Cohen Wins IADC Young Authors Award

For several years, the State of Louisiana's Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) felt that dredging costs were increasing for projects involving the placement of dredged sediment for inland marsh restoration purposes. An international team was assembled to research the issue. In Brianne's award-winning paper entitled, "Evaluating Alternatives to Improve Dredging Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness for Inland Marsh Restoration Project," the team's data was compiled, conclusions about optimising the dredging component of the current restoration programme were drawn and recommendations were made as to how to do this.

Ms. Cohen is a wetland scientist with 6 years' experience focusing on sediment remediation and environmental restoration and provides unique biological expertise to the restoration of contaminated waterfront properties. Her experience includes the preparation and implementation of excavation and restoration designs, permitting and regulatory support, evaluation of environmental liability under CERCLA and MTCA, wetland delineation and monitoring, and biological evaluations. She has experience as an assistant project manager, task manager, and marketing and proposal coordinator. She received a BS in Botany and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Washington, Washington State, USA in 2002 with a minor in Japanese. She is a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists and received a Wetland Science and Management Certification from the University of Washington in June 2008.

Each year at selected conferences, the International Association of Dredging Companies grants awards for the best papers written by younger authors. In each case the Conference Paper Committee is asked to recommend a prizewinner whose paper makes a significant contribution to the literature on dredging and related fields. The purpose of the IADC Award is "to stimulate the promotion of new ideas and encourage younger men and women in the dredging industry". The winner of an IADC Award receives EUR1,000 and a certificate of recognition and the paper may then be published in Terra et Aqua.

Image: Brianne Cohen (left) receives the IADC Award for the Best Paper by a Young Author from IADC PR & Project Manager Jurgen Dhollander at the WEDA 31/TAMU 42 Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, June 8 2011. (Photo courtesy of IDR).