ME PhD Student James Diorio Awarded ARCS Fellowship

Congratulations to Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student James Diorio for earning the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Endowment Fellow award for the 2006-2007 academic year, which will support his research in the field of free surface waves. Diorio is advised by Professor of Mechanical Engineering James Duncan.

The ARCS Foundation is a national volunteer women's organization dedicated to providing financial support to academically outstanding students majoring in the fields of natural science, medicine and engineering. The generous endowment is being granted by the Metropolitan Washington Chapter of ARCS.

James Diorio received his B.S. degree from Haverford College with honors in physics in the spring of 2004. There he worked with Prof. Jerry P. Gollub on chaotic fluid mixing in micro-channels which began his interest in fluid mechanics. He matriculated to Maryland in the fall of 2004 and was awarded the Pi Tau Gamma Outstanding Teaching Assistant award in the spring of 2005. He joined the Hydrodynamics Lab in the spring of 2005 under the advisory of Prof. James Duncan.

His current research project is on the effects of surface properties on wind generated breaking waves. Small scale, or "spilling" breakers have an immense impact on the ocean surface, from the absorption of green house gases to variations in global sea surface temperatures. However, changes in fluid surface properties can dramatically alter the wave dynamics in ways that are not fully understood.

The gracious funding from the ARCS Foundation will help in the development a novel imaging system for capturing smaller scale wave motions and improve measurement capability of dynamic surface properties.

Published March 15, 2006