Water, 4(6), e0000375. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000375