The Symposium on Frontiers of Fluid Dynamics-A Legacy will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico during November 1 - 3, 2013 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. This event will have the participation of world-class experts in fluid dynamics with focus on applications related to medicine, turbulence and energy. Sessions will begin on Friday morning, November 1st and continue through noon on Sunday, November 3rd. The symposium will include short talks (15 minutes talk, plus 5 minutes for questions) by world-class scientists, and poster presentations. An informal format will be established for the delivery of lectures to promote discussions that can eventually lead to collaborations. It is expected that follow up meetings will continue during subsequent years and joint-funded projects between USA institutions and other participants (industry, academia and national labs) will lead to research advances.
Symposium objectives include: (i) To promote international collaborations between the United States, Europe and Australia; (ii) Identify pressing questions on fluid dynamics related to medicine, energy (particularly, wind energy) and turbulence; (iii) Promote technology transfer by means of collaborations with industry (iv) To demonstrate the connection between fundamental knowledge with applications in wind energy and medicine; (v) To promote graduate studies for underrepresented students in the area of wind energy and turbulence.
Intellectual Merit As the world faces high prices for a finite fossil fuel supply and growing concerns about climate change, alternate sources of energy are becoming more attractive. The development of renewable energy technologies is threatened by an insufficient number of students seeking graduate studies in multidisciplinary science and engineering fields. In addition, completing their studies with the knowledge and leadership skills needed in a global economy is also crucial. To address these challenges, the team, composed of USA and international institutions, will conduct a series of presentations/discussions related to fluid dynamics in emerging critical areas on wind energy and medicine. This activity will consist of lectures, informal group discussions, and poster sessions. Furthermore, the symposium will aim to have more than 30% of participants to be students from underrepresented groups.
Broader Impact The quality of the lectures is expected to be such that a permanent record and dissemination of the material through archival publications can be created. This would be a valuable contribution to the scientific community at large, since the conference presenters will also focus on future research directions. The presentations and the conference material will become available on the website of the symposium (www.nwrcevents.com), and will also be documented through journal publications. Knowledge gained from this symposium will improve the quality of the instruction and research of institutions in Puerto Rico and will, indeed, provide international opportunities to students and participants. The experience gained from this event will have a positive impact in training scientists/engineers, including underrepresented students.
The National Wind Resource Center (NWRC) a wind energy center located at Texas Tech University in collaboration with its partners in USA and China successfully organized the symposium "On Frontiers of Fluid Dynamics-A Legacy". An informal setting and relax atmosphere along with poster sessions by students and junior faculty provided an environment for discussions. Major Outcomes: (1) The symposium was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico (USA) on November 1-3, 2013. (2) This event honored the 70th Birthday of Prof. Fazle Hussain, a world-class fluid dynamicist who has contributed in areas related to fluid dynamics in medicine, turbulence and energy. (3) A public website was created with details and information about the workshop (www.nwrcevents.com/nwrc-symposium.html). (4) A symposium brochure is available for the public in www.nwrcevents.com/uploads/2/3/0/2/23026052/symposiumprogram2013_final.pdf . (5) It was attended by 100+ people from academia (including students), economic development, and industry. (6) One international collaborative research project with the University of Melbourne (Australia) has been submitted for funding consideration and one collaborative research project with Portland State University (OR) has been submitted for funding consideration, as well. (7) Two books of proceedings [1] [2] have been published. [1] Proceedings for the 2013 Symposium on Frontiers of Fluid Dynamics, A Legacy. A Tribute to Fazle Hussain. Editor: Castillo, L., National Wind Resource Center, ISBN:978-0-9903627-0-8. (2014). [2] NWRC Summer Research Institute Proceedings in Renewable Energy, Turbulence & Medicine. Editors: Castillo, L., Pol, S., Aksak, B., Ruiz-Columbie, A. National Wind Resource Center, ISBN-13: 978-0-9903627-1-5, (2014).
