The paper, entitled "Role of small water bodies in landscape nutrient processing," was co-authored by Nandita Basu, a civil and environmental professor and Cheng's PhD supervisor.
Water Resources Research publishes original research articles and commentaries on hydrology, water resources, and the social sciences of water that provide a broad understanding of the role of water in the earth’s system.
Selection of the winning paper is based on technical significance, novelty, originality, presentation, and broader implications of the publication.
Earlier this year, Cheng was the recipient of the 2018 Horton Research Grant Award for $10,000, which he will use to do research at Princeton University for a semester. His current work is focused on exploring the role of wetland size on nutrient processing and its influence on regional or watershed nutrient cycles.
Cheng completed both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in environmental engineering at Waterloo.