Class on January 23 2019
Students to be welcomed to class and introduced to the syllabus by the faculty.
Chris introduced the class formally as Skills and Foundations of Ocean & Environmental Fluid Dynamics: Building Computer Modeling to Simulate Processes & Data and suggested the goal of the course is to warm up students to the math required for fluid dynamics instead of starting with impregnable math and physics as it had been taught to him.
He appreciated a follow-on course when, on the first day, the instructor suggested the whole class go outside to see snow eddies behaving around trees in Baltimore.
Rob suggested the PODS approach, Focus -> Explore -> Reflect -> Apply would be used in this class for student engagement with the course knowledge base. Rob also announced he will run a 90-minute Jupyter notebook course to students interested in pursuing the use of Python where Chris plans to use MATLAB first and foremost. Bruce will follow along with the course attempting to make all MATLAB code available as Python notebooks as well.
Chris presented a powerpoint presentation that introduced the syllabus:
Chris pointed out the class modeling and discussion will be based on Narragansett Bay estuary - with a focus on the west passage.
Chris handed out a group exercise which Rob facilitated at the blackboard. Students were asked what information they would need to pursue in order to evaluate the mitigation of sewage and groundwater outfall by the west passage (see the location above). They were asked what tools or methods would a mitigation company need to use in order to make an assessment of how pollutant flushes and stays below a 19 degree Celsius threshold. After ten minutes, the students had suggested the following:
Chris introduced the class formally as Skills and Foundations of Ocean & Environmental Fluid Dynamics: Building Computer Modeling to Simulate Processes & Data and suggested the goal of the course is to warm up students to the math required for fluid dynamics instead of starting with impregnable math and physics as it had been taught to him.
He appreciated a follow-on course when, on the first day, the instructor suggested the whole class go outside to see snow eddies behaving around trees in Baltimore.
Rob suggested the PODS approach, Focus -> Explore -> Reflect -> Apply would be used in this class for student engagement with the course knowledge base. Rob also announced he will run a 90-minute Jupyter notebook course to students interested in pursuing the use of Python where Chris plans to use MATLAB first and foremost. Bruce will follow along with the course attempting to make all MATLAB code available as Python notebooks as well.
Chris presented a powerpoint presentation that introduced the syllabus:
- 5 or 6 simple homework sets
- 5 or 6 MATLAB computer modeling homework activities
- An oral final
- Lots of in-class activities
- Solid foundation with language for math/physics of fluid circulation and transport
- Experience with modeling tools (and a deep understanding of why they are useful)
- Confidence for soup to nuts tackling of a problem/issue
- Competence when working on a team
- Citizenship - prepare to get on boards and councils
- Develop a 'bullshit' meter for listening to others and their proposals
- This is the kind and supportive version of the class Chris first had going into grad school
- 1. No intimidation with the math
- 2. Ability to make computer models like a dispersion of dye field from Greenwich Bay (demonstrated on the screen)
Chris pointed out the class modeling and discussion will be based on Narragansett Bay estuary - with a focus on the west passage.
Chris handed out a group exercise which Rob facilitated at the blackboard. Students were asked what information they would need to pursue in order to evaluate the mitigation of sewage and groundwater outfall by the west passage (see the location above). They were asked what tools or methods would a mitigation company need to use in order to make an assessment of how pollutant flushes and stays below a 19 degree Celsius threshold. After ten minutes, the students had suggested the following:
