Michael Walter, Ph.D.             Professor	218 Riley Robb   mfw2@cornell.edu
Hydrology and water quality, rural water sheds and international development

Biography

A specialist in water management, Walter came to Cornell in 1974 after completing his graduate studies. His prior experience includes work as a civil engineer for the Bureau of Water Resources of the Illinois Division of Waterways. At Cornell he has served on the Faculty Council of Representatives and the University Council. Walter is a fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Research Interests

My research is on sustainable rural development with special interest in International Development in India.

My research tends to be highly interdisciplinary with a focus on empowering and improving the lives of the rural poor by improving access to water, although recent graduate students did their projects on use of solar energy for drying fish by a women's group in Uruguay and development of a training program for effective preservation and marketing of vegetables in Kenya.  In my current role as co-Director of the Tata-Cornell Program on Agriculture and Nutrition we are looking for effective linkages between agriculture and improved health and nutrition of children and their mothers in central India.  This is an endowed program so it allows us to develop projects that will extend over a long period.

Current Research Projects

Timing of agricultural practices in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra India which will explore impacts of climate change that will press farmers to change the timing or even type of management farm practices they use.

Water balance studies, also in the Vidarbha region to establish baseline hydrologic processes with particular interest in groundwater sustainability.

Impact of ecosystems as a result of changes in use of rural marginal land.

Professional CV

Academic Degrees

• Ph.D., Water Resource Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
• M.S., Hydrology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL
• B.S., Agricultural Engineering, University of Illinois

Professional Experience

• Undergraduate Program Director, 2008 - 2011
• Chair of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, 1994 - 2008
• Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1987 - present
• Associate Professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1979 - 1987
• Irrigation Management Advisor, USAID India, New Delhi, India, 1984 - 1985 and 1988 - 1989
• Assistant Professor, Agricultural Engineering Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1974 - 1979
• Farm Manager-Electric Research Farm, Agricultural Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 1971 - 1974
• Civil Engineer, Bureau of Water Resources, Division of Waterways, Springfield, IL, 1969 - 1971

Professional Activities

Professional Societies

• American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
• American Society of Agronomy
• American Geophysical Union
• American Society of Engineering Educators
• American Society of Civil Engineering
• Institute of Biological Engineers
• Soil Conservation Society of America

Cornell Graduate Fields

• Field of Biological and Environmental  Engineering
• Field of International Agriculture and Development
• Field of Conservation and Sustainable Development

Administrative Activities

Department

• Department Chair, 1994 - 2008
• Department Extension Leader, 1995 - 2008
• Graduate Field Representative, 1991 - 1994
• Master of Engineering Representative, 1989 - 1992
• Master of Professional Studies Representative, 1976 - 1982

College

• Director of Ag and Environmental Management Program, 1993 - 2008
• MPS Executive Committee, 1976 - 1982

University

• Faculty Committee on Programs and Policies 2007 - Present
• Faculty Academic Committee
• Faculty Fellow, 1990-2006
• Steering Committee - Cornell Center for Environment, 1994 - 1997
• Cornell Faculty Council of Representatives, 1989 - 1994
• Cornell Faculty Executive Committee, 1991 - 1994
• Cornell Research Policy Committee, 1992 - 1996
• Cornell Senate, 1978 - 1982

Professional

Co-Director of the Tata-Cornell Program on Agriculture and Nutrition 2009 - Present

• Soil Management CRSP, Board of Directors, 1997 - 2007
• Research Director for Irrigation Support Project for Asia and Near East ($35M USAID Funded Project), 1987 - 1992
• USAID Project Leader, Hill Area Land and Water Development Project ($70M USAID Funded Project), 1988 - 1989
• USAID Program Advisor, India Irrigation, 1984 - 1985

Recognition and Honor Societies

• Carpenter Award for Outstanding Advising, Cornell University, 2009
• Outstanding Advising Award, College of Engineering 2001 and 2006
• ASABE Fellow, 2003
• President’s Award, ASAE, 1994
• Outstanding Teaching Award - Cornell ASAE, 1993
• Young Engineer of the Year Award, NAR-ASAE, 1985
• Gamma Sigma Delta, 1993
• Golden Key Outstanding Faculty Award, 1992
• Alpha Epsilon, 1969
• ASAE Blue Ribbon Publications, (4)
• ASAE Technical Paper Awards, (3)

Selected Publications

1. Geohring, L.D., Lee, S., Wright, P.E., Steenhuis, T.S., Walter, M.F. 2005. Drainage Water Quality Response to Liquid Manure Application. ASAE Paper No. 05-2065. St. Joseph, Mich.: ASAE.
2. Malvicini, C.F., T.S. Steenhuis, M.T. Walter, M.F. Walter. Oct 2005. Evaluation of spring flow in uplands of Matalom, Leyte, Philippines. Adv. Water Resources. 28(10):1083-1090.
3. Walter, M.T., V.K. Mehta, A.M. Monrone, J.Boll, P. Gerard-Merchant, T.S. Steenhuis, M.F. Walter. Mar-Apr 2005. Closure: A simple estimation of the prevalence of Hortonian flow in New York City’s watersheds. ASCE J. Hydrol. Eng. 10(2):169-170.
4. Hanson, D.L., T.S. Steenhuis, M.F. Walter, et al. Jul-Aug 2004. Effects of soil degradation and management practices on the surface water dynamics in the Talgua River Watershed in Honduras. Land Degrad. Develop. 15(4):367-381.
5. Mehta, V.K., M.T. Walter, E.S. Brooks, T.S. Steenhuis, M.F. Walter, M. Johnson, J. Boll, D. Thengs. Jun 2004. Application of SMR to modeling watersheds in the Catskill Mountains. Envir. Modeling and Assessment. 9(2):77-89.
6. Mehta, V.K., M.T. Walter, E.S. Brooks, T.S. Steenhuis, M.F. Walter, M. Johnson, J. Boll, D. Thengs. 2003 Evaluation and application of SMR for watershed modeling in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Land Degrad. Develop. 15: 367-381, 2004.
7. Valdivia, M.V., M.T. Walter, C.D. Salmon, L.O. Hedin, M.F. Walter. Hydrochemical modeling of dissolved organic carbon in a small, undisturbed, forested watershed in southern Chile. (H51D-1174) AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA. December 13-17, 2004.
8. Walter, M.T., V.K. Mehta, A.M. Marrone, J. Boll, P. Gerard-Marchant, T.S. Steenhuis, M.F. Walter. Simple estimation of prevalence of Hortonian flow in New York City watersheds. J. Hydrol. Eng. 8(4):214-218. Jul-Aug, 2001.
9. Scott, C.A., Walter, M.F., G.N. Nagle, M.T. Walter, N.V. Sierra, E.S. Brooks. Residual phosphorus in runoff from successional forest on abandoned agricultural land: 1. Biologeochemical and hydrological processes. Biogeochemistry 55: 293-309, 2001.
10. Scott, C.A., M.F. Walter. Residual phosphorus in runoff from successional forest on abandoned agricultural land: 2. Hydrological and soluble reactive P Budgets. Biochemistry 55(3):311-325, 2001.
11. Geohring, L.D., O.V. McHugh, M.T. Walter, T.S. Steenhuis, M. S. Akhtar, M.F. Walter. Phosphorus transport into subsurface drains by macropores after manure applications: Implications for best manure management practices. Soil Sci. 166(12):896-909. Dec. 2001.
12. Walter, M.T., J.Y. Parlange, M. Walter, X. Xin and C. Scott. Modeling pollutant release from a surface source during rainfall runoff. J. Envir. Qual 30(1) 151-159. Jan-Feb. 2001
13. Norman, W. R., Walter, M. Todd, Michael F. Walter. 2000. Water Distribution Management in Small West African Canal Systems. J. of Irrigation and Drainage Eng. Sep/Oct. 2000 V.126/5
14. Walter, M.T., Brooks, E.S., Walter, M.F., Steenhuis, T.S., Scott, C.A., Boll, J.A. Hydrologically sensitive areas: Variable source area hydrology implications for water quality with assessment. J. Soil Water Conserv. 55(3) 277-284. 2000.
15. Geohring, L.D., Wright, P.E., Steenhuis, T.S., Walter, M.F., Fecal Coliforms in Subsurface Drains after Manure Application. Submitted to: J. of Env. Quality. 2000. Walter, M.T., M.F. Walter. NYC Watershed Ag Program – WAP. Water Res. Impact. Vol. 1(5) 5-8. Sept. 1999.
16. Steenhuis, T.S., J.Y. Parlange, W.E. Sanford, A. Heilig, F. Stagnitti and M.F. Walter. Comment on: . Can we distinguish Richards’ and Boussinesq’s equations for hillslopes?: The Coweeta experiment revisited. Water Resources Research. Vol. 35:(11) 3575-2576. Nov. 1999.
17. Steenhuis, T.S. J. –Y. Parlange, W.E. Sanford, A. Heilig, F. Stagnitti, and M.F. Walter. Can we distinguish Richards’ and Boussinesq’s equations for hillslopes?: The Coweeta experiment revisited. Water Resources Research. Vol. 35(2), pp. 589-593. Feb. 1999.
18. Frankenburger, J. R., E. S. Brooks, M. T. Walter, M. F. Walter and T. S. Steenhuis. A GIS-Based Variable Source Area Hydrology Model. Hydrologic Processes. Hydrol. Process. 13:(6) 805-823. 1999. Wells, J.C. and M.F. Walter. 1999. Experiments on entry of a rough circular cylinder into water. Applications to rainsplash eroision of soil. Annual Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. Vol. 43(Feb):785-790.
19. Scott, C.A., L.D. Geohring, M.F. Walter. 1998. Water quality impacts of tile drains in shallow, sloping structured soils as affected by manure applications. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. Vol. 14(6): 599-603. Chandler, D.G., M.F. Walter. 1998. Runoff responses among common land uses in the uplands of Matalom, Leyte, Philippines. ASAE Trans. Vol. 41(6):1635-1641.
20. Brush, C.F., M.F. Walter, L.J. Anguish, W.C. Ghiorse. 1998. Influence of pretreatment and experimental conditions on electrophoretic mobility and hydrophobicity of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Vol. 64, No. 11. Nov. p. 4439-4445
21. Weiler, K.R., M.T. Walter, E.S. Brooks, and C.A. Scott. 1998. Temporally dependent risk analysis for flood plains in the Delaware River Basin. ASCE. J. Water Resource Planning and Management.
22. Scott, C.A., M. F. Walter, E.S. Brooks, J. Boll, M.B. Hes, M. D. Merrill. Historical Changes in Land Use and Dairy Herds on Water Quality in the Catskills Mountains. J. Environmental Quality. J. Environ. Qual. 27:1410-1417. 1998.
23. Walter, M.F. 1998. Book Review. Land and Water Development in the Asia-Pacific Region, V.V.N. Murth and K. Takeuchi, Science Publishers, Inc., Lebanon, NH. Agricultural Water Management 33 (1997) 211-212.
24. Johnson, A., G., T. Morrow, and M. Walter. Enhancing Learning through Cooperative Course Offerings. ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings. 1998.

ASAE Papers

• Rossing, J.M. and M.F. Walter. 1995. Hydrologically-based Identification of Critical Areas for Water Quality Protection in the New York City Watershed. ASAE Paper No. 95-2580.