OSU’s hurricane wavemaker packs a powerful punch

Story Posted: Wed, Apr 29, 2009

Gazette-Times

So, how can you test what a really big wave hitting the Oregon coast would do to buildings in Newport, Lincoln City and other coastal cities?

Well, officials with the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State University gave the crowd some idea Wednesday with some water, strategically placed concrete blocks and their new $1.1-million “hurricane wavemaker.”

During a morning press briefing, they set up the wavemaker to show what it can do — drawing appreciative oohs and aahs — and some startled sounds at the resulting wave-like spray.

You can see the result — and, if you look closely, the cinderblocks underwater — in the final photo.

Hinsdale director and civil engineering professor Dan Cox launched the wavemaker for the one-time demonstration of the power that OSU hopes to help coastal residents prepare for from major storms and tsunamis. Cox, also a professor of civil engineering, said: “This is a national asset, an investment made here in Oregon in part because the National Science Foundation recognizes that we’re committed to sharing the facility in collaboration with other researchers from all over the U.S. and the world.”