2003 Opportunities - ARCHIVED

Teaching assistantships

I routinely need a TA and grader for CE 356, Elements of Hydraulic Engineering. The TA duties include setting up the laboratory sessions, preparing short laboratory lectures, supervising the student labs and grading lab reports. The grader duties include grading homework problems that are assigned during the class. There are generally two lab TAs also available for the CE 319F Elementary Fluid Mechanics class, which I occassionally teach.

The TA position is generally selected based on the following priorities: 1) a student of the professor teaching the class, 2) an EWRE student, 3) a CE student, and finally 4) a student from outside CE who has a suitable background and expertise. Note that I have only filled the hydraulics TA with students from categories 1 and 2, and have only once used students from categories 3 and 4 for a CE 319F TA.

Effects of Large Woody Debris on turbulence modeling

Sponsor: NSF

Start date: Septemeber 2004

End date: Four years

Confidence in funding: Unknown

Students: 1

Overview: We are exploring new options for representing large woody debris (LWD) in hydraulic models of rivers. These models are often used for in-stream flow analysis of fish habitat. In present models, LWD is typically neglected or represented as an increase in the bed friction or eddy viscosity through an ad hoc parameterization.

Student goals: Working with scientists at the Texas Water Development Board and another student, develop and test new models for representing LWD and conduct field studies to test and validate the models.

Classes for background:

ME 381P - Fundamentals of Incompressible Flow - Panton, MWF 10-11

PGE 381K - Engineering Analysis - Sepehrnoori - MWF 12-1

Effects of transport and evaporation on development of hypoxia in Corpus Christi Bay

Sponsor: We are presently writing a proposal for submission. It is possible for a student to begin this project while working as a TA and help with the proposal writing.

Start date: ??

End date: ??

Confidence in funding: ??

Students: 1

Overview: In collaboration with Prof. Paul Montagna at the UT Marine Science Institute (Port Aransas) and Prof. John Morse at Texas A&M University, we are investigating the biological, chemical and physical causes of hypoxia (low oxygen levels) in regions of Corpus Christi bay.

Student goals: Learn to use a 3D model for a coastal estuary/embayment. Gather all the data necessary to set up and calibrate the model. Develop a new adaptation for handling effects of ship channels that are below grid resolution. Participate in field studies to gather hydrodynamic data to validate model. Develop some new ideas on how to effectively couple the time and space scales of physical/chemical/biological processes.

Classes for background:

ME 381P - Fundamentals of Incompressible Flow - Panton, MWF 10-11

CE 380S - Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Hodges TTh 2-3