Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NHERI 2023: Engineering with Nature: How Effective are Hybrid Solutions at Reducing Overtopping?

My research project was about the potential efficiency of hybrid solutions as coastal protection against wave effects. Mangrove forests were the subject of interest, as we determined their ability to reduce wave overtopping alone, and in a hybrid system with a rock revetment wall. The data collected in this project can be used to measure the wave attenuation and wave overtopping reduction capabilities of the hybrid green and gray infrastructures used. The data can also be used to identify trends in results compared to wave conditions. This project is unique in that it was a large-scale prototype to model the effects of mangrove forests on wave forces and overtopping. It is additionally going to work towards determining scaling factors for mangroves in order to promote small-scale research on green engineering coastal protection methods. The audience intended for this project would be both current and potential engineers looking to find modern, ecological solutions to the threats our coastal communities face. This research can be informative for a wide range of audiences, as it was intended to motivate further research and is therefore preliminary and explained in an introductory manner.