The Catalyst Program Fall 2010 Seminar, Salmun

Fall 2010 STEM Seminar - Interdisciplinary Project:

“On the Upwelling of Downwelling Currents”

What you should know about this course: (1) it is ‘hands on’ – ‘work together’ course and (2) it is some hard work!

It will be successful if and only if we all participate actively and we are all prepared to work.

We will share the responsibilities: each of you individually will contribute to set up the problem, understand the material, develop the research questions, design a method to seek answers, work out the answers and report on the process and results. The professor will lead and guide, as well as work alongside, but this your ‘show’. Your contributions will be made from a disciplinary perspective: Earth Scientists will be in charge of the ocean circulation background, Physicists will help set up the governing equations for a moving fluid for basic principles (hey remember F= ma?, yeah that one), Mathematicians will lead the way from the general equations to what we actually end up using and in the end it is our fellows, the Computer Scientists that are in charge of helping us find the answers. By the end of the term we all talk about “The Project”!

What you should expect from this course: (1) to have fun and (2) to learn how ‘science’ gets done.

You should (and will be expected to):

1.  Attend meetings and arrive on time.

2.  Come to meetings prepared: (1) if you are presenting: have your presentation ready, make sure to discuss your presentation with the instructor beforehand (so your own questions can be properly addressed), and (2) if you are not presenting: read up on what your fellows will be talking about and prepare questions for the class.

Here is a tentative schedule, use it as a guide for the semester. The pdf for the Reference at the end is available from our website: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/catalyst/catalyst-seminar.

The Catalyst Scholarship Program at Hunter College

Fall 2010 STEM Seminar - Interdisciplinary Project:

“On the Upwelling of Downwelling Currents”

Wednesdays, 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Room 1022 & Lab 1090B, Hunter North

Professors Haydee Salmun and Frank Buonaiuto

DATE / PROFESSOR’S TASKS / STUDENT’S TASKS
September 15
Room HN 1022 / Introduction to the STEM seminar. / Earth Scientists: review basic ocean circulation.
September 29
Room HN 1022 / From the general equations of motion to the particulars of motion of jets along a coast / Physicists: review basic concepts of mechanics and equations of fluid flow.
October 13
Lab HN 1090B / More about fluid flow: vorticity and ‘things’. / Mathematicians: derive the arrested topographic wave equation.
October 27
Lab HN 1090B / Solutions: analytical and numerical approaches. / Computer Scientists: present the numerical method to solve the wave equation using Matlab.
November 10
Lab HN 1090B / Be there! / All: work time, bring your questions, report on progress, organize presentation.
November 24
Lab HN 1090B / Be there! / All: work time, bring your questions, report on progress, organize presentation.
December 1
Room HN 1022 / Be there! / Presentations

Reference:

“On the Upwelling of Downwelling Currents” by R. P. Matano and E.D. Palma, 2008. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 38, 2482-2500. DOI:10.1175/2008JPO3783.1

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