MOFFET FIELD, Calif. – 06 July 11
Rutgers Student Finds Art in Fluid Mechanics
By: Heather L. Ogletree
Often the line between science and art is blurred and a magical union forms to appeal to both the senses and the mind. This spring, Esther Lee of Rutgers University came to NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) and managed to find where art meets mechanical engineering in “Experimental Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics.”
The Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) chose Lee to take part in a 15 week mentored project at ARC where she would be able to gain hands-on experience working with NASA Mentor Kurt Long in the Fluid Mechanics Lab (FML). She said, “My project compares two techniques that analyze dye flow visualization, and my favorite part is that it is scientific and artistic – the pictures of the visualization produced can be used for qualitative and quantitative analysis [yet] they can also be artistic photographs!”
On the scientific side, Lee compared how each visualization works: “The 2-D technique uses a laser sheet, spreading the laser beam with a piece of glass, to illuminate fluorescent dye at specific cross-sections of the flow, whereas the 3-D technique uses LED UV lamps to illuminate the dye.” Therefore, with 3-D view, the engineers get an overall view of the flow, while with the 2-D view, they are privy to the more “intricate details” of the flow. “I found that both techniques are useful for interpreting and understanding the flow,” explained Lee. “They are complimentary to each other.”
Lee also suggested that these experiments help engineers investigate real world problems concerning fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, which in turn may lead to greater efficiencies in aircraft design, like that of the “green” rotorcraft.
Before coming to Ames, Lee had concerns about taking a semester off from school. “However, I still managed to fit all my classes without pushing back my graduation date, said Lee. “After graduation, I would like to continue onto graduate studies, and, with luck work for NASA!” Moreover, USRP gave Lee the mentoring bug; she now hopes to one day mentor her own students and “help them achieve their dreams.”
As for her USRP mentor’s opinion, Long stated, “Esther was a great addition to our team - the folks here treated her as if [she was] another full time employee — we hate[d] to see her leave!”