Brett
Burkett is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geology at the
University at Buffalo, State University of New York. He
graduated with a B.S. in Geology from Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland, OH in 2002. His thesis focused on
post-glacial evolution in the Chagrin River Valley east of
Cleveland and its relation to ancestral levels of Lake Erie.
Currently, Brett is a Geology fellow in the Integrative Graduate
Education and Research Training Program (IGERT) in Geographic
Information Science working with Dr. Michael Sheridan. His
dissertation proposal is titled "Rigid Blocks in Granular Flows:
An Experimental Study." It focuses on laboratory experiments to
determine the characteristic size in which large
blocks are not recycled into the flow but act independently by
sliding and being pushed. These experiments will be expanded to
determine the dynamics of the smaller granular flow around the
obstacles and how they interact. The laboratory experiments will
be related to real avalanches to determine dynamics of
avalanches. Finally, these observations and measurements will be
simulated in the Titan2D granular flow model over real
topography (DEMs) to test the accuracy of the model dynamics.
Computer models of flowing material
over real topography is essential for hazard planning and these
models must be spatially realistic. The expected date of
graduation is Spring 2007.
