Editor’s note: Each semester, students in the Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. program can apply for a Geospatial Analytics Travel Award that supports research travel or presentations at conferences. The following is a guest post by travel award winner Asumi Saito as part of the Student Travel series.

In December 2025, I had an opportunity to attend the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2025 in New Orleans, LA. As it was my first time attending a large international conference, I was nervous – until I stepped into the conference hall filled with energy and live music by jazz musicians.

Predicting streamflow for flood detection in ungauged basins (basins without a ground monitoring system) is a challenging yet essential task. There are still many countries that lack ground observation systems and need technology to monitor streamflow. This is where remote sensing (RS) technology steps in. My research aims to use remote sensing to forecast a daily streamflow at ungauged basins and evaluate how the model performs in the continental United States. With a wide variety of hydroclimatological regimes, understanding the model behavior in the US helps extend the use of RS to other areas in the world. I found that the model shows different predictive skills in humid versus temperate basins, and varies based on different combinations of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration patterns. 

Beyond presenting my work, the conference offered valuable networking opportunities. I had lunch with a researcher who found my research interesting after the session I presented. Such networking opportunities expanded my domain knowledge as well as my career perspective in academia.

Through interesting research presentations and motivational plenary sessions, I took away two key lessons from AGU 2025. The first takeaway is the importance of socioeconomic aspects of water resource studies. Some of the studies incorporate socioeconomic factors to understand how different water management practices affect communities. Communicating scientific results in a relatable way for the public can bridge the gap and promote actionable science, which leads to the next takeaway – delivering science with passion is OKAY in academia. Coming from a startup background, I had an underlying assumption that academia is rigorous and quiet. During the AGU, I listened to a very enthusiastic presenter who expressed her passion for her research, as well as a great storyteller who clearly articulated the message of his research. With thousands of speakers, AGU gave me the chance to discover what communication style fits me best.

Overall, AGU 2025 offered me an extensive learning experience from academic sessions to informal dinners. I am excited to integrate the lessons into my research and my academic career going forward.

Acknowledgements:Thank you to Dr. Sankar Arumugum and the Climate, Hydrology, and Water Resources Modeling and Synthesis Group members for supporting my work, and to CGA for the travel funding.