Environmental Mechanics Collective
University of Pennsylvania
Embedded Files
Our collective: A community of researchers across disciplines and departments at Penn.
Our focus: The forces and dynamics that shape our planet, and how we as humans interact with them.
Our vision: Tackle the world's most pressing challenges in climate and the environment through the lens of mechanics.
Our approach: Creative, cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Scales of environmental mechanics
Scales of environmental mechanics
Microscale
Microscale
Scales: 1 nm to 1 cm
Key players: Molecular pollutants, microbes, soil erosion, microplastics, nanomaterials, and microsensors.
Human Scale
Human Scale
Scales: 1 cm to 10 m
Key players: Eddies in fluid flows, slip planes in granular materials, soil aggregates, plants, animals, and people.
Landscape Scale
Landscape Scale
Scales: 10 m to 100 km
Key players: Sand dunes, forests, mountains, cities, weather systems, and global atmospheric and oceanic circulations.
Tools for environmental mechanics
Tools for environmental mechanics
Theory
Theory
Fundamental principles applied to complex environmental systems
Modeling
Modeling
Predictive physics-based and data-driven models with varying fidelity
Experiments
Experiments
Controlled studies to isolate important phenomena and validate models
Fieldwork
Fieldwork
Measurements of real-world dynamics and processes in their full complexity
Applications of environmental mechanics
Applications of environmental mechanics
Earth-System Modeling
Earth-System Modeling
Climate-Change Adaptation
Climate-Change Adaptation
Disaster Response
Disaster Response
Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy
Water Treatment
Water Treatment
Bioengineering
Bioengineering
Sustainable Cities
Sustainable Cities
Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous Vehicles
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