[3] In this role, she conducted research with support from the United States Geological Survey on earthquake hazards in California and other parts of the Pacific Rim, and studied groundwater resources, streams, and soil processes.
[7] As a fully tenured professor, Merritts received a grant to develop instructional materials for undergraduate geosciences teachers to help them incorporate "inquiry-based learning into their classrooms.
"[8] She was also part of a team of scholars who received a two-year NSF grant to develop a Web site that science faculty could use to help teach introductory courses.
They determined that mill dams which once existed throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, and other mid-Atlantic states, had formed slackwater ponds that trapped sediment over a period of centuries.
[12] Merritts then Chaired a National Academy of Sciences committee in 2007 to assess "Challenges and Opportunities in Earth Surface Processes."
The aim of the initiative was to achieve "significant, far-reaching outcomes for stewardship and restoration in the vast watershed, through applied research and knowledge generation, education, and outreach.