Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering

ICE Blog Launched on Research Enterprise Website!

October 2, 2009

Stevens Institute of Technology is happy to announce the launching of their new Inventiveness, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Blog! As a part of the Research Enterprise website, ICE blog will highlight innovative research and educational opportunities within the University. The goal of ICE blog is to provide an in-depth look at some of the unique research being done by our faculty, complete with media, professor and student insights. Many of the research projects that our faculty study are on the leading edge of technology innovation; our students are surrounded by incredible learning opportunities and gain critical experience for a successful [Read more...]

Stevens Assists NTSB in Hudson Mid-Air Collision Analysis

September 5, 2009

On Saturday August 8th, 2009, a small plane collided with a sightseeing helicopter carrying Italian tourists above the Hudson River, scattering debris into the water. The plane was carrying a pilot and two passengers, while the helicopter was part of ‘Liberty Helicopter Sightseeing Tours’ and carried the pilot, and 5 passengers. Immediately following notification of the collision, authorities from various agencies began the search for survivors, wreckage and clues as to what had occurred minutes before. Within an hour of the accident the Stevens Institute Chief of Police, Tim Griffin, contacted the Center for Maritime Systems (CMS) at Stevens Institute [Read more...]

Stevens Graduate Student Alicia Mahon Receives ASBPA Educational Award

September 4, 2009

PhD student Alicia Mahon has received the Educational award from the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) for her research project involving Stevens Institute of Technology, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on the development and monitoring of a feeder beach in Long Branch, NJ.Alicia’s research is focused on a beach renourishment project in Long Branch, NJ which was completed in February 2009, and which is “a part of the largest beach replenishment project in the world." Dr. Thomas Herrington, Associate Professor of Ocean Engineering in the Institute's Department of Civil, [Read more...]

ASBPA Student Paper Award

August 19, 2009

Alicia Mahon, a student in the masters program in ocean engineering, has received the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association 2009 Education Award. This is the third student paper award received by the ocean engineering group in the last four years. [Read more...]

NJDOT Funds Stevens Navigation and Vessel Safety Support System

July 13, 2009

Dr. Alan F. Blumberg and Dr. Thomas O. Herrington at Stevens Institute of Technology have developed an integrated system of oceanographic, meteorological, and vessel surveillance sensors and hydrodynamic forecasting models to allow for the real-time assessment of ocean, weather, environmental, and marine transportation conditions throughout the waters of New York and New Jersey, and the forecast of conditions in the near and long-term. This integrated system, called The New York Harbor Observation and Prediction System (NYHOPS), will be significantly enhanced to create an operational NAvigation and Vessel SAFEty Support System (NAVSAFE) for the New York – New Jersey Harbor – [Read more...]

Engineering the Vandenberg Artificial Reef

June 30, 2009

Stevens’ Engineers Help Create the Vandenberg Reef off the Florida KeysOn May 27, 2009, at 10:24 a.m., the General Hoyt S. Vandenberg became the basis for an artificial reef in 140 feet of water, seven miles off Key West. Now resting in an upright position on the sea floor, the Vandenberg measures ten stories high in the water column, with the keel set at the deepest point. It is at the top of the structure that most of the ship's interesting attributes are located, some purposely cut from one part of the ship and welded elsewhere to make attention-getting dive spots [Read more...]

Stevens Moves to Alternative Fuels

May 27, 2009

Stevens Institute of Technology is far ahead of New Jersey’s plan for “20% alternative fuels by 2020.” The school is set to expand its solar panel system with plans to add new co-generation systems in 2009. The new solar system will add carport panels to the 8th street parking lot, in addition to panels in other locations. The cogen systems will also increase heating efficiency for the school by utilizing heat produced by the Schaeffer Gym pool heaters, as well as the boilers in Carnegie Labs.Cogen systems generate electricity using a natural gas engine to produce electricity while recycling the [Read more...]

Wind Generation for Babbio Center

May 26, 2009

Stevens Institute of Technology has embraced another alternative energy source beyond the solar panels that blanket campus roofs and open spaces: wind power. Stevens foray into this world was accomplished with a microturbine that stands just over 12 feet tall and weighs only 87 pounds. This latest “go-green” initiative was brainstormed as a senior design project by 2009 graduates Christine Couzo, Dawn Herring and Kate Vaupel.The team was formed to design and install a wind turbine on campus, pairing environmental engineering students with a mechanical engineering student. Feasibility studies were conducted, as well as research on wind energy generation, wind [Read more...]

NSF Grants Funds for Phosphorus Recovery Research

May 26, 2009

Prof. Mahmoud Wazne has been funded by the NSF Questor Center of Ireland to investigate removal and recovery of phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater by adsorption with low-cost adsorbents derived from waste biomass. This technology has the potential to solve two problems at the same time, by recovering phosphorus resources that would otherwise be wasted, and by making beneficial use of agricultural wastes. The envisioned nutrient removal process is a truly “green” sustainable practice. The adsorbent will be developed using biodegradable materials, field tested, and then recycled. The adsorbent will be created by attaching quaternary ammonium salt functional groups to [Read more...]

Stevens Professors Address Global Need for Phosphorus Production

May 22, 2009

Professor David A. Vaccari, Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering, has published a white paper in June 2009 Scientific America. The article reviews the depletion of U.S. and global phosphorus resources necessary to fertilize world-wide crops for sustaining global food supplies. The U.S. was the source of a quarter of the world’s phosphorus supply over the last century, but the most productive deposits here will run out within a few decades. Other phosphorus resources around the world are concentrated in only a few countries such as Morocco, which controls 38% of the total supply.Global phosphorus resources, however, are expected [Read more...]