10/09/2026
🌊 Learning by doing in the Cullowhee Creek Watershed.
More than 30 construction management and engineering students are helping assemble, deploy and monitor sensors throughout the watershed as part of a project focused on improving early warning of floods and landslides in the small headwater streams of Western North Carolina.
Guided by Dr. Mickey Henson, a faculty member in the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction, students are gaining hands-on experience while contributing to research that could help communities better understand and prepare for environmental hazards.
Among those leading the effort are stepbrothers Grant Byers and Jackson Pickering. Grant, a junior in the Construction Management program and president of WCU's CMAA chapter, serves as project manager of the Warning System Project. Jackson, a sophomore in the Mechanical Engineering program and a FLiTE Scholar, is working on the application of soil moisture sensors. Soil moisture measurement is a critical factor in analyzing both flooding and landslide risk.
"What makes this so unique and special is that I get to work alongside my younger stepbrother Jackson Pickering," said Grant. "Getting to grow and expand on something we are both so passionate about is truly a rare opportunity."
The sensors students are deploying will provide the data behind the flood simulations, landslide analyses and watershed visualizations shown here. By combining field measurements with advanced modeling tools, the project aims to improve understanding of how flooding and landslides develop across Western North Carolina.
From the classroom to the creek, Catamount engineers are putting their skills to work on solutions that could make a real difference for Western North Carolina communities. 💧🐾
