Research: Graduate Student Profile

 

Snapshots...

Daniel Ruiz Carrascal
Climate & Society, LDEO

M.S., Water Resources, National University of Columbia, 2002.
B.S., Civil Engineering, National University of Columbia, 1997.

"The rigorous curriculum of the Climate & Society program and the plentiful research opportunities through Columbia's International Research Institute for Climate Prediction and Society allowed me to further develop my skills in analyzing complex ecological systems and in developing, analyzing, and validating dynamic models commonly used in biology, entomology, and epidemiology."

Development of an Early Warning System for Malaria Outbreaks in Colombia

I am participating in the development of one of the components of the National Integrated Dengue and Malaria Surveillance and Control System, an initiative that has been proposed to mitigate the possible adverse effects of climate change on human health in my country, Colombia.

The Integrated Surveillance and Control System involves the creation of a Malaria Early Warning System. Our idea is to use several mathematical models to simulate the complex dynamics of dengue and malaria transmission in endemic-prone areas, to estimate the time of occurrence of unexpected outbreaks, and to evaluate the possible magnitude of the concomitant sharp rises in the incidence of these tropical diseases.

I got interested in this subject when I worked for the Water Resources Graduate Program (WRGP) of the National University of Colombia on a research project that was aimed at understanding the linkages between malaria outbreaks in Colombia and the occurrence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

I am also interested in the potential impacts of climate change on high mountain ecosystems. Climate change seems to be causing a dramatic loss of biodiversity and a significant loss of environmental goods and services provided by these unique habitats, especially water supply and basin regulation.

Advisors: Dr. M. Neil Ward (IRI), Dr. Stephen Connor (IRI).