Chemical Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series

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The Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series will host H.J.S. Fernando of University of Notre Dame, who will present “Flow and Turbulence in Complex Terrain” on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. in MEEG 217.

His lecture will focus on the Mountain Terrain Atmospheric Modeling and Observations Program (MATERHORN), which serves as a process for weather prediction in complex terrain meteorology.  Weather prediction in mountainous terrain remains a formidable challenge in physical meteorology. Flows in complex terrain restrict prediction models due to diurnal thermal forcing (valley and slope flows) and to large-scale synoptic influence which, when perturbed by terrain and land-cover variability, lead to notable high-frequency phenomena such as trapped and propagating waves, flow instabilities, turbulence, wind gusts, flow pulsations, gap and separated flows, secondary circulation, intermittency, wakes and eddy shedding. While no sound methodologies exist to parameterize the aggregate effect of these processes, which represent sub-grid scale processes of mesoscale models, the MATERHORN program is helping to combat these issues. Fluid Mechanics of some of these processes delineated from laboratory, field, theoretical and numerical studies will also be described during this presentation. 

Fernando received his doctoral degree in geophysical fluid dynamics at Johns Hopkins University and currently serves as the Wayne and Diana Murdy Endowed Professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences and the department of aerospace and mechanical engineering. Among his achievements, Fernando is the recipient of a UNESCO Gold Medal for Best Engineering Student of the Year, NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, Rieger Foundation Distinguished Scholar Award in Environmental Sciences, and the Life Time Achievement Award from the Sri Lanka Foundation of the USA. Fernando previously received media attention for his research on hydrodynamics of beach defenses and for his work on the Phoenix Urban Heat Island. His research spans over basic fluid dynamics, experimental methods, oceanography, atmospheric sciences, environmental sciences and engineering, air pollution, alternative energy sources, acoustics, heat transfer, hydraulics and fluids engineering. 

For more information, see the Distinguished Lecture Series, or contact seminar chair Jamie Hestekin, jhesteki@uark.edu.