11 BOONE PICKENS SCHOOL OF GEOLOGY Dr. Yipeng Zhang Assistant Professor Hydrogeology, Basin Scale Numerical Modeling, Groundwater in Geologic Processes, and Induced Seismicity Howdy, y’all, I am Yipeng Zhang, the assistant professor in Hydrogeology at BPSoG at OSU. I joined the BPSoG family in the summer of 2023. By training, I am a physical hydrogeologist with a strong research emphasis on mathematical modeling. I combine finite element/finite difference numerical models with field observations and lab measurements to understand the roles that groundwater plays in geologic processes that have broad societal impacts. The specific research topics include induced earthquakes due to waste fluid reinjection during the hydrofracking practice, the impact of glacial loading on integrity of nuclear waste disposal repositories in high latitude countries, and offshore groundwater exploration in continental shelfs for coastal city drinking water supply. My current research at OSU involves benefit assessment of enhanced aquifer recharge (EAR) for the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer in southern Oklahoma. EAR involves injecting freshwater into an aquifer when freshwater is in excess, and later recovering freshwater through the same well by pumping when water demand exceeds supply. EAR is increasingly used worldwide to maintain, enhance and secure freshwater availability without the need for land acquisition, in-stream barriers, or losses from evaporation that occur from surface water reservoirs. This project is funded by U.S. EPA and will last till 2026. I teach introductory level courses of physical geology to undergraduate students and will start to teach introductory level courses of hydrogeology in the coming semesters. I got my B.S. in Geology from Jilin University and obtained my M.S. in Hydrology and Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences, both from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Prior to coming to OSU, I was working as a groundwater modeling postdoc at UT El Paso, and then a hydrogeologist at a non-profit organization in central Texas. Photo by Hanna Stevens
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