A U.S. Navy veteran who spent a decade "helping needy people all over the world" is one of three Earth system science undergraduates who will spend this summer conducting research funded through the UAH Research and Creative Experiences for Undergraduates (RCEU) program. As a heavy equipment operator for the Navy Seabees, Robert Rossell dug wells, helped build schools and cleared roads to isolated and impoverished villages from Africa to the Philippines. This summer, however, he will work with Cameron Handyside in UAH's Earth System Science Center to study the impact expanding irrigation in Alabama might have on water supplies in various watersheds. "We're going to develop tools to help decision makers in Montgomery make better decisions," he said. "We want to be sure we're not expanding irrigation at the peril of surface water."