By Debbie Levey
Civil & Environmental Engineering

Not one, but two major symposia were held this year in honor of Professor Chiang C. Mei’s decades of contributions to wave and fluid mechanics and hydrodynamics.

Colleagues, friends and former students honored Mei at a special symposium June 1-2 held during the 28th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering (OOAE) in Honolulu. The C.C. Mei Symposium on Wave Mechanics and Hydrodynamics included 10 technical sessions and more than 50 papers celebrating Mei’s extraordinary accomplishments over the last 45 years. The papers, written mostly by CEE alumni, covered topics including waves in stratified fluids, ship hydrodynamics, sediment and seafloor dynamics, tsunamis, wave energy, ocean and offshore engineering, and wave and coastal hydrodynamics. Mei received the ASME Lifetime Achievement Award of the OOAE Division for his contributions to wave mechanics and hydrodynamics.

A second symposium, the 24th International Workshop on Water Waves and Floating Bodies, held in St. Petersburg, Russia, April 19 and 20, was dedicated to Mei. Conference organizers said: “[Mei is] one of the most outstanding researchers and educators in fluid mechanics, with applications to civil, environmental and coastal engineering.” In the published conference proceedings, former students praised Mei’s scholarship, range and depth of work, expertise, teaching and lasting influence. Many also mentioned the warmth and hospitality provided by him and his wife, Carol.

Both conferences served as joyous reunions for Mei, who said he was “overwhelmed by the enthusiasm.” Listing the scientific achievements of many former students, he noted, “At first they’re your students, but after they graduate, they become your teachers.” Mei also said he appreciated how some of his colleagues’ students extended his theoretical techniques to entirely different topics, such as optics and electromagnetic waves.

To see a list of the C.C. Mei Symposium technical sessions at the OMAE, visit this site.

To see authors, paper titles, and tributes to C.C. Mei from the International Workshop on Water Waves and Floating Bodies, may be downloaded here.