I am the newest member of the Eltahir group, having just joined in the summer of 2008 to work on the Mosquitoes, Monsoons and Malaria project.

Originally from Windsor, Canada, I first came to MIT in 2000 for my undergraduate degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering.  During this time, I developed a strong interest in using environmental engineering to improve public health in developing countries.  Through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), I had the chance to work on a number of projects involving household drinking water treatment.  The highlight of these projects was spending my summer and winter breaks conducting fieldwork in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. 

After graduating in 2004, I joined the Peace Corps.  I enjoyed breathtaking views as I served as a Water & Sanitation volunteer in the very rural town of Besao, Mountain Province, Philippines.  I worked closely with the town's Rural Health Unit on a wide range of projects, mostly surrounding solid waste management.  I then spent two years teaching math and science at Mother Caroline Academy, a middle school in Dorchester, MA.

The malaria project is an excellent fit for me, as it is a combines my interests in hydrology, public health, fieldwork, and traveling to exciting places.  During my first month as a graduate student, I will travel with members of the group to Niger, where we will use GPS units to locate pools of water that may be suitable breeding habitats for the malaria-transmitting mosquitoes.  This information will be used to ground truth a 3m x 3m RadarSat2 image.  The eventual goal is to be able to use radar imaging as an additional input to inform the MOSQTRAK model.

Besao, Philippines

educating in the Philippines

Teresa