Rutherford wins NSF CAREER Award

Cassandra J. Rutherford, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award to study foundation systems for undersea tidal current turbines. The turbines generate energy when they rotate in response to tidal flows, similar to the way windmills generate electricity from wind.

Currently, there are no commercial grid-connected turbines operating in the United States, but a few prototypes and demonstration units have been tested globally, Rutherford said. There are plans to install turbines on the Pacific Northwest and east coasts of the United States, she said.

Rutherford’s project is the first experimental study of the loading on tidal current turbine foundations with the objective of decreasing the cost of the foundation system. Tidal turbine foundations must be designed to resist high lateral loads as well as vertical and horizontal cyclic loading from the oscillating blades, allowing the turbines to effectively absorb and harness the source of energy while attached to the seafloor. Rutherford’s research will evaluate suction caisson foundation systems for tidal current turbines.

CAREER awards, administered under the Faculty Early Career Development Program, are the NSF’s most prestigious form of support and recognition for junior faculty who “exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.”
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