Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology

 

about

The Environmental and Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology Program in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University specializes in studies of water resources engineering, hydrology, environmental fluid mechanics, and environmental and water resources planning.

The program consists of 8 faculty and approximately 50 graduate students. The program offers a healthy balance between research and practical application. Three graduate degrees are offered: Master of Science (M.S.), Engineer (Eng.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). The M.S. degree is oriented toward professional practice, whereas at the post-M.S. level (Eng. and Ph.D.) activities are more heavily weighted toward research. Classroom teaching aims to build an understanding of fundamental physical and biological processes, employing mathematics and computational tools where relevant. Our research strives for appropriate balance between theory, computation, and experimental observation, including both laboratory and field-scale experiments. Multidisciplinary cooperation is a major feature of our approaches in teaching as well as in research.

Within the Environmental Fluid Mechanics & Hydrology Program, the focus is on the movement of surface and groundwater. With respect to water, attention is given to the environmental and economic factors important in planning water resources. Environmental fluid mechanics courses address fluid and sediment transport and mixing processes, turbulence and its modeling, the fluid mechanics of stratified flows, natural flows in coastal waters, estuaries, lakes and open channels, atmospheric flows and experimental methods. Hydrology courses consider stochastic methods in both surface and subsurface hydrology, watershed hydrology and modeling, and flow and transport in porous media. Planning courses highlight issues related to sustainable water resources development, both in the U.S. and in developing countries. Degree programs can be developed by combining environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology classes with courses from programs and departments which both complement and supplement the Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Hydrology Program offerings. Some examples include Environmental Engineering and Science, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Earth Sciences, Computer Science, Petroleum Engineering, Biological Sciences and Statistics.

The EFMH has opportunities for students interested in pursuing Ph.D. level research concerned with environmental policy design and implementation with respect to water, air, and land. These research activities are summarized in the section entitled "Environmental Planning and Management", in the Facilities section.