Minimal Surface (MS) geometry is a sophisticated mathematical branch that can be used to describe the geometry of a naturally formed phenomena such as soap films. How can we use math to describe various MS shapes? How can we create 3D models of MS objects? How can we print them out using 3D printers? What is the Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS)? How can we create variations of TPMSs? What will be the performance of seawalls or breakwaters made of TPMS? 

Build an advanced mini-wave tank for testing the shoreline protection structures. The wave tank includes accessories such as different paddles of wave maker, ramp, etc. which allow the wave tank to be configured for different experiments. The program running on the computer can specify the type, frequency, and amplitude of the waves generated by the wave maker. The waves generated in the wave tank will be measured through a vision-based system and displayed on the computer. Computer vision techniques will be used to identify and extract all the measurements from the video captured by a webcam.

A numeric wave tank sometimes can be used to explore some conditions that is not easy to be duplicated in a physical one. The coastal simulation project is aiming to simulate the wave generation process and the interaction between waves and shoreline protection structures such as seawalls and breakwaters. The simulation results will be compared to the physical experiments. 

This is a software-oriented project focusing on creating a mobile app that can be used to monitor the seawall habitat. The app will serve two types of audiences: tourists and citizen scientists (engaged visitors). For tourists, the app serves as a tour guide app. For citizen scientists, the app serves as a data collecting tool. It will provide real-time educational information through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR). The collected crowd-sourcing habitat monitoring information will be analyzed automatically and send to the park administration.

To create a seawall ecological park in New York City is a complex job. It's a combination of solid costal engineering structures, marine life-friendly habitats, human accessible architectural designs, local government and community-supported construction, and climate change-proof life span. In other world, a transdisciplinary approach is needed in order to guarantee its success. We will need a research project to build this transdisciplinary capacity in our class. The team members will develop expertises systematically in multiple disciplines and gradually cultivate the capabilities of supporting and guiding all the project teams, casting visions, setting priorities, schedules, and workflows, identifying and managing risks, communicating with external stack holders, etc.