Instructor: Bassam Younis, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Description: All forms of life exist within a moving fluid and the majority of these forms have fluids moving within them. Yet the role of fluid flow in shaping the natural and built environments is not well appreciated by most who do not study the subject in a formal context. The purpose of this seminar, which is intended for non-science majors, is to explore this role via diverse examples drawn from everyday life. The focus will be on the physical phenomenon, rather than on the mathematical description, and extensive use will be made of flow visualization which is arguably where science comes closest to meeting art.
Format: The seminar will meet for one hour each week. The time will be divided between informal lecture presentations, discussion, and student presentations. Reading material will be provided. There will be one laboratory visit. Grading: Students will be required undertake a photographic study of a fluid-flow phenomenon of their choice. A number of suitable subjects will be suggested, some requiring simple experiments that can be set up in a bath tub while others will involve observations in nature. The study will involve taking digital photographs to illustrate the phenomenon, providing informative captions and making powerpoint presentations to class. A letter grade will be given based on clarity, quality, relevance and artistic merit.
About the Instructor: Dr Younis is the Professor of Fluid Mechanics in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research interests are in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics and turbulence modeling. He is faculty advisor to the UCD team participating in the national Concrete Canoe Competition, and teaches undergraduate and graduate classes on Hydraulics.