COASTAL ENGINEERING AND OCEANOGRAPHY FIELD EXPERIENCES IN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AT GEORGIA TECH - SAVANNAH

Georgia Tech's program in Savannah began in 1999 and has as a central theme “Engineering in the Coastal Environment.” This theme includes the traditional problems addressed by coastal engineers – e.g. beach erosion, nearshore currents, dredging, coastal structures – but also many other problems that require engineering solutions to problems in the coastal environment: response to sea level rise, hurricane-resistant design and evacuation schemes, bridges, tidal power, and corrosion, for example.

Despite the fact that many of the program's “clients” have spent many years in coastal Georgia, many have had minimal previous exposure to the issues addressed by engineers in the coastal environment. Georgia Tech - Savannah has developed a series of new courses for both undergraduate and graduate students focused on coastal engineering. The campus location has facilitated the inclusion of numerous field trips into courses, and many students have had the opportunity to participate in field trips related to sponsored research as well.

This talk will discuss the authors' experiences with undergraduate and graduate students on field trips related to coastal engineering and coastal oceanography, including interaction with high school science educators from schools throughout the southeastern U.S.

Field experiences for students have included:

- Ship days on Skidaway Institute of Oceanography's R/V Savannah. Students performed CTD casts and collected sediment samples, and later processed digital data defining navigational and oceanographic parameters (salinity, velocity, etc.).

- Three “nearshore experiments” undertaken for both educational and sponsored research purposes, involving terrestrial and bathymetric surveying, and measurement of nearshore currents using both acoustic and digital video techniques.

- Training on the basics of coastal engineering for educators, including experience with a rod and level for surveying beach profiles.