U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
09/24/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/24/2021 17:16
St. Louis District’s Cory Tabbert graduates from ERDC University
VICKSBURG, Miss.- Cory Tabbert, a hydraulics engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) St. Louis District, has graduated from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U). The organization held a virtual graduation ceremony, Sept. 16, 2021, featuring project presentations from current participants to top leadership highlighting extensive research efforts from the 2021 session.
Now in its sixth year, ERDC-U pairs USACE division and district participants with relevant laboratory mentors for an in-depth project to aid the Corps and the selectee's district. ERDC Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory research hydraulic engineer Gaurav Savant served as Tabbert's subject matter expert, guiding him through his research project.
As a hydrologic engineer, Tabbert works with both numerical and physical hydraulic models to aid in either dredging reduction costs, ecosystem restoration on the Mississippi River or designing life safety projects. With his technical experience, he aided in the creation of a highly dynamic automatic identification system (AIS) network for the St. Louis District.
Tabbert spent the last 18 months on coastal processes in Arecibo, supporting supplemental work in Puerto Rico. He was key in developing a 2D Adaptive Hydraulics (AdH) model, coupled with sediment, to help engineers design a flood protection project to protect the people of Arecibo. His ERDC-U project was title, "Coastal Processes in Arecibo & CFD Analysis of Historical LA River Physical Model."
"During this time, I determined that coastal processes do play significance in sandbar development and geometry," he said. "To build upon the AdH model, I have been working on coupling wave stresses into the model to further drive sediment once mobilized from the mouth of the Rio Grande de Arecibo."
In his endorsement letter, St. Louis District Command Colonel Kevin R. Golinghorst said, "Mr. Tabbert is an exceptional hydraulic engineer that thrives when challenged. I not only think this opportunity would be invaluable for Mr. Tabbert's career, but also bring benefit to the district by having highly trained employees capable of solving the most challenging engineering problems. "
With the challenges of a virtual environment, Tabbert believes collaboration is invaluable.
"Although teleworking can sometimes make collaboration challenging, we still must find a way to mentor our young engineers coming up through the ranks," he said. "Through this program, I learned the true importance of having a strong network of engineers and colleagues who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get dirty with you. Before this opportunity, I have always made myself available to junior staff, but will try putting a stronger emphasis on this going forward. I would encourage future engineers to leverage the technology transfer and learn something new."
Following congratulatory opening remarks by ERDC Director Dr. David Pittman, ERDC-U Program Manager Antisa Webb, Chief, Office of Research and Technology Transfer (ORTT), Technology, Knowledge and Outreach (TKO) Division, program co-sponsor with the Directorate of Human Capital, presented Tabbert with his framed graduation certificate and commended him on his efforts to assist his district.
Applications will open in October for the 2022 ERDC-U session to partner Corps division and district participants with subject matter experts at ERDC's seven laboratories to apply and implement technical solutions during this six-month program. ERDC funds the costs of labor or travel with the district covering the participant's other choice. For information on ERDC-U and applications, visit: https://wiki.erdc.dren.mil/ERDC_University.