Research Expertise and Interest

fluid mechanics, turbulence, wetlands, imaging, plankton, sediment transport

Research Description

Evan Variano is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research is focused on methodology of measuring fluid flow in the environment and how it affects ecosystems and people.  Sediment transport can be measured with digital video obtained via fiberoptic transmission. Transport of biologically relevant gasses CO2 and O2 can be measured with fluorescent dyes that signal the presence of such gasses in their dissolved (aqueous) phase.  Motion of particles suspended in turbulent flow can be measured by fabricating special optically-transparent particles.  Possible sites for renewable energy can be found and ranked using satellite data.  Peoples' values surrounding renewable energy that takes up space in the local air and water can be measured and understood using semi-structured interviews.  Each of these techniques, and others, are applied in the laboratory and, whenever possible, in the field. Laboratory devices are designed to provide models of phenomena that occur in field settings.  Theoretical expertise focuses on turbulence and how it influences the transport of material near interfaces.