Teaching Laboratories in Fluid Mechanics for Earth Sciences and Engineering

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Oceanography (43) It is rare for courses in fluid dynamics to be remembered as defining educational experiences in large part, we believe, because laboratory experimentation and demonstration seldom play a central role. In recent years we have been developing laboratory-based courses at MIT in which artfully chosen experiments based on "research classics" demonstrate principles of rotating fluid mechanics, cultivate physical intuition and nurture and develop experimental skills. Students and faculty have found it a very rewarding experience. This project is developing a) a prototype undergraduate laboratory course for use in teaching of rotating fluid dynamics, b) non-invasive methods to obtain quantitative measurements from experiments, and c) a laboratory guide to help faculty and students at other schools learn fluid mechanics in a laboratory-based setting. The undergraduate course, which is now recognized by MIT as an "Institute Laboratory", provides the context in which, we are developing and evaluating the experiments and teaching methods. Our target audience is sophomores, juniors and seniors majoring in earth science or environmental engineering. But a wide range of students from other science or engineering disciplines are also benefiting.