BASIN Principal Investigator

SUMMARY

Hydrologist/geologist with extensive experience in water quality research and education.

EXPERIENCE

Hydrologist/Geologist - U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, Boulder, Colorado, 2001–present

Conducted geologic and hydrologic research in the western United States and in the Tropics; managed projects, including planning, implementation, and budget management; managed printing and distribution of reports; prepared citizens' guide to water quality; wrote and edited proposals; studied effects of wildfire on watersheds; presented projects to the public and the scientific community; developed and performed outreach activities for students and teachers; trained and mentored student assistants.

Project Scientist - City of Boulder, Colorado, 1999-2001

Developed web pages for varying levels of education (www.BASIN.org); presented project to teachers, students, scientists, government organizations, and the public; served as liaison between Boulder's Environmental Affairs and Water Quality departments; interpreted water quality data from city, state, and federal agencies; produced and performed in television programs about water.

Geochemist/Geologist - Shepherd Miller, Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado, 1995-1999

Project scientist for environmental studies in the western United States; sampled and analyzed water quality; performed soil and geologic mapping; analyzed mine waste to estimate potential acid and metal generation; wrote, edited, and proofread environmental impact statements, technical memoranda, and proposals; managed databases; presented findings to scientists, regulators, and the public.

Research and Teaching Assistant - The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Geosciences, University Park, Pennsylvania, 1993–1995

Sampled and analyzed water, rock, and soil using wet chemistry, X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe, and petrographic microscopy; calculated mineral weathering rates; published thesis in scientific journal; designed and taught geology laboratory courses; tutored students.

EDUCATION

• Master of Science, Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, 1995
• Bachelor of Science with Honors, Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, 1993
• Additional Education and Seminars: Courses on natural history, HTML, public speaking, communications, and acting

ACTIVITIES

• Naropa University, Environmental Studies Department, Adjunct Faculty, 2006-present
• Colorado Watershed Assembly, Outreach Committee Chair, 2005-present
• Community of Sudanese and American Women/Men, Public Relations Committee Cochair, 2005-present
• Boulder Creek Critters Puppet Show, Puppeteer and Co-developer, 2002-present
• National Ocean Sciences Bowl, Judge, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
• Boulder Creek Watershed Initiative, Treasurer and Forum Moderator, 1999-present
• Association for Women Geoscientists, Member, 1996-present

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Murphy, S.F., 2006, State of the watershed - Water quality of Boulder Creek, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1284, 34 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1284.
• Barber, L.B., Murphy, S.F., Verplanck, P.L., Sandstrom, M.W., Taylor, H.E., and Furlong, E.T., 2006, Chemical loading into surface water along a hydrological, biogeochemical, and land use gradient - A holistic watershed approach: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 40, p. 475-486.
• Martin, D.A., and Murphy, S.F., 2004, Water-quality effects of wildland fire - Chemical and biological sampling in streams draining areas burned by the 2003 Overland Fire near Jamestown, Colorado: Colorado Watershed Assembly Newsletter, summer 2004, 2 p.
• Murphy, S.F., Verplanck, P.L., and Barber, L.B., editors, 2003, Comprehensive water quality of the Boulder Creek Watershed, Colorado, during high-flow and low-flow conditions, 2000: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4045, 198 p., http://wwwbrr.cr.usgs.gov/projects/SWC_Boulder_Watershed/.
• Water quality and geology web pages on the Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network (BASIN), 1999-2000, Available at www.basin.org/watershed/wqhome.html and http://www.basin.org/watershed/geology.
• Murphy, S.F., Brantley, S.L., Blum, A.E., White, A.F., and Dong, H., 1998, Chemical weathering in a tropical mountain watershed, Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico II - The rate and mechanism of biotite weathering: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 62, p. 227-243.

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

• "Tailings, Typhoid, and Triclosan, Oh My! Water Quality Past, Present, and Future", South Platte Forum, Longmont, Colorado, October 25, 2006 (invited speaker). Abstract and slide show available at www.southplatteforum.org/2006_forum.htm.
• "State of the Watershed - A Tool for Bridging Research and Education," Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 22, 2006.
• "Water Quality Impacts of Landscape Change in a Colorado Front Range Watershed," Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, April 5, 2005 (invited speaker).
• "A 21st Century Look at the Water Quality of Boulder Creek," Boulder Creek Watershed Forum, Boulder, Colorado, October 28, 2003.
• Segment on CBS Channel 4 News, Denver, Colorado, October 28, 2003. Interviewed about Boulder Creek watershed study. Shown at 12 noon, 6 pm, and 10 pm.
• "Using Information Technology to Inform and Engage the Community in Water Education and Conservation", American Waterworks Association Rocky Mountain Section Annual Meeting, Vail, Colorado, September 10, 2000.
• "Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network (BASIN) - One Community's Approach to Gathering and Providing Environmental Data", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Involvement Conference, San Francisco, California, August 2000.