The Fluid & Sediment Dynamics research group conducts studies in the area of environmental hydraulics and sediment transport. It is led by Dr. Kyle Strom and is part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Research Theme
We study the movement of water, sediment, and other substances in a range of aquatic environments (e.g., rivers, lakes, estuaries, and the ocean). A broad topic of interest for us within this theme is how the interaction between the flow and sediment forms and sculpts our waterways and landscapes. We study such processes at small spatial and temporal scales where turbulent motion and the interaction of individual sediment particles in the bed or water column influence the dynamics at play. We also study these processes at larger scales where drivers such as climate, manmade alterations to rivers, or the installation of infrastructure influence rivers and deltas over time scales of years to centuries. In all of our work, we are interested in understanding basic processes, developing new experimental methods, and creating quantitative tools for forward and backward modeling. Improving our understanding and ability to model natural systems aids responsible management of river and coastal resources, and helps to give a more accurate understanding of earth’s history and its future trajectory.
News
How does time spent on the bed impact the properties of flocs?
This is a question Duc Tran tackled in a recent paper (Tran and Strom 2019). Overview: Cohesive mud flocs in coastal waterways can go through repeated cycles of deposition and erosion before being sequestered in a final deposit. Unlike sand…
Postdoctoral Associate Opening
I am currently looking for a postdoctoral associate to join a team of researchers from Virginia Tech and Indiana University working to understand and model the transport of mud in currents. Recent work in this area has pointed to the…
New Group Members
This fall Ehsan Abolfazli and Ryan Osborn both joined the group as part of their studies at Virginia Tech. Ehsan is a currently a Ph.D. student who has a B.S. from Sharif University of Technology in Mechanical Engineering and an M.S.…
Brandon Dillon receives Sussman Exceptional Merit Award
For summer 2019, Brandon Dillon was awarded a Sussman Internship and an accompanying Exceptional Merit Award. The awards allows him to intern with Hydrologist John Jastram from the USGS Water Science Center in Richmond, VA to further develop and test…
Spring Graduates
Both Shantanu Bhide and Jeff Culp successfully defended their MS thesis work this past May. Jeff is currently working for Dewberry in Richmond and Shantanu is now working on his Ph.D. with Stan Grant in northern Virginia. Their thesis titles are…
Student Research Opportunities
We are always looking for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in environmental hydraulics and sediment transport. Please click here to find out more about opportunities that are currently available.
