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Paul P. Mathisen, Ph.D., P.E. |
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Associate Professor |
| PhD | Civil and Environmental Engineering | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1993 |
| MS | Civil Engineering | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1989 |
| BS | Civil Engineering | University of Massachusetts | 1984 |
| 1999-Pres | Associate Professor | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA |
| 2002-2005 | Hydrologist (summer faculty appt.) | United States Geological Survey | Northborough, MA |
| 1993-1999 | Assistant Professor | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Worcester, MA |
| 1987-1993 | Research Assistant | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA |
| 1984-1987 | Engineer | Metcalf and Eddy, Inc. | Wakefield, MA |
Undergraduate Courses:
CE 1030 - Introduction to civil eng. & computers - 1993/4 - present - an introductory freshman course taught in collaborative format by multiple professors – lead the course twice, and typically teach 1 to 2 one-week modules per year
CE 3062 - Civil engineering hydraulics – 1995/6-2013 – a third-year applied hydraulics course
CE 3074 - 2006-7 - Environmental analysis –a third-year course to introduce concepts and techniques used for environmental problem solving for sustainability.
CE 4061 - Hydrology – 1995/6 – Present – a fourth-year hydrology course with emphasis on hydrologic design & modeling
ES 3004 - 2009 - Present - a third-year introductory fluid mechanics providing background on the theorectical and applied aspects of fluid mechanics
Graduate Courses:
CE 542 - Geohydrology –1997/8-Present - introductory course on groundwater hydrology, offered every third year, on-site and via distance learning
CE 565 - Stream, lake and estuarine analysis –1993/4-1995/6 - emphasis on flow modeling & water quality modeling
CE 5621 Open channel hydraulics – 2002/3 - present – introductory open channel hydraulics class, offered on-site every third year
CE 566 - Groundwater flow and pollution - 2005/6-present - groundwater class with an emphasis on flow and transport modeling in groundwater, offered every third year, on-site and via distance learning
CE 570 - Multiphase Contaminant Transport –1999/2000 – present- contaminant transport, with emphasis on partitioning, exchanges across phase boundaries, and physical transport processes, offered every third year, on-site and via distance learning
CE 574 - Water Resources Management – 1999/2000 - present – introductory course, that balances technical with management and policy aspects of water resources – offered every third year, on-site and via distance learning
CE 590 - Water quality protection – Experimental course taught in 2003 as an independent study; it is anticipated that this course will be developed into a full graduate course
CE 590 - Special Problems in Hydrology – 1999 – course offered to both on-site students and off-site students via videotape; portions of this course have since been incorporated into CE 574.
Project Advising:
Undergraduate senior research/design projects:
Advisor for undergraduate student Interactive Qualifying Projects (IQPs) and Major Qualifying Projects (MQP’s) on a variety of topics. Projects generally address topics involving urban runoff and water quality control, control of wastewater discharges, groundwater flow and remediation, wind power development, hydrology and fluid mechanics, and water resources management
Graduate senior research/design projects:
Advisor for Ph.D., MS theses, and graduate independent study projects
Academic Advising
Typically serve as academic advisor for more than 20 undergraduate students and 5 part-time and full-time graduate students each year.
Some Recent Research Areas
Geochemistry and restoration of contaminated groundwater:
Field characterization of
groundwater-surface water exchanges in ponds
Effectiveness of Bioretention Best Management Practices (BMP) for protecting
groundwater and surface water quality
Use of fluorometric analysis for characterizing transport of organics in
surface and groundwater
Contaminated sediments in urban impoundments
Surface water hydrodynamics:
Estuarine hydrodynamics
Design of fish passage structures
Hydropower Intake design to accommodate downstream passage of the American Eel
Modeling of vortices and complex flow patterns in vicinity of pump intakes