Events

Dr. Yunxing Su is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Abstract: Flows interacting with moving bodies give rise to rich fluid–structure dynamics that govern energy transfer, transport, and mixing across scales. This talk examines how these mechanisms link engineered and biological systems through a shared fluid-mechanical framework. I will first discuss work on energy harvesting using oscillating foils, where resonance, wake coupling, and vortex dynamics dictate performance and efficiency. I will then present studies on aquatic locomotion, focusing on how jellyfish and copepods generate thrust and induce mixing. Using a combination of time-resolved flow visualization and cyber-physical experiments, we characterize vortex dynamics, flow-induced forces, and the resulting transport pathways. Finally, I will highlight how these controlled laboratory investigations inform our understanding of biogenic mixing and environmental transport processes. Together, these studies aim to bridge canonical fluid–structure interaction with environmental fluid mechanics and reveal new opportunities for integrating experimental, analytical, and modeling approaches across scales.

About: Dr. Yunxing Su is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth. His research examines fluid dynamics at the intersection of engineering, biology, and environmental science, with a focus on renewable energy harvesting, aquatic locomotion, bio-inspired robotics, and environmental fluid mixing. Before joining UMD, he was a Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Postdoctoral Associate at Brown University, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Fluids and Thermal Sciences.

Dr. Shuna Ni is an Assistant Professor of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Abstract: Wildland–urban interface (WUI) fires increasingly threaten communities, yet the coupled processes governing structure ignition, burning, collapse, and subsequent fire spread remain insufficiently understood. This study integrates numerical simulation and experimental investigation to elucidate these interactions. Using the NIST Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), the burning of a two-story source structure and the ignition of an adjacent target structure during the 2023 Lahaina fire were simulated. The results demonstrate that wind direction and vegetation have a strong influence on inter-structure fire spread and ignition timing. Complementary fire tests on small-scale timber structures examined how external fire exposure, structure configurations, and compartment openings affect fire development and spread, structure collapse behavior, and its feedback on fire dynamics. Different collapse modes were observed, and structure collapse was found to intensify burning and generate large quantities of embers, promoting further fire spread in WUI environments. Collectively, the modeling and experimental results highlight the interconnected processes of structure ignition, burning, collapse, collapse-induced fire intensification, and structure-to-structure fire spread, providing essential insights for performance-based design and fire resilience in WUI communities.

About: Dr. Shuna Ni is an Assistant Professor of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. Ni’s research focuses on fire forensics, fire resilience of wildland-urban interface communities, structural fire engineering, impact of fire on civil infrastructure, and fire safety of tall mass- timber buildings. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Justice, Fire Protection Research Foundation, University Transportation Centers, BLM-National Interagency Fire Center, Grand Challenges Grants Program at the University of Maryland, and industrial partners such as FM.

Read About the Nels Nelson Memorial Fellowship

Distinguished Lecture: Tailings Dam Breach Analysis: Evolution and Challenges

Abstract: This presentation traces the history and development of dam breach analysis with a particular focus on its adaptation to tailings dam breach analysis (TDBA). Unlike conventional water-retaining dams, tailings dams are designed to store mining waste—primarily fine sediments—in surface tailings storage facilities (TSFs). Tailings are typically transported to TSFs as slurry via pipelines and pumps. As the slurry settles, a permanent pond with a fluctuating water level forms in the TSF. As a result, a TSF with a permanent pond resembles a man-made reservoir with an earthen dam, where the volume of water is significantly smaller than in conventional dams, and the reservoir is predominantly filled with fine sediments. 

There are two key differences between conventional water-retaining eathern dams and tailings dams when performing breach analysis: 

1. In the event of a tailings dam failure, the tailings within the TSF may be mobilized due to liquefaction (if they are liquefiable) and erosion (if an active pond is present). The volume of mobilized tailings is unknown and can be challenging to estimate.
2. The materials stored  behind a tailings dam may include water, sediments and occasionally other fluids. If a dam were to fail, the resulting flood wave may behave like a water flood, mud flood, mudflow, flow slide, or slumping event. 

Given these complexities, it is essential to understand the geotechnical characteristics of the tailings in the TSF and to consider the potential failure mode when performing a TDBA. 

This presentation highlights how these factors are integrated into current TDBA practices and discusses the contributions of the Canadian Dam Association’s working group, which developed the first guidelines for tailings dam breach analysis.

About the Distinguished Speaker: Omid M. Mohseni is a senior water resources engineer and a vice president at Barr Engineering Co. (Barr). He earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of Iran in 1986, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory in 1995 and 1999, respectively. Omid joined Barr in 2001, then returned to the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory in 2003, where he served as Associate Director of Applied Research until 2008. He rejoined Barr that same year and has been with the firm since. Until 2021, he also held an adjunct associate professorship at the University of Minnesota, where he taught courses in hydrology, open channel hydraulics, and hydraulic structures. Throughout his career, Omid has led and contributed to a wide range of projects involving watershed hydrologic analysis and modeling, stormwater best management practices (BMPs), stream temperature analysis, hydrodynamic modeling of lakes and rivers, design and analysis of hydraulic structures, and dam breach assessments. He has analyzed, managed, and reviewed breach analyses for more than 70 water-retaining and tailings dams across North America, South America, Africa, and Asia. In addition, Omid served on the Canadian Dam Association’s working group that developed the first set of guidelines for tailings dam breach analysis.

Nels Nelson Memorial Fellowship Recipient:  Michael Chiappone, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, advised by Peter Makovicky.

About Michael Chiappone: As a vertebrate paleontologist, he studies the processes by which animal bones begin the road to fossilization (taphonomy) in fluvial environments. He runs actualistic experiments in flumes to examine how bones can be transported, sorted, and buried to form real-world fossil sites from which paleontological data is derived.

Dr. Zach Hilgendorf is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Abstract: After three days (17–20 cm) of rainfall flooded the Blue Earth River, near Mankato, MN, the river avulsed around the western edge of the ~114-year-old Rapidan Dam on 24 June 2024. Rapid incision and lateral migration shifted the bank ~100 m westward in three days. This event, which we have termed an “avulsive dam failure,” provides a brief time window to study the fundamental coupled fluvial and hillslope processes that result from rapid base-level fall, including knickpoint development and retreat coupled with lateral erosion alongside mass-wasting processes associated with sudden valley incision. Three pre-event (Apr 2005; 2012; 2024) LiDAR-derived digital elevation model and nine post-event structure-from-motion UAS-derived digital surface models (June 2024-Mar 2025) are compared to calculate volumes of difference and characterize the evolution of the system post-failure. Approximately 216,331 cubic meters were removed within the overflow channel in the five days following the failure. The maximum depth of erosion was 16.8 meters and the new channel eroded over 100 meters into the west bank by the end of June. Change following the first couple of weeks was small and mostly related to bank undercutting as the river had eroded down to bedrock. The implications and pressure placed on Midwestern rivers by climate change will further strain an already strained system and a better understanding of post-failure evolution will help contextualize possible geomorphic responses elsewhere, in future scenarios.

About: Dr. Zach Hilgendorf is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His research interests primarily include anthropogeomorphic and ecogeomorphic systems, dynamic restoration, and investigating the ways in which humans interact with the geomorphic systems around them. He mainly employs close-range remote sensing platforms (i.e., "drones") to tackle his research questions, but also enjoys dredging up historic aerial imagery, using geographic information systems (GIS), and conventional remote sensing to develop a comprehensive understanding of his study areas through time and space. Recently, he has included the impact of dams and dam removal (planned or otherwise) into his list of interests!

Our October 28th Award Ceremony will honor this year's winners of the Edward Silberman Fellowship, the Alvin G. Anderson Award and the Roger E.A. Arndt Fellowship.  The program will include short presentations by student awardees, remarks from their faculty advisors, and a delicious reception.
 

About the Edward Silberman Fellowship: This fellowship rewards academically outstanding students who perform their research at SAFL and honors the contribution Professor Edward Silberman has made to the Laboratory's academic environment. The Silberman Fellowship provides a monetary award to support the graduate student. Learn more about this award here.

 
About the Alvin G. Anderson Award: This award is given to a University of Minnesota student pursuing graduate studies in water resources. Special consideration is given to students involved in the sediment transportation field, which was Dr. Anderson's specialty. The Anderson Award includes the opportunity to purchase books relating to the recipient's study interests. Learn more about this award here.

 
About the Roger E.A. Arndt Fellowship:  This fellowship rewards academically outstanding SAFL students studying fluid mechanics while also honoring the contributions and legacy of Professor Roger E.A. Arndt. The Arndt Fellowship provides a monetary award to support the graduate student.  Learn more about this award here.

Dr. Peter Nelson is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University.

Abstract: Disturbances to watersheds and river systems, such as land use change, wildfire, dam installation and removal, or catastrophic flooding, alter the amount of sediment and water supplied to channels, leading to morphologic changes that can have important ecologic or societal consequences. Rivers respond to changes in water discharge and sediment supply through adjustments to sorting patterns, cross- sectional shape, and reach-scale morphology, but what are the relative magnitudes of these changes, do they happen simultaneously or in sequence, and how do they depend on the channel width or planform? In this presentation, I will describe some of our efforts to better understand these questions through flume experiments conducted in straight and meandering channels with constant and variable width.
First, experiments were conducted in straight flumes of constant width and width sinusoidally varying in the downstream direction, for conditions of a) steady flow and constant sediment supply, b) repeat hydrographs and constant sediment supply, and c) repeat hydrographs and doubled sediment supply. In both the straight and variable-width channels, transitioning from steady flow to repeated hydrographs did not result in significant changes in bed morphology. The two channel geometries had different responses to increased sediment supply: the slope of the constant-width channel increased nearly 40%, while the variable-width channel reduced the relief between bars and pools and decreased the variability in cross-sectional elevation with a slight slope increase. Pool elevation changed twice the distance of bar elevations, emphasizing the relevance of pool scour for riffle-pool self-maintenance in channels with width variations. Second, similar experiments were conducted in a constant-width channel with a meandering centerline of four bends following a sine-generated trace. The channel was provided constant flow and sediment supply until an initial equilibrium was established, after which the sediment supply was doubled until a new equilibrium state was reached. After the sediment supply increase, dynamic adjustments occurring from smaller to larger scales took place. Initially, dunes essentially disappeared, after which the relief of bars decreased, but ultimately the dunes and bar-pool morphology returned to their conditions at the beginning of the sediment supply increase. The long-term and largest-scale response to the supply increase was a 44% increase in bed slope. To explain these observations, we propose a conceptual model wherein the channel undergoes a temporal progression of responses from smaller to larger spatial scales, with the total response potential at each scale related to the conditions and constraints at that scale.

About: Peter Nelson is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Colorado State University, where he has been a faculty member since 2012. Originally from Spokane, Washington, Nelson received his B.S.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University in 2003, his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Science from the University of California at Berkeley in 2010, and he was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at the University of Genoa (Italy) from 2011-2012. Nelson and his students use computational modeling, physical experiments, analytical theory, and field observations to address fundamental questions about geomorphology, sediment transport, hydrology, hydraulics, and morphodynamics. His work has provided mechanistic explanations of why and how the beds of gravel-bed rivers become sorted into patches of distinct grain size, how the addition of fine sediment to an immobile coarse bed can remobilize the armor layer, and how sediment supply and stratigraphy can affect the dynamics of alternate bars in gravel-bed rivers. His research has also investigated post-wildfire hydrology and sedimentation, hydrology and channel design in urbanizing watersheds, fish passage at whitewater park structures, bedrock river morphodynamics, and the effects of dams on river morphology and habitat. He serves on the SEDHYD Sedimentation Committee and on the National Reservoir Sedimentation and Sustainability Team.

Dr. Larry Berg is the Division Director of Atmospheric, Climate, and Earth Sciences (ACES) Division at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

Abstract: The challenges presented by widespread and rapid deployment of floating offshore wind farms are complex and interdisciplinary. An integrated approach is required for floating offshore wind energy to reach cost and schedule goals that cannot be effectively met with siloed research focused on a subset of scientific gaps. Such an approach is a perfect fit for a Department of Energy National Laboratory. The Floating Wind in a Changing Climate (FWICC) Center, one of the Department of Energy’s Earthshots, was intended to develop a digital energy system using scientific machine learning (SciML) that would link key components of floating offshore wind driving the cost of energy in a changing climate. The components of our Center’s SciML Digital Energy System include wind plant design and control, and integration of wind energy onto the power grid. The Center’s research falls into four themes: Metocean, Turbine and Farm, Grid, and SciML Digital Energy System. This presentation will focus on results from the Metocean theme and will describe improved treatments for wind-wave coupling in large-eddy simulation (LES) models that explicitly capture dynamic changes in the sea surface using moving surface drag and two-phase approaches, downscaling of metocean conditions along the west coast of North America using machine learning, and development of data sets for use in grid-integration studies.

About: Larry Berg is the Division Director for Atmospheric, Climate, and Earth Sciences (ACES) Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). In this role, he provides overall leadership to support and achieve PNNL’s mission and address key science questions for the Department of Energy and other clients. The directorate that Berg oversees comprises more than 140 technical and support staff who work on a wide range of topics related to climate science with a total research budget of over $36M. He is the Director of a DOE Energy Earthshot focused on floating wind energy, Addressing Challenges in Energy: Floating Wind in a Changing Climate, which is a partnership of both government laboratories and academia. Berg has over 20 years of progressive leadership, research, and management experience. He’s worked in projects supported by DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), and DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Wind Energy Technology Office (WETO) and Solar Energy Technology Office (SETO). His work has focused on land-atmosphere interactions, boundary-layer turbulence, clouds, and cloud- aerosol interactions. He has served as PI or Co-PI of several deployments of the DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile and Airborne Facilities as well as field studies supported by WETO. A native of Pennsylvania, Berg holds PhD and MS degrees in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of British Columbia, and a BS degree in Meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University.

Researchers from SAFL's Healthy Waters Initiative recently published a new report entitled "A Field Study of Recreational Powerboat Hydrodynamics and their Impacts on the Water Column and Lakebed." 

This study focused on characterizing the hydrodynamic phenomena produced by a moving powerboat and investigating the impacts on the water column beneath the boat and at the lakebed.

Join us for a presentation about the study, methods, and findings. There will be plenty of time for questions. 

About the work: The motivation for this field-based research study was the need to better understand the environmental impacts within the water column and at the lakebed as different types of recreational powerboats traverse under their typical modes of operation. The objectives of the study were to: 1) clarify and define the various hydrodynamic phenomena that are created by a recreational powerboat in motion, and how these phenomena vary with water depth and mode of operation, 2) investigate the depth of penetration and duration of emission gases (e.g., engine exhaust bubbles), 3) investigate the water column velocities and depth of penetration of the bow, stern, and transverse waves and their potential to resuspend lakebed sediment, 4) Investigate the propeller wash velocity and depth of penetration, and the potential to resuspend lakebed sediment, 5) investigate the effects of repeated boat passage on thermal stratification and mixing in the water column, 6) capture underwater and aerial video of the hydrodynamic phenomena and any subsequent impacts (e.g., sediment resuspension). 

This study generated a wealth of data that we used to developed recommendations on the minimum operational depth that recreational powerboats, under typical modes of operation, should maintain to minimize impacts to the lakebed.

About the presenters:

Jeff Marr is the Associate Director of Engineering and Facilities at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Marr manages SAFL’s Applied Research and Engineering Team, which has ongoing work for public and private organizations in the fields of boat-generated waves, urban stormwater, hydraulic modeling, wind and water power, river engineering and restoration, and technology development for field monitoring. Marr is a licensed civil engineer specializing in hydraulics and sediment transport. His research interests include water hydraulics, river engineering and restoration, sediment transport dynamics, and hydropower. Marr is also an affiliated researcher with the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies.

Andy Riesgraf joined the University of Minnesota in 2016 as a Research Scientist with the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Center (MAISRC), where he studied deterrent methods to stop the upstream migration of invasive carp in the Mississippi River. In 2020, he joined SAFL’s Applied Research and Engineering team as a Research Scientist. Andy specializes in designing and conducting field studies on lakes and rivers, with technical expertise in the deployment of data acquisition systems. His research interests include lake and river water quality, boat-generated waves and propeller wash impacts, tracking fish and aquatic mammals, and aquatic invasive species prevention/management.

Dr. Michelle Driscoll is an Associate Professor and soft condensed matter experimentalist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University.

Abstract: Why does ketchup flow better when you whack the bottle?  Why is oobleck able to transform from a flowing liquid to a solid when you squeeze it?  Complex fluids, such as ketchup and oobleck, have mesoscale structure on the scale of tens of microns, and it is local changes to this structure which lead to dramatic changes in flow properties.  In my lab, we try to understand these materials using free-surface flows such as drop impact and sheet breakup.  We use high speed imaging, and work with model systems to gain new insight into complex behavior such as solidification under stress.  In this talk, I will discuss how I have used this approach to unde stand both dynamical behavior as well to reveal the in-situ microstructure of these materials.  I will discuss two classes of complex fluids, yield stress fluids and shear-thickening fluids, and demonstrate how our measurements offer a new window into the transient behavior of these materials under high stress.

About: Professor Driscoll is a soft condensed matter experimentalist, and her research lies at the junction between soft-matter physics and fluid dynamics. The Driscoll lab focuses on understanding how structure and patterns emerge in a driven system, and how to use this structure formation as a new way to probe nonequillibrium systems. The lab studies emergent structures in a diverse array of driven systems, from the microscopic to larger-scale. By developing a deeper understanding of patterns and structures which emerge dynamically in a driven material, we can learn not only how these structures can be controlled, but also how to use them to connect macroscopic behavior to microscopic properties.  Before coming to Northwestern, Prof. Driscoll was a postdoctoral associate at New York University, working with Paul Chaikin in the Center for Soft Matter Research. She completed her PhD in 2014 with Sid Nagel at the University of Chicago.

About the Lorenz G. Straub Award: Established under the Lorenz G. Straub Memorial Fund, this award is given for the most meritorious thesis in hydraulic engineering, ecohydraulics, or related fields. The competition is international, and nominations may be made by any recognized civil and environmental engineering program in the world. Recipients are presented with a Straub Award medal and a monetary gift. Learn more about this award here.

Winner of the Straub Award: Dr. Einara Zahn

Abstact: From Simulations to Real Forests: Understanding Water and Carbon Fluxes in Nature; In this talk, I will explore the partitioning of two key components in the water and carbon cycles -- evapotranspiration (ET) and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) -- which are essential to the functioning of forests and other natural ecosystems. Specifically, I will investigate methods for separating ET and NEE into their soil-based (evaporation and respiration) and plant-based (transpiration and photosynthesis) components. Using advanced simulations called large eddy simulations, I will demonstrate how we can recreate real-world environments to study how turbulence transports CO2 and water vapor between soil and plants. By numerically investigating this transport, we can develop and test partitioning methods that could later be applied in real field experiments. These insights help refine flux quantification, enhancing our ability to predict and understand ecosystem processes. Ultimately, this research supports future studies aimed at understanding how plants respond to various environmental changes, such as increased temperature and CO2 levels, also contributing to more accurate representations of natural ecosystems in climate models.

About the winner: I am a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University working in the Thermofluids of Urban and Natural Environments Lab with Prof. Elie Bou-Zeid, where I also got my PhD in 2023. My research in the lab has centered on the transport of water vapor, CO2 , and temperature in natural and urban environments. My previous projects focused on improving flux quantification, including novel methods to partition total ecosystem fluxes of CO2  and water vapor into ground and plant contributions, as well as on investigating flux parameterization methods based on the Monin-Obukhov Similarity theory. As a postdoctoral researcher I investigate physical processes within urban canopy models with the goal of improving parameterization for more accurate weather prediction in cities. My research interests include land-atmosphere interactions and atmospheric turbulence, urban microclimate, and hydrometeorology. In addition to field measurements, my work incorporates numerical simulations across different scales using large-eddy simulations and weather prediction models.

About the Heinz G. Stefan Fellowship: This award is given to a University of Minnesota student pursuing graduate studies in later resources engineering who is studying at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Special consideration is given to students involved in environmental hydraulics. Learn more about this award here.

Winner of the Heinz G. Stefan Fellowship: Yuan Li (Advisor: Dr. Judy Yang)

Abstract: Removal of harmful algal cells through clay-algae flocculation;
Cyanobacterial blooms produce toxins that contaminate drinking water and harm aquatic ecosystems. Clay dispersal, a method that flocculates algal cells with clay particles, has been used successfully in East Asia for over 30 years to mitigate blooms but remains untested in Minnesota. This research proposes adapting clay flocculation for local lakes, leveraging preliminary data showing high removal efficiency with laponite clay. To optimize the process, an in-situ visualization system will analyze floc structure and size dynamics during aggregation. The study will also investigate how turbulence influences clay-cell floc formation, a critical factor for real-world application in Minnesota’s variable water conditions. By bridging lab-scale findings with field-relevant turbulence regimes, this work aims to develop a scalable, eco- friendly bloom control strategy. The outcomes could provide Minnesota with a cost-effective, chemically benign solution to cyanobacterial blooms, reducing reliance on algaecides and protecting water quality. This research aligns with global efforts to combat HABs while addressing region-specific challenges in freshwater systems.

About the winner: I am a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota, working under the guidance of Prof. Judy Yang. Prior to my doctoral studies, I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Petroleum Engineering from the China University of Petroleum (Qingdao, China). My research focuses on clay-based technologies to control and mitigate Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), a critical environmental challenge affecting water quality and ecosystem health. By investigating the interactions between clay particles and algal cells, I aim to develop efficient, eco-friendly strategies for HAB removal that minimize ecological disruption while maximizing scalability for real-world applications.

About the Charles C.S. Song Fellowship:  Established in honor of Professor Charles C.S. Song by a generous group of former graduate students, this fellowship provides monetary support for graduate students at SAFL, particularly for international students.  Learn more about this award here.

Winner of the Charles C.S. Song Fellowship: Anup Vaman Barve (Advisor: Dr. Lian Shen)

Abstract: Demystifying Fog; Fog consists of suspended water droplets or ice crystals near the Earth's surface, reducing near-surface visibility to less than 1 km. Unlike clouds, which form at higher altitudes, fog develops near the surface and is influenced by a complex interplay of dynamic, microphysical, thermodynamic, and surface processes that regulate moisture within the atmospheric boundary layer. These processes govern the formation, evolution, and dissipation of fog, collectively known as the life cycle of fog. Marine fog is a multiscale phenomenon, with length scales spanning several orders of magnitude,  reaching a ratio on the order of 10¹³. Its formation and development are influenced not only by large-scale (synoptic and mesoscale) weather systems but also by intricate small-scale interactions, including microphysical processes and aerosol behavior. Large-eddy simulation (LES) is a powerful tool for capturing small-scale processes such as turbulence, microphysics, and radiation. However, it typically does not account for or poorly represents large-scale dynamics (LSD). To address this limitation, we modify the LES governing equations by introducing additional terms that incorporate LSD effects. Furthermore, we employ both, Lagrangian cloud modeling (LCM) and a bulk cloud modeling approach to analyze the microphysical processes governing fog formation. This combined methodology is applied to simulate advection fog and stratus-lowering fog observed during the Fog and Turbulence Interactions in the Marine Atmosphere (FATIMA) MURI campaign, providing deeper insights into fog dynamics and interactions.

About the winner: I am a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, working under the guidance of Prof. Lian Shen. I also hold an M. Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras, India. My research focuses on studying atmospheric boundary layer processes using large-eddy simulation, with a particular emphasis on cloud and fog dynamics. I am especially interested in understanding the physical mechanisms governing these phenomena and improving numerical modeling approaches to better capture their behavior. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball and cricket, and I also love exploring new places.