CAESER is a multi-disciplinary research center at the University of Memphis.
Our mission is to strengthen communities by improving their social and environmental conditions through research and collaboration.
06/19/2026
From campus testing to long days out in the field, we’ve been putting the new sTEM system to work across West Tennessee!
It was a week full of learning, collaboration, and discovery, and we’re excited about the potential. This technology could truly be a game changer for our work (hint: it already is!).
Big thanks to everyone who made this possible!
💧
Last month, we shared a quiet moment at Sandy Creek in Jackson, TN, listening to the real sounds of Memphis aquifer recharge, watching water slowly return to the system.
Today, that same creek tells a very different story.
After just a few weeks of heavy rain, erosion has reshaped the creek in ways you can see.
Our research professor Rodrigo Villalpando Vizcaino said it best:
“Do you remember your high-school crush?
This is him/her/they now...
People change, and so do rivers.”
Nature doesn’t stand still, and neither do our waterways.
06/13/2026
Boots on the ground…and eyes in the sky.
WTRBA’s stream restoration projects rely on detailed assessments, often carried out on foot with the help of aerial imagery. While essential, this work can be time-consuming and costly.
CAESER’s Jacobs Lab is helping change that.
Dr. Alf Ramirez, Dr. Mary Yaeger, and graduate students Emilio Castorena, Ainee Favorito, and Rafi Ur Rahman are out at Cub Creek, Moize Creek, Gaylor Creek, Towne Creek, and Crooked Creek collecting data using a custom hexa-copter. Equipped with LiDAR/RGB and VNIR hyperspectral sensors, the system captures precise stream data from above.
By combining drone technology with GIS, the team is making stream analysis faster, smarter, and more efficient, supporting stronger communities across West Tennessee.
06/11/2026
Register for our next TEEA Talk on June 30th!
Join the Tennessee Environmental Education Association on June 30 from 4:30–6:00 PM CDT / 5:30–7:00 PM EDT for a thought-provoking virtual TEEA Talk featuring Dr. David Rupke of Rhodes College: The AI Revolution and Its Environmental Impact on People and Planet.
Data centers powering the AI revolution have local and global impacts that are driving difficult conversations around the country. In this presentation, we will dive into the intersection between the massive investments in AI and the global environment, and explore how the AI boom and data centers impact the Earth’s climate, amid their other vectors of potential promise and peril.
Whether you're an environmental educator, scientist, student, or simply curious about the future of technology and sustainability, this session will provide valuable insights into one of the most important and rapidly evolving issues of our time.
Register here: https://eeintennessee.starchapter.com/meetinginfo.php?id=15&ts=1781018571
💧 : Why are rivers so curvy? 🌊
Have you ever noticed that rivers are almost never straight?
That’s because water naturally takes the easiest path. A small obstacle, like a rock or fallen tree, can cause a river to curve, and from there, the bends keep growing!
Here’s how it works:
💧 Faster water on the outside of a curve causes erosion
🌱 Slower water on the inside causes sediment to build up
➡️ Over time, this creates bigger curves, and sometimes even oxbow lakes
It’s nature in motion!
👉 Want to see it for yourself?
Join CAESER this weekend at SciPlay with at Tom Lee Park Playground!
🔬 We’ll have our interactive stream table so you can watch river meandering happen in real time.
📅 Saturday, June 13th, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
🔗 Sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/share/14dXeSrY2LF/
👨👩👧👦 Fun for all ages!
06/10/2026
🎓 Big congratulations to Raka Sunderland! 👏
We’re excited to share that CAESER graduate student Raka has passed her comprehensive exams and is now officially a Ph.D. candidate!
This is a huge milestone and a testament to her dedication, perseverance, and passion for research.
Join us in celebrating Raka and wishing her continued success as she moves forward in her doctoral journey! 🌟
06/09/2026
🌊 Happy World Ocean Day!
Even if you’re in Memphis, the ocean matters to us all.
The Wolf River, Loosahatchie River, and Nonconnah Creek flow into the Mississippi River, which carries water all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. That means what we do here really does matter everywhere.
💧 Our rivers connect us to the ocean
🌎 Oceans influence our climate and weather
🐟 Healthy oceans support food, jobs, and recreation
⚠️ Pollution here can travel far downstream
What happens upstream doesn’t stay upstream.
Let’s do our part to protect our waterways and the ocean we all depend on.
👉 Start today:
* Use less plastic
* Keep trash out of storm drains
* Join or support local clean-up efforts
💬 What’s one step you’re taking to keep our waterways clean?
Every action, big or small, makes a difference—right here and around the world. 🌎🌊
06/05/2026
💧 in Sandy Creek (Jackson, TN)!
If you know the area, it’s usually more sand than creek, but after recent rain, we got the full creek experience.
That meant collecting field measurements and making sure to stay safe… with arm floaties included 😂
Fieldwork can be unpredictable, but it’s all part of understanding how our water systems change and why it matters.
💧
During fieldwork at Sandy Creek in Jackson, TN, our team found this ball carried into the creek by moving water.
We often think of rain as falling straight down, but it doesn’t stay in one place. It flows across land, picking up and transporting materials along the way. This process, called runoff, can carry everything from debris to pollutants into streams and groundwater.
Understanding how water moves helps protect important resources like the Memphis aquifer.
🌍 Small objects can tell big stories.
06/02/2026
Why just attend when you can present! 👇
