Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for January
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PhD Seminar
Wed, Jan 21, 2015 @ 03:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Timu Gallien , Chancellorâs Fellow and postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Talk Title: Urban Coastal Flood Prediction: Implications of modeling methodology, infrastructure and coastal management
Abstract: Globally, coastal flooding represents a significant humanitarian and socioeconomic hazard for urbanized communities. Accurate flood mapping is critical to quantifying evolving flood risk. However, flood maps are not rigorously validated to determine sensitivities and uncertainties relative to modeling methodology and infrastructure resolution. A two-dimensional Godunov type hydrodynamic model that solves a local Riemann problem to accommodate weir-like overflow is successfully applied to simulate tidal flooding. The shallow water model is then augmented with temporally variable empirical and numerical overtopping estimates to investigate wave overtopping flooding. Simulation results are compared to two unique validation datasets. Three critical issues in coastal flood prediction emerge; the effects of methodology (i.e. equilibrium vs. hydrodynamic), characterizing wave overtopping volumes and finally, resolving flood control infrastructure and mitigation measures. Hydrodynamic modeling methodologies integrating flood control infrastructure and overtopping processes significantly outperform traditional static flood mapping methods. Results show skilled flood predictions require substantially higher flood defense elevation accuracies, ~2 cm, than is currently associated with LiDAR topographic data (~15 cm). Finally, flood mitigation measures (e.g., elevating sea walls, storm drainage, beach management) have significant, and at times, unintended implications for backshore flooding.
Biography: Dr. Timu Gallien is a Chancellorâs Fellow and postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from University of California, Irvine and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Gallienâs research focuses on quantifying evolving coastal flood risk from sea level rise, storm events, and urbanization. She uses a combination of high resolution fluid-mechanics based models to comprehensively resolve both key flooding processes (e.g., tide, waves, embayment amplification, drainage) and urban flood defense structures (e.g., sea walls, anthropogenic berming). Dr. Gallien conducts extensive nearshore field observations to advance coastal process knowledge and quantitatively evaluate model performance.
Host: Katie Russo
Location: Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Memorial Hall (of Philosophy) (MHP) - 106
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Kaela Berry
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Astani Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. Seminar
Wed, Jan 21, 2015 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Timu Gallien , Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Talk Title: Urban Coastal Flood Prediction: Implications of modeling methodology, infrastructure and coastal management
Abstract: Globally, coastal flooding represents a significant humanitarian and socioeconomic hazard for urbanized communities. Accurate flood mapping is critical to quantifying evolving flood risk. However, flood maps are not rigorously validated to determine sensitivities and uncertainties relative to modeling methodology and infrastructure resolution. A two-dimensional Godunov type hydrodynamic model that solves a local Riemann problem to accommodate weir-like overflow is successfully applied to simulate tidal flooding. The shallow water model is then augmented with temporally variable empirical and numerical overtopping estimates to investigate wave overtopping flooding. Simulation results are compared to two unique validation datasets. Three critical issues in coastal flood prediction emerge; the effects of methodology (i.e. equilibrium vs. hydrodynamic), characterizing wave overtopping volumes and finally, resolving flood control infrastructure and mitigation measures. Hydrodynamic modeling methodologies integrating flood control infrastructure and overtopping processes significantly outperform traditional static flood mapping methods. Results show skilled flood predictions require substantially higher flood defense elevation accuracies, ~2 cm, than is currently associated with LiDAR topographic data (~15 cm). Finally, flood mitigation measures (e.g., elevating sea walls, storm drainage, beach management) have significant, and at times, unintended implications for backshore flooding.
Biography: Dr. Timu Gallien is a Chancellorâs Fellow and postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from University of California, Irvine and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Gallienâs research focuses on quantifying evolving coastal flood risk from sea level rise, storm events, and urbanization. She uses a combination of high resolution fluid-mechanics based models to comprehensively resolve both key flooding processes (e.g., tide, waves, embayment amplification, drainage) and urban flood defense structures (e.g., sea walls, anthropogenic berming). Dr. Gallien conducts extensive nearshore field observations to advance coastal process knowledge and quantitatively evaluate model performance.
Location: Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Memorial Hall (of Philosophy) (MHP) - 106
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Astani Civil and Enviromental Engineering Seminar
Tue, Jan 27, 2015 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Elia Psillakis, Deputy Rector of Academic Affairs and Research at the Technical University of Crete.
Talk Title: Environmental analytical chemistry: It is all about engineering
Abstract:
Single discipline research on critical environmental issues may encounter a bottle neck and more than one discipline is typically needed to make a breakthrough. Although interdisciplinary research often requires more resources of time, effort and imagination than single discipline research, the rewards can be substantial, in terms of advancing the knowledge base and helping to solve complex environmental problems.
This seminar aims bridging two unexpectedly far disciplines such as environmental analytical chemistry and engineering. A highly pragmatic approach to providing the engineering principles behind the analytical steps performed daily in the laboratory is adopted. I will focus on sample preparation, an integral part of the analytical process with a profound influence on both the total time required to complete the analysis and the quality of the results obtained. I will summarize several of our investigations over the past year, which aims at the detection, and the identification of the fate of both emerging and persistent organic pollutants in different environmental samples. Through case studies, I will discuss the overarching issues and challenges we face and show that environmental analytical chemistry is a powerful tool for environmental engineers studying complex natural and engineered systems.
Biography: Dr. Elia Psillakis is an Associate Professor at the School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Greece. She received her degree in Chemistry from the Universitè Montpellier II Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc in France in 1994 and her PhD from the University of Bristol, U.K., in 1997. In 2007, she was awarded a Fulbright research scholarship and spent it at Caltech. Her work focuses on monitoring and studying emerging and persistent hydrophobic organic contaminants in natural and engineered aquatic environments. To date her investigations have resulted into one patent and 68 publications in ISI Journals with more than 3700 citations, an ISI h-index=34, and three âTop cited article awardsâ. Dr. Elia Psillakis is the Deputy Rector of Academic Affairs and Research at the Technical University of Crete.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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Astani Civil and Environmental Engineering
Fri, Jan 30, 2015 @ 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Dennis Mileti ,
Talk Title: TBA
Abstract: TBA
Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes