# Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT)

> **NIH NIH P42** · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $15,000

## Abstract

Project Abstract
Karst terrains show distinctive surface and subsurface features associated with sinkholes,
springs, and caves. Many of the hydrological and hydraulic characteristics associated with these
features make groundwater systems in karst areas a significant freshwater resource for human
consumption and ecological integrity. Unfortunately, these characteristics also make karst
aquifers highly vulnerable to contamination. Karst springs, specifically, provide researchers
insight to the interaction between input precipitation, karst aquifers as the transmission medium,
and discharge as the output response. A karst catchment area or spring catchment is a mapping
unit defined by the surface area and the subsurface drain system that contributes to spring
discharge. Therefore, being able to determine this catchment area, and understand how
hydrologic conditions in karst environments affect contaminant fate and transport in springs, is
crucial to establishing effective source water protection areas (SWPAs) to safeguard
groundwater and public health. However, due to the inherent complexity of karst systems, it has
been challenging for the PROTECT team to (1) forecast spring response, and (2) infer subsurface
properties from surface features in karst environments, since both require the application of
advanced computational techniques, such as big data analytics and machine learning (ML)
algorithms. Hence, the proposed project for the KC Donnelly Externship award will allow me to
train along with Mr. Sean Griffin and his team on the core concepts and models behind
geospatial artificial intelligence to automate object detection, object classification, and feature
extraction from remotely sensed imagery. Mastering the application of ML algorithms will allow
me to discover patterns in my research data, and to construct predictive mathematical models
using these discoveries.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10382038
- **Project number:** 3P42ES017198-11S2
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Akram N Alshawabkeh
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $15,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-07-21 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10382038

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10382038, Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) (3P42ES017198-11S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10382038. Licensed CC0.

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