Alumni

International Visiting Student 2016-2107

mavier (at) mit.edu

At MIT I used numerical experiments to explore how different configurations of floating treatment island impacted pollutant removal in a detention pond.

Visiting Graduate Student (2015-2016)

Current Position: State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

hzh.scu (at) q.com

At MIT I studied the flow and deposition around a model patch of vegetation with different degrees of submergence and different blade lengths. The deposition of fine material, rich in nutrients and organic matter, is considered a precursor to growth, so the ability to predict the regions of fine-particle deposition will allow us to predict the future growth patterns in vegetated landscape.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Now at EPFL

razmia (at) eth.ch

My research uses a combination of numerical simulations (LES), lab experiments, and analytical tools to tackle a wide range of environmental problems, including pollution and sediment dispersion in aquatic vegetations, coastal protection against extreme climatic events, and aerosol transport above the terrestrial vegetations.

Graduate Student (Ph.D. 2016)

Now: Postdoctoral Fellow at Cardiff University, Wales, UK (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship)

efm (at) alum.mit.edu

In some situations, vegetation and other porous structures are able to dampen wave energy and slow the progress of floodwaters, providing protection from increased rainfall and storm intensity. I seek to connect the flow and sediment transport through porous obstructions with environmental management and restoration efforts, increasing the efficiency and success of management interventions. At Cardiff University, I am working with Dr. Catherine Wilson to quantify the effect of engineered logjam installations on sediment storage and flow resistance.

Postdoctoral Associate (2015-2016)

Current Position: Lecturer, University of Cantabria

mazame (at) unican.es; mazame (at) mit.edu

My research uses numerical and experimental modeling to understand the coastal protection provided by vegetation.

Visiting Graduate Student (2015)

Now: Postdoctoral Scholar UCLA

My work uses Large Eddy Simulation (LES) to analyze the interaction between vegetation and environment. At MIT I examined the mass and momentum transfer associated with seagrass meadows and at UCLA I am studying kelp ecosystems.

Visiting Graduate Student (2014-2015)

Now: Hydraulic Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Vegetation patches have a significant impact on bio-ecological and geomorphic processes through momentum and mass exchange that occurs between the vegetation patch and surrounding environment. My research is focused on how suspended sediment is deposited around a vegetation patch. Using an artificial rigid canopy and changing the flow conditions, I will examine the sediment distribution around the canopy.

Visiting Scholar (2017-2019)

Current Position: Associate Professor, Sichuan University, China

chaoliu (at) scu.edu.cn; liuchaoscu (at) vip.qq.com

At MIT I investigated how the spacing between floating islands (FTIs) deployed in series along a channel impacts the velocity field and mass removal. A large island spacing leads to a higher inflow rate into the root zone, but a smaller number of FTIs per channel length. These competing trends produce an optimum spacing, corresponding to a maximum mass removal per channel length.

SM 2012, Ph.D 2015

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Geology, Colby College

aortiz (at) colby.edu

Lab Website

In the Nepf Lab may research focused on the effect of vegetation patches on turbulence generation and sediment deposition.

Visiting Student (2013-2014)

The mutual influences between biological and physical processes, called biogeomorphic feedbacks, play a key role in the landscape evolution. In the Nepf Lab I studied how neighboring patches of vegetation alter the flow field and promote deposition and growth into larger vegetation structures.