Conference: EPSCoR States Workshop for Research and Workforce Development in Fluid Mechanics

This workshop aims to bring together experts across EPSCoR jurisdictions and institution types to achieve breakthroughs in fluid mechanics and prepare the next generation of STEM researchers. Fluid mechanics significantly impacts our daily lives in numerous ways. For example, gas dynamics in the oil industry plays a major role in the economies of Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Another example is extreme weather data analysis, which is essential for predicting events like tornadoes in Nebraska and hurricanes forming in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, aerospace engineering research into turbulence holds potential benefits for national defense. This gathering of diverse researchers is expected to spark innovative ideas and foster collaborations among experts with complementary strengths.

It also aims to inspire young institutions to actively contribute to scientific advancements. Furthermore, the workshop will provide opportunities for early-career researchers, including those from historically underrepresented groups in STEM, to network with experts outside their immediate fields of study. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will host the workshop, in collaboration with a steering committee from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Confirmed speakers include experts from other EPSCoR states, such as Kansas, Kentucky, and Alabama, who are renowned for their research and ability to effectively communicate complex concepts to young audiences.

This multi-day, multi-jurisdictional workshop will convene researchers across all career stages to discuss recent advances, new techniques, building regional capacity, and generating partnerships to solve challenges in fluid mechanics, including: (1) the breakthrough technique of convex integration, which demonstrates the non-uniqueness of solutions to the equations of fluid mechanics; (2) the novel grid-overlay finite difference method, capable of incorporating the fractional Laplacian on arbitrary bounded domains; (3) stochastic partial differential equations of fluid mechanics, which better model small-scale phenomena; (4) recent advancements in continuous data assimilation; (5) the application of boundary layer analysis techniques in fluid mechanics to semi-analytic physics-informed neural networks (PINNs); (6) learning strategies for multi-scale methods aimed at significantly reducing computational costs; and (7) a new approach to quantify ecological resilience by incorporating spatial dimensions. Since a key motivation behind this workshop is contributing to STEM education and training, each day will begin with engaging speakers delivering introductory tutorial lectures designed for students and non-experts.

Graduate and undergraduate students will present research talks. To foster collaboration, breakout sessions will be held at the end of each day to promote creative problem-solving skills and encourage partnerships. Additionally, a special session will feature senior professors offering career advice to the next generation of scientists.

Through input from these groups via surveys and recruiting efforts, sessions will also promote the involvement of underrepresented groups in STEM, such as women, those from two-year colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, and minority-serving institutions in Nebraska and neighboring states.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.