John Schwartz, professor and director of the Tennessee Water Resources Research Center (TNWRRC), spent the fall 2019 semester researching and teaching at the Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague. In CTU’s Department of Landscape Water Conservation, he worked on three research projects and taught a stream restoration (revitalization) class. His research included:
- a field experiment on fine sediment trapping in grassy swales,
- a soil erosion study advancing models by coupling cropland field experiments from a rainfall simulator and a jet test device. He brought the jet test device from his research laboratory at the University of Tennessee to evaluate its use in this new application, and
- a comparative study on stream restoration practices in the US versus stream revitalization practices in the Czech Republic.
He said his sabbatical was a “rewarding experience,” and now that he’s back at UT, he has plans to build the water resources research capacity in the state. He wrote about his experience on the TNWRRC website.