Computation (Investigation, Education, and Application)

Computational hydraulics has become an everyday tool in hydraulic engineering. Although a large number of problems can be solved on the computer, there will always be important applications that lie out of reach. The related difficulties of scale and detail limit what can be done regardless of the computational power. Such problems are illustrated by many applications, especially those that involve turbulence, stratification, ground water, hydrologic detail, and sediment transport. It is important that hydraulic engineers know something about computation, especially what may go wrong and what not to compute. Unfortunately, a large gap exists between research and practice of computational hydraulics. Closure of that gap should be a primary goal of all hydraulic engineers and ASCE. In the engineering office, computational hydraulics is rapidly changing the mode of operation. The availability of better communications will have an equal effect. The ultimate importance of knowledge based programs on the profession could drastically alter educational goals and hiring practices.