Kyla Semmendinger-Raney

Past Postdoctoral Research Fellow

4840 S. State Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108-9719

[email protected]

Kyla Semmendinger-Raney, PhD, is a CIGLR Postdoctoral Research Fellow working with Drs. Yi Hong (CIGLR) and Lauren Fry (NOAA GLERL) to support adaptive management efforts in the Great Lakes. Kyla collaborates with the Great Lakes Adaptive Management committee to identify pathways to leverage advancements in subseasonal-to-annual supply forecasting to improve outflow regulation in the Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River water system. Prior to working with CIGLR and NOAA GLERL, Kyla investigated the value of forecast information in water resources decision-making under stationary and non-stationary hydroclimate regimes.

Education:
    • Ph.D. Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 2023
    • M.S. Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 2021
    • B.S. Engineering with Environmental Concentration, Mercer University, 2018
Research Interest/Area of Expertise:
    • Forecast-informed reservoir operations
    • Adaptive and robust water system management
    • Many-objective optimization and impact assessment
    • Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River outflow regulation

Publications

Recent Publications:

Semmendinger, K. & Steinschneider, S. (2023). “The Influence of Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Water Supply Forecasts on Multi-Objective Water System Robustness under Long-Term Change.” Under Review.

Semmendinger, K., Lee, D., Fry, L. & Steinschneider, S. (2022). “Establishing Opportunities and Limitations of Forecast Use in the Operational Management of Highly Constrained, Multi-Objective Water Systems.” J Water Resour Plan Manag. (DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001585).

Finkenbiner, C. & Semmendinger, K. (2022). “A Visualization Workflow for Quantifying Parameter Sensitivities to Uncertainties for Hydrologic Models.” Journal Am Water Resour Assoc. (DOI:10.1111/1752-1688.12946).

Semmendinger, K., Foley, J. & Steinschneider, S. (2020). “A Probabilistic Parcel-Level Inundation Prediction Tool for Medium-Range Flood Forecasting in Large Lake Systems.” Journal Am Water Resour Assoc. (DOI:10.1111/1752-1688.12893).

Lackey, L., Semmendinger, K. & MacCarthy, M. (2019). “Biological Sand Filter Performance Test Using Multiple Methods for Pathogen Detection: A Longitudinal Field Study in Kenya.” Water, Air, & Soil Poll. (DOI:10.1007/s11270-019-4218-6).

Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings:

MacCarthy, M., Ramirez, G., Graham, M., Chagan, A. & Semmendinger, K. (2020). “Sustainable Low-cost Household Energy Systems: Solar Photovoltaic and Shallow Geothermal Systems.” ASEE Annual Conference. 

MacCarthy, M., Ramirez, G., Semmendinger, K. & Kelley, A. (2017). “Improving Household Environmental Practices in Central Georgia: Low-Cost Renewable Energy Systems.” ASEE Zone 2 Conference. 

Presentations

Semmendinger, K. & Steinschneider, S. “Value of Forecast Lead-Time and Skill in the Robustness of Reservoir Management in the Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Basin.” IAGLR Annual Conference, Toronto, ON, May 2023. (Oral)

Semmendinger, K. & Steinschneider, S. “The Value of Forecasts for Robust, Many-Objective Water System Performance Under Climate Variability and Change.” AGU Fall Meeting, Chicago, IL, Dec 2022. (Poster)

Semmendinger, K., Lee, D., Fry, L. & Steinschneider, S. “Establishing Opportunities and Limitations of Forecast Use in the Operational Management of Highly Constrained, Multi-Objective Water Systems.” AGU Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, Dec 2021. (Oral)

All Presentations