The International Erosion Control Association Region One has announced the winners of its 2018 poster session contest. The session took place at the 2018 IECA Annual Conference and Expo.

The first place winner was Abigail Haselton; she presented a poster featuring wildflower growth response to construction site soil conditions. Second place was Emily Dowdeswell, who presented climate change effects on soil erodibility, and third place was Jessica Hunter, who presented on Monongahela River sediment buildup.

Haselton is a graduate research assistant at North Carolina State University. Her poster explored the use of three wildflower species at different construction soil sites: the California poppy, lancelead corepsos and Partridge pea.

Dowdeswell is a Ph.D. student researcher at Cranfield University, and investigated the affect of climate change and increased rainfall on soil aggregate stabilization.

"The outcomes provide evidence to construct a mechanistic framework to interpret how aggregate stability is affected by changing climatic conditions," explained Dowdeswell. "A greater understanding of the effects of a changing climate on soil erodibility will aid in making better predictions of future soil erosion rates and better targeting of soil erosion control measures."

Hunter, a student at Pennsylvania State University, is working with other students to find a long-term solution to the cause of the sediment buildup at tributaries along the Monongahela River.