Renovations of the Johnson Environmental Turbulence (JET) Laboratory are presently underway with the lab opening in January 2018 when Prof. Johnson will arrive as an Assistant Professor in Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. In the lab, we will break down complex environmental flows into their fundamental components to understand the driving fluid mechanics processes responsible for mixing and transport in the environment. Even while living several hours from the coast, we can study phenomena such as breaking waves, stratified flows (whether by salinity, temperature, or some other density gradient), fluid-structure interaction, sediment transport, and countless others by developing unique laboratory facilities. There will often be an emphasis on exploring turbulence as a key energetic contribution to shear stress, erosion, diffusion, and other processes.
While we are building new experimental facilities and renovating old ones, there will also be the potential for field work in Texas and across the US. Although the primary expertise of the JET lab is experimentally-based, opportunities exist to collaborate with numerical modelers or to pursue joint experimental/numerical graduate research within the UT community and at other universities.
Please excuse (or enjoy!) the photos and videos of longhorns that are presently scattered around the site as updates are made.