Stream Restoration

Teaching

The Biological Systems Engineering Department offers:

BSE5984: Advanced Topics in Watershed management

This course is a graduate-level interdisciplinary course designed to explore advanced topics in watershed management. The focus is on reading, discussion, summary and presentation of current research in the areas of water quality and watershed management. Each year a different theme is chosen for review. Last year the course explored streams in urban environments, including changes in watershed hydrology, stream hydraulics, riparian areas and instream habitat, pollutant sources and loading, and mitigation measures. In 2007, the course topic will be fluvial geomorphology, tracing the roots of fluvial geomorphology and the foundation it provides for current stream restoration practice.

For the first part of the course, a core group of papers will be reviewed by the entire class. During the remainder of the semester, each student will select and pursue a topic of interest related to the theme of the course in greater detail. For each topic, the student will be responsible for fis nding, and reading thoroughly, a minimum of ten journal articles related to each of their selected topics. The articles will be summarized in a literature review and compiled into an annotated bibliography for the topic. One week prior to their assigned class period, the student will select and distribute one paper for the remainder of the class to read. The student will then make a conference-style presentation during one class period and will lead a discussion of the research. The final exam will be in essay-format and will cover the material discussed during the semester.

This class is offerred every year in the spring.

BSE 5984: Stream Restoration

This course provides students with a fundamental background in the geophysical processes of natural streams with emphasis on qualitative and quantitative aspects of fluvial geomorphology, addressing channel dynamics, sediment transport, human impacts on streams, aquatic habitat improvements, and stream restoration design and assessment. Students will learn to inspect, classify, identify and measure river features. Quantitative analyses of river hydraulics and morphology will be performed to predict river reactions to human activities and watershed change. The course includes class lectures, readings, problem sets, field labs and a team project.

This class is offerred in the fall of even years.

For more information contact Tess Wynn at tesswynn@vt.edu.