NEW FACULTY

Wetlands are widely recognized for their functions of water quality improvement, flood protection, recreational opportunities and aesthetic natural environment. Do you wonder why and how wetlands can provide these functions from hydrologic, hydraulic and hydrodynamic viewpoints? Have you ever noticed straight white rows forming in alignment to the direction of the wind (Langmuir circulation) in Lake Mendota, and that floating materials and small bubbles tend to gather along these rows? Besides surfing near the beach, do you think about the role of wave breaking? Can wave breaking retard global warming by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxides back into the sea? These are some of the observations and questions posed to students of CEE 618: Special Topics in Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics taught by new Assistant Professor Chin H. Wu.

Wu increases students' interest in environmental issues through daily life examples, and enhances understanding in the fundamental physics using theoretical, numerical and laboratory approaches.

"From there we develop models or protocols for the purpose of resolving the practical issues," says Wu. "We are concerned with the dynamics and physical processes of various fluid flows, and how they interact with our environment. As fluid flows above and through different impervious or porous media, its transport and mixing functions may result in flooding, mud flow, pollutant and nutrient distribution that could greatly impact our living. We have a lot of fun learning and appreciating the nature and beauty of environmental fluid mechanics. I enjoy sharing my interests with students while they are building their professional skills in my class."

Wu earned his BS and MS degrees in hydraulics and water resources at National Taiwan University, and his PhD in civil and environmental engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He will continue his research in coastal and ocean engineering and environmental fluid mechanics as a new faculty member.

"As environmental concerns grow in the hydrosphere such as streams, rivers, lakes, coasts, estuaries and oceans, we need to increase our fundamental knowledge in hydrologic, hydraulic and coastal processes, surface wave dynamics and air-sea interactions," says Wu. "Our ultimate goal is to find the resolution to the different issues and quantify the processes with all experimental, analytical and numerical techniques."