Ib A. Svendsen

Dec. 21, 2004--Ib A. Svendsen, 67, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Ocean Engineering at UD, died Dec. 19.

A native of Copenhagen, Dr. Svendsen earned his master's degree in civil engineering and his doctorate in wave mechanics at Technical University in Denmark in 1960 and 1974, respectively. He completed postgraduate work in fluid mechanics at Colorado State University.

Dr. Svendsen held joint appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the College of Marine Studies until his retirement on Aug. 31, 2004. Upon retirement, he was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

“He is credited with making significant contributions to the advancement of coastal engineering,” Nobu Kobayashi, director of UD’s Center for Applied Coastal Research, said.

He joined the UD faculty in 1987 and served as chairperson of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering until 1996, when he was named Distinguished Professor of Ocean Engineering. In 1994, he was a visiting professor at Delft University of Technology.

Previously, he was affiliated with the Institute of Hydrodynamics and Hydraulic Engineering at Technical University in Lyngby, Denmark, from 1971-87 and was a visiting associate professor at UD in 1982-83. From 1964-71, he was assistant professor in the Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Technical University in Copenhagen, and he was a research engineer in the Coastal Engineering Laboratory of what is now the Danish Hydraulic Institute.

Dr. Svendsen's research interests included the mechanics of nearshore processes, in particular, wave breaking, wave-induced currents, sediment transport and coastal stability. He also studied computational methods for analysis of 2- and 3-dimensional wave motion in offshore regions and laboratory wave generation.

“He was the first researcher to show the importance of a roller at the steep front of a breaking wave in the prediction of undertow (offshore) currents that cause offshort sediment transport.” Kobayashi said. “The roller concept is now widely adopted by other researchers in their nearshore circulation models.

“Dr. Svendsen also was one of a few pioneering researchers who demonstrated the existence of wave-induced 3-dimensional currents in surf zones. His theoretical analysis solved the puzzle of lateral mixing for regular waves, and his work also shed light on the turbulence induced by breaking waves. Dr, Svendsen’s other research contributions include the development of a comprehensive numerical model, called SHORECIRC, for the prediction of nearshore currents,” he said.

“The author of more than 120 papers in scientific journals and refereed conference proceedings, Dr. Svendsen also contributed to eight books as a co-author or chapter author. Just a week before his death, he completed work on a book-length manuscript, Introduction to Nearshore Hydrodynamics, which he submitted to World Scientific. The book is based on his decades of teaching and research.

“During his academic career, Dr. Svendsen supervised numerous master’s degree students and 16 Ph.D. students, who are now making their own significant contributions to the advancement of coastal engineering. He also taught a wide range of courses in the area of coastal engineering, including port and harbor design, water wave mechanics, offshore design, mathematical methods of structural and ocean engineering, hydrodynamics, and coastal engineering design,” Kobayashi said.

He served on numerous committees for international scientific conferences and for the Danish government and was a member of several professional and honor societies, including the Danish Institution of Civil Engineers, the Danish Center for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, the International Association for Hydraulic Research, the American Society for Engineering Education, the American Geophysical Union, the American Society of Civil Engineers and Tau Beta Pi (Eminent Engineer).

In 1991, he was elected a member of the Danish Research Academy's International Faculty, and in 1992, he was elected a foreign member of the Danish Center for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics.

Dr. Svendsen was preceded in death by his first wife, Alice. He is survived by their two children, Ann Marie and Kim; his second wife, Karin Orngreen; two stepchildren, Rikke and Jesper; and two grandchildren.

The family suggests that contributions be made to the Ib A. Svendsen Endowment, c/o Deirdre Smith, 101H DuPont Hall, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. Checks should be made payable to the University of Delaware, with the memo line indicating that the donation is for the Ib A. Svendsen Endowment. This endowment will be used to support international travel for civil engineering graduate students.

A memorial service for Dr. Svendsen will be held at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 26, in Mitchell Hall.