Coastal and Ocean Research

The Coastal and Ocean Engineering program

The Coastal and Ocean Engineering program at Oregon State University is a leading center for research and education in coastal engineering and nearshore science. We have a critical mass of faculty and staff specializing in both physical/numerical modeling of coastal dynamics and also field observations. A short list of focus areas includes:

Nearshore hydrodynamics
Remote sensing of coastal areas
Turbulent sediment suspension and transport
Tsunami propagation and inundation
Wave-structure interaction

The Coastal and Ocean Engineering Program is also the home of the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, one of the largest and technically most advanced laboratories for coastal research in the world. The ties between Coastal and Ocean Engineering and the WRL ensure that students will have access to state-of-the art facilities for research in coastal and ocean processes. In addition, since complex coastal problems require multidisciplinary solutions, Coastal and Ocean Engineering has ties to programs in the College of Oceanic & Atmospheric Sciences (Marine Geology, Physical Oceanography), Geosciences, Mathematics, and Computer Science.

Coastal and Ocean Engineering faculty

Coastal and Ocean Engineering faculty maintain active research programs, our main funding agencies are the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, Oregon Sea Grant, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The faculty members concentrating in Coastal and Ocean Engineering and their research interests are summarized below: