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Fun Facts about the Falls

News Spotlight: OSL opening Sept. 19

Who We Are

SAFL is the world's only fluid-mechanics laboratory that uses a natural waterfall as its prime water source. For nearly 70 years researchers from around the world have been visiting our unique location on an island in the Mississippi River to conduct research for developing innovative and sustainable engineering solutions to major environmental, water resources, and energy-related problems. We would like to extend our warmest invitation to visit our facilities and talk with our research staff and students.

SAFL is also proud to be the headquarters for the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED), an NSF Science and Technology Center.

A river within a river
Perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Outdoor StreamLab enables interdisciplinary research in habitat restoration, flood control, and bank stabilization, combining laboratory quality measurements with the reality of a field-sized scale.

Support life-sized environmental research at the U
The Outdoor StreamLab brings together river scientists, engineers, and managers to explore river dynamics and ecology in downtown Minneapolis.

Join us and think outside the lab
Join us at 3pm on Friday, Sept. 19 for our grand opening celebration, hosted by University President Bob Bruininks at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. Read more>>

For invitation details, please click here.

Previous Research Spotlight pages

Announcements

SAFL Alumni

Professor Roger Arndt received the first increment in a $700,000 research grant from the Office of Naval Research for a new three year program aimed at studying the effects of supercavitation. To date the project budget has totaled over $1.6 million.

Distinguished McKnight University Professor and
Joseph T. and Rose S. Ling Chair in Environmental Engineering Efi Foufoula-Georgiou replaces IT Distinguished Professor Chris Paola as Director of NCED. Read more>>

Graduate student Leonardo Chamorro received the Best Student Paper Presentation Award for his paper Turbulence effects on wind turbines: A wind tunnel study at the American Meteorological Society's 18th Symposium on Boundary Layers and Turbulence.

The River Runs Through Us: Located on the continent's most important river, the U of M keeps the Mississippi River central to its academic and cultural life. View the video on SAFL's important contributions to the U of M's river research.

Read all about it! SAFL/NCED stream restoration research recently featured in The New York Times.

Congrats SAFL grads!
Click here to view photos of our recent graduates with their advisors.

Interested in what's going on at SAFL? Read the latest online version of SAFL's alumni newsletter:
The SAFL Channel (New!)

Want to stay in touch? Email us your current information for the Alumni Directory.

Would you like to be more involved with SAFL? Attend our weekly seminar series

Donations keep SAFL afloat. To learn more about making a tax-free contribution to the lab, please email safl@umn.edu

SAFL in The Rake magazine: Click here to read the article. Click here to watch a video tour of the lab.

Welcome Aboard! The lab continues to grow with many new Visiting Researchers, Students and Staff