Beverly J. McKeon: "Taming Turbulence"

Quell turbulence in the thin boundary layers on the surfaces of commercial airliners and total aerodynamic drag could be nearly halved, dramatically cutting fuel burn, emissions, and operational costs. However, the secrets of turbulence are closely held amid the twists and turns of myriad vortices across orders-of-magnitude differences in scale. This lecture will introduce state-of-the-art research to understand one of the last unsolved problems of classical physics: to visualize the elegant, intertwined vortex structures near walls and to use smart, morphing materials to master, or at least tame, turbulence.

Beverly McKeon is Assistant Professor of Aeronautics at Caltech.

This lecture is the Richard C. Biedebach Memorial Lecture.