Near-Shore Phenomena Course
in Chile 2018
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During winter quarter 2018, Seattle University Mathematics Professor Dr. John Carter taught a course entitled Mathematical Models of Near-Shore Phenomena. This 4000-level course was cross-listed in the Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering Departments. During the quarter we studied models of water waves, tsunamis, wave-energy extraction devices, the associated mathematics and engineering, and Chilean culture. After ten weeks of preparation, both scientific and cultural, we travelled to Chile to learn from Chilean experts. We visited the Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering at the Pontific Catholic University of Chile (PUC) in Santiago and the Department of Civil Engineering at the Federico Santa Maria Technical University (UTFSM) in Valparaiso. The Chile portion of the course officially began the morning of Sunday, March 25th and ended the night of Saturday, March 31st. It was a fantastic week packed with mathematics, engineering, and culture.
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On Sunday (the first day of the Chilean portion of the course) we walked through the sculpture park next to the Rio Mapocho in Santiago and had lunch at a restaurant named Aji Seco near Plaza de Armas. After lunch, we went on a four-hour, guided walking tour of Santiago. We toured some of the important locations in Santiago while learning a little Chilean history and local knowledge.
First thing Monday morning, we had breakfast in the hotel and went to the San Joaquin campus of PUC. Our first class in Chile was led by Jose Galaz. He taught us about TsunamiLab, a software package he developed that solves the linear shallow water equations and creates three-dimensional animations of tsunamis as they travel across the ocean and hit the shoreline. We built holograms showing tsunami evolution using sheets of plastic and our phones! Dr. Rodrigo Cienfueos, Director of the Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN), gave the second lecture of the day. He presented an overview of what they are doing in Chile to mitigate damage from natural disasters. After the lectures, we toured campus and ate lunch in the mining building. We spent the afternoon exploring some of Santiago's parks and tourist shops. That night we had a huge dinner with our new Chilean friends! |  |
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First thing Tuesday morning, we headed back to the PUC campus. Dr. Leandro Suarez started the day by giving a presentation on MERIC, Chile's Marine Energy Research & Innovation Center. Dr. Christopher Aiken, a PUC biology professor, gave a lecture on carbon uptake in the southern ocean. Jaime Cortez, an undergraduate student at PUC, gave a presentation on the model turbines he was using to study the creation of turbulence in PUC's experimental facility. We spent the afternoon exploring the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). It is a space dedicated to giving visibility to the human rights violations committed by the Chilean government between 1973 and 1990. It is an incredibly powerful museum and was one of the highlights of our trip. |
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Wednesday morning we got on a bus and headed to Las Cruces, a small fishing community on the coast. We visited La Estacion Costera de Investigaciones Marinas de las Cruces (ECIM), a coastal research facility associated with PUC. Dr. Cristian Escauriaza gave lecture entitled "Floods in Mountain Rivers with High Sediment Concentrations". After the talk, we toured the research facility and got back on the bus. We traveled to Isla Negra, one of the many homes of Pablo Neruda (a Chilean poet who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971). We had lunch there and spent the afternoon exploring the museum. That evening we traveled to Valparaiso, Chile's largest port city.
Thursday morning we went to Federico Santa Maria Technical University. We toured campus and then attended a lecture by Dr. Patricio Catalan, a professor of Civil Engineering at UTFSM. We had lunch in Valparaiso at a restaurant named Puerto Viejo and then took the bus back to Santiago. Once back in Santiago, we took the gondola to the top of Cerro San Cristobal and explored a few of the many hill-top trails. We had dinner in the Bellavista neighborhood and returned to the hotel relatively early! |
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First thing Friday morning, we took a van to Cascada de las Animas, a nature sanctuary in the Maipo Canyon in the Andes. We went on a three-hour hike to the "meseta," a small mesa overlooking the valley. The views were amazing!. It was sunny, clear, and HOT. We were all very thirsty by the end. We had a nice lunch at the Cascada de Animas restaurant and then returned to Santiago.
We spent Saturday exploring more locations in Santiago. We visited Los Dominicos Artisan Market, Plaza de Armas, and the Precolombian Art Museum. In the late afternoon, we said our goodbyes and headed for the airport for our flights back to Seattle! |
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Thanks
This course was made possible by support and assistance from Dr. Michael Quinn (Dean of SU's College of Science and Engineering), Dr. Dylan Helliwell (Chair of SU's Mathematics Department), Dario Ogaz (SU Education Abroad), Gina Lopardo (SU Education Abroad), Pat Whitney (Dean's Administrative Coordinator), and Robin Evans (College of Science and Engineering Budget Coordinator).Great thanks to our Chilean friends and colleagues: Dr. Cristian Escauriaza, Dr. Rodrigo Cienfuegos, Dr. Patricio Catalan, Dr. Christopher Aiken, Dr. Leandro Suarez, Jose Galaz, and Jaime Cortez.
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