Education

Educational opportunities abound in the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Lab.  Qualified students are encouraged to apply to the Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering program in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department.  Every year dozens of students apply to this elite program.  In addition to providing masters and Ph.D. opportunities, the Lab actively seeks and employs qualified undergraduate students in research assistant roles.  Students such as Kevin Bane (BS 2010; MS 2011) find the Lab a stimulating environment:

Working in the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory as an undergraduate student was a very rewarding experience.  While working in the lab, I was able to learn about issues pertaining to sediment transport and wave behavior while gaining valuable hands-on laboratory experience. On the occasions when I did not understand something, I appreciated that time was always taken to explain and truly educate me on the topic.  I enjoyed the challenges of working in a small team to obtain and analyze data, as well as formulate solutions to problems that arose.  My time spent working in the Hydrosystems Lab was very gratifying, and I would encourage other undergraduate students to take advantage of opportunities for undergraduate research work. – Kevin Bane, M.S., E.I.T.

Visiting and exchange students such as Fangzhou “Albert” Liu find that the Lab provides the ability to explore new technologies:

The work at Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory (VTC HSL) was mind opening. It created a truly stimulating environment and offered me a life-changing opportunity to learn and explore the cutting-edge technologies in research as well as their exciting applications. The VTC HSL is a cornucopia of innovation and knowledge.  – Fangzhou “Albert” Liu

For more information, or to apply, contact Prof. Marcelo Garcia.

Teaching and Outreach

In addition to the Laboratory’s research activities, staff in the Lab are responsible for teaching a variety of classes as well as outreach events.  The Lab participates extensively in Engineering Open House, an annual two-day event that showcases research and activities of the College of Engineering.  Some of the exhibits that are shown are: flood-plain modeling, meandering rivers, and body water volume estimation using the Microsoft Kinect.

Classes include the annual Hydraulic Analysis and Design.  For Spring 2012, a number of student-led projects were completed, some of which resulted in programs that can be downloaded.