Hello! Welcome to the DRIP (Dirt, Rivers, Ice, Particles) Lab, an interdisciplinary group of scientists at the University of Rochester Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences who strive to understand how sediment dynamics influence the evolution of Earth’s surface by drawing connections between Geomorphology and other fields like Fluid Dynamics, Soft Matter and Statistical Physics. We use a combination of theory, numerical models (everything from homegrown “toy” models to CFDEM), physical experiments, and fieldwork to work on problems ranging from grain to landscape scales. Our overarching goal is to figure out “How Stuff Works” at a fundamental level! Check out the News page for the latest about our lab.

wxxi chimney

Local news story about our class field trip to Chimney Bluffs

fish

Biologically activated fluvial sediment transport

Solifluction lobes in Norway

What do frozen soil patterns have in common with oobleck and paint drips?

Solifluction lobes in Norway

anshul cfdem

Statistical Physics of Bedload Transport

sarah_photoelastic

Experiments with photoelastic grains show force chain networks

cohesive river

How does cohesion affect river channel morphodynamics?

johnpaul news

Our solifluction work featured on the local news!

anshul_tracking

Tracking RFID-tagged river rocks in Webster, NY

ren storymap

Interactive Storymap about the glacial history of the Finger Lakes!

Letchworth

Earth Surface Processes class field trip to Letchworth State Park, NY

stream table

Stream table fun!

cfdem_shapes

Simulation of fluvial sediment transport with nonspherical grains

rotating drum

Physical experiment vs. simulation of granular segregation in a rotating drum

Fort Collins, Colorado

How do boulders influence geomorphic processes?

Fort Collins, Colorado

Lab logo designed by KoolDrip