Stevens Professor Alan Blumberg to speak at NY Public Library

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Alan F. Blumberg, a Professor of Ocean Engineering in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, will present a talk and slide show, “The Waters Around Manhattan: Balancing Human Uses and The Natural Environment ”at The New York Public Library, Tuesday, Tuesday, May 2, 2006. The event is part of an ongoing lecture series sponsored by the Science, Industry and Business Library Public Programs and will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

“The quality of life in New York City is inseparable from its marine environment,” said Blumberg. “The shorelines and waters of New York Harbor, including the Hudson, Harlem and East Rivers surrounding Manhattan, and the nearby densely-populated regions, all provide significant economic, environmental and recreational benefits to the states of New York and New Jersey, as well as to the nation as a whole. Issues confronting the region include safe navigation and maritime security within one of the largest ports in the world, water quality concerns and beach erosion and flooding along the heavily-populated New Jersey and Long Island shorelines.”

Since 1998, Stevens has been developing a network of operational sensors that provide real-time observations of weather and ocean conditions throughout this maritime region. The network has evolved into the New York Harbor Observing and Prediction System (NYHOPS). NYHOPS provides a wealth of real-time data about tides, waves, winds, currents, temperatures and salinities in the waters of New York and New Jersey . This information is now available to serve the maritime user community in the same way that atmospheric weather forecasting serves on-land populations. NYHOPS can be viewed on the Web at www.stevens.edu/maritimeforecast/.

The presentation will address the technical details of the system, how the user community collaborated on the project, and the unique challenges associated with constructing an operational observing and forecasting system in an urbanized marine region.

Blumberg is a George Meade Bond Professor of Ocean Engineering, Director of the Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering Department and Deputy Director of The Center for Maritime Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the areas of estuarine and ocean physics, where he studies how water moves and mixes in the natural environment. Recognized as one of the pioneers in modern estuarine and coastal ocean forecasting, Blumberg has spent more than 20 years studying the currents and water quality of the waters around Manhattan . Blumberg received a doctorate in ocean physics from The Johns Hopkins University and did post-doctoral work with Princeton University ’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Program.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University, is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,234 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with more than 400 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.

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