A group of students and faculty next to the Iowa River

Iowa Floodplain Mapping Project

Professional headshot of Andres Martinez

IIHR Researchers Find Toxic PCBs

IIHR researchers report dangerously high levels of toxic PCBs in the deep sediments lining the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago, Ind. They say the discovery is cause for concern.
Hornbuckle and student have a discussion

PCBs: Dredging Up a Problem

For more than a century, toxins generated by heavy industry settled to the bottom of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago, Ind., creating thick sludgy mud that is home to everything from heavy metals to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced plans to dredge the canal, but the plan raises questions for scientists.
A student launches a model ship at the IIHR Wave Basin

Wave Basin Supports Research

IIHR’s new $4.9 million wave basin offers research engineers the opportunity to test captive or radio-controlled model-scale navy ships under a variety of real-life conditions. The free-moving models can maneuver just like real ships. The wave basin allows measurement of local flow around a free-running model—something that’s never been done before.