Dr. Jim C.P. Liou is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA. For the past 30 years he has been engaged in teaching and research on various aspects of hydraulics and fluid transients. He organized and co-chaired two international water hammer symposia in 1999 and 2003 for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Japanese Society of Mechanical Engineers. Since 2001 he has been teaching a continuing education short course on water hammer (with Dr. E. Benjamin Wylie, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan) twice a year for the American Society of Civil Engineers to practicing engineers. Dr. Liou stays involved with engineering practice by consulting on fluid transients projects with the water, power and oil pipeline industries.