Paul Mathisen - Projects

 

Project opportunities for 2008/9:

This section lists available project opportunities for the 2008/9 academic year.  Project availability is noted as of 3/20/08.  Since some students had already expressed interest, some projects may already be taken before this web site can be changed.  You are welcome to contact Paul Mathisen (mathisen@wpi.edu) if you are interested in any of these projects.  

Major Qualifying Projects:

1. Impacts of wastewater effluent discharges on water quality - see description below under general project topic areas

2. Water quality of urban streams - various topics - see description below under general project topic areas

3. Fish passage - various topics - see description under general MQP topic areas

4. Reservoir Yield for the Boston Water Supply - possible topic to address future supply considerations

Interactive Qualifying Projects:

1. Water quality protection in the Nashua River Watershed  - The Nashua River flows through regions in Eastern Massachusetts where there is been tremendous development and growth.  This growth has resulted in a variety of problems that have impacted water quality in the river.  To develop and implement plans to solve these problems, it is important to understand the relationship between development and water quality.  It is also important to understand the how the various stakeholders (e.g. local and state government; watershed associations; public, etc.) can effectively work together.  This objective of this project is to develop an plan that will serve to increase the involvement of these agencies for the improvement of water quality in the Nashua River.

2. Worcester Academy Wind Project Worcester Academy is committed to environmental sustainability and responsible global citizenship, and is striving for carbon neutral operations. As part of the development of a Brownfield site on a recently purchased plot for campus expansion, Worcester Academy envisions a potential wind turbine as a touchstone project for positive environmental and social change. This student project will involve an assessment of the feasibility of the installation of a wind turbine at this site. Both technical and social/regulatory factors will be considered as part of the project.

3. Monitoring vernal pools & vegetation at Green Hill Park – a tentative educational IQP – This project would include an educational partnership to be completed in collaboration with Worcester Parks & Worcester Technical High School .

Recently completed projects

Major Qualifying Projects:

Wastewater management options for Mashpee, MA - by Alex Dismore, Paul Moran, and Allison Vasallo

Water Quality Management for the Nashua River - by Jon Carelli, Dan Lafrance, Chris Luppino, and Kristin Ostermann

Interactive Qualifying Projects:

Watershed management for the Seven-mile River by Michael Belsky, Bethany Santangelo and Drew Wopat

Information management for the Boylston Water District by Dave Sheridan & Josh Gardner

Some general MQP topic areas

1. "Impacts of subsurface discharges of wastewater effluent on water quality"
To avoid direct discharges into streams and ponds, subsurface disposal is commonly required for wastewater effluent discharges.  Subsurface discharges help provide additional treatment that improves the quality of the discharges before they flow into surface waters.  This approach is important for many municipal treatment facilities as well as septic systems, which are extensively used throughout Massachusetts. However, we still do not fully understand how these subsurface discharges can affect nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen, and we do not know how they affect emerging contaminants. Projects in this area include the analysis of the impacts of wastewater discharges on groundwater and surface water, along with the development of improved techniques for treatment and disposal of these discharges   
2. "Groundwater Remediation"
These projects commonly are set up in collaboration with United States Geological Survey and Installation Restoration Program at the Massachusetts Military Reservation. A major cleanup has been on-going at this site for a while.  Key questions involve the operation of pump and treat systems and how to make decisions regarding the operation of these systems.   Additional questions involve specific contamination problems and how to deal with the remediation of these areas.  Projects in this area include groundwater assessment and modeling, along with remediation design. Students interested in working on groundwater contamination problems are encouraged to consider topics in this area.
3. " Water quality of urban streams"
Streams in urban areas invariably have poor water quality due to high loads of contaminants and sediments in the runoff from these areas. Water resources managers often implement various techniques known as Best Management Practices (BMPs) to alleviate these problems. However, the processes governing these problems are complex and not well known. It is often difficult to quantify and characterize the sediment and contaminant loads in these areas. Furthermore, effectiveness of the BMPs is often not quantitatively known. Project opportunities for 2007/8 include topics addressing urban runoff and urban BMPs. Previous MQPs have addressed comtamination in Salisbury Pond, which is located adjacent to WPI in Institute Park. Projects in this area will include close interaction with towns and watershed interested in restoring urban streams and ponds.
4. " Fish passage in rivers
Many dams are located on rivers throughout the United States. These dams often impact that ecosystem and do not allow for fish to follow their natural migration routes. Projects in this area are intended to address these problems by developing solutions to allow for fish passage at these dams. A recent project concentrated on fish passage at a dam along the Quinapoxet River in Holden, MA. This project involved hydrologic and hydraulic analyses along with a design to accommodate fish passage at this dam. Another project addresses fish passage in the Manhan River in Easthampton, MA. Additional projects for next year include design of fish passage facilities at other locations, along with consideration of a variety of options for restoring fish passage (e.g. natural fishways).

Some examples of Previous Projects:

Fish Passage:
"Facilitation of Fish Passage on the Quinapoxet River ", 2004/5, by Hunter Bennett-Daggett, Janet Moonan, and Paul Ruszala, Collaboration with the Alden Research Laboratory, Inc., US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Mass Division of Resources and Recreation.
 

Groundwater remediation:
"Long term Plan for Remediation of a Contaminated Groundwater Plume", 2002/3, by Julie Forcier, Eric Kenney, Cati Knab, and Jackie Maiarano, Collaboration with the USGS, Massachusetts Military Reservation, and the EPA.
 

Offshore Engineering:
"Design of an Offshore Wind Turbine in Nantucket Sound", 2002/3, by Dale Horsmann and Andre King
 

Urban Runoff:
" Design of a BMP to Reduce Sediment Loads in Salisbury Pond" - 2003/4 - by Sergio Cherenzia and Matt Zuccaro Water supply:
"Enhancing Groundwater Recharge in Blackstone,MA" - 2003/4 - by Luke Boucher, Crystal Caron, and Anita Padmanabhan, sponsored by the Town of Blackstone, MA