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Fred Molz

Fred MolzResearch Professor & Distinguished Scientist Emeritus
Rich Lab, 342 Computer Court
Anderson, SC 29625
864.656.1003
E-mail: fredi@clemson.edu

Ph.D. Hydrology, Stanford University, 1970
M.S. Civil Engineering, Drexel University, 1968
B.S. Physics, Drexel University, 1966

Professional Registration:
Professional Engineer, AL, 10492
Professional Hydrogeologist, 83- HG-165

Classes | Publications | Honors 

Faculty Overview

Molz resigned from his tenured faculty position in December 2006 and became a Research Professor in July 2007. His teaching and research interests relate to hydraulics and transport processes in the groundwater-soil-plant-atmosphere system. Disciplines relevant to these interests include hydrology, soil physics, geochemistry, environmental biology, and computer simulation (mathematical modeling).

Recent research projects have involved computer modeling of transport processes in laboratory-constructed wetlands, simulation of reactive plutonium transport in variably saturated soils exposed to the natural climate and experimental/theoretical studies of turbulent sedimentation in flocculant-aided, storm-water retention ponds. Courses taught by Molz during the past decade include Geohydrology, Groundwater and Contaminant Transport, Subsurface and Wetland Hydraulics, Surface and Subsurface Transport and Numerical Methods in Process Simulation (flow and transport). Consulting activities have made him aware of the acute environmental problems faced by government and industry.

Professor Fred Molz is a Collaborator on the Department of Energy Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Implementation Project "Radionuclide Waste Disposal: Development of Multi-scale Experimental and Modeling Capabilities" (2014-Present)

Class Information

While no longer carrying a formal teaching load, Molz is still active in advising graduate students and post-docs, writing research proposals and performing funded research in his several areas of interest.

Selected Publications

Elci, A., F.J. Molz, and W.R. Waldrop. 2001. Implications of observed and simulated ambient flow in monitoring wells, Ground Water, 39, 853-862.

Dinwiddie, C.L., F.J. Molz, and J.W. Castle. 2003. A new small drill hole mini-permeameter probe for in-situ measurement: Fluid mechanics and geometric factors, Water Resources Research, 39, 1178, doi:1029/2001WR001179.

Molz, F.J. 2003. Property measurements and model-based predictions in subsurface hydrology, Invited Commentary, Hydrologic Processes, 17, 2317-2318.

Molz, F.J. 2004. A rational role for stochastic hydrology in subsurface hydrology: A personal perspective, (Forum on the State of Stochastic hydrology), Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, 18, 278-279.*

Molz, F.J., H. Rajaram, and S. Lu. 2004. Stochastic fractal-based models of heterogeneity in subsurface hydrology: Origin, applications, limitations and future research questions, Reviews of Geophysics, 42, RG1002, doi:10.1029/2003RG000126.

Meerschaert, M.M., T.J. Kozubowski, F.J. Molz and S. Lu. 2004. Fractional Laplace model for hydraulic conductivity, Geophysical Research Letters, 31, L08501, doi: 10.1029/2003GL019320.

Molz, F.J., J. Guan, and J. Wang. 2005. Spatial weighting functions: Transient hydraulic tests and heterogeneous media, Ground Water, 43, 215-221.

Molz, F.J., C. Zheng, S.M. Gorelick, and C.F. Harvey. 2006. Discussion of "Investigating the macrodispersion experiment (MADE) site in Columbus, Mississippi using a three-dimensional inverse flow and transport model" by H.C. Barlebo, M.C. Hill and D. Rosbjerg, Water Resources Research, 42 W06603, doi:10.1029/2005WR004265.*

Demirkanli, D.I., F.J. Molz, D.I. Kaplan, R.A. Fjeld and S.M. Serkiz, 2007.Modeling long-term plutonium transport in the Savannah River Site vadose zone, Vadose Zone Journal, 6, 344-353, doi:10.2136/vzj2006.0042.

Guan, J., F.J. Molz, Q. Zhou, H.H. Liu and C. Zheng, 2008. Behavior of the mass transfer coefficient during the MADE-2 experiment: New insights, Water Resources Research, 44, W02423, doi:10.1029/2007WR006120.

Demirkanli, D.I., F.J. Molz, D.I. Kaplan, R.A. Fjeld, 2008. A fully transient model for long-term plutonium transport in the Savannah River Site vadose zone: Root water uptake, Vadose Zone Journal, in press.

Awards & Honors

Molz has been active in the American Geophysical Union (AGU), the Geological Society of America (GSA), the American Institute of Hydrology (AIH) and several other professional organizations. In 1992, he received the Horton Research Award from the AGU, and in 2006, he received the C.V. Theis Award from the AIH. He has also been elected a Fellow of both the AGU and the GSA.