Special Chalk-Talk: Prof. Ranga Narayanan (University of Florida)

Location: 

Lecture Theatre 1, Sanderson Building

Date: 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017 - 12:45 to 14:00

The Stability of the Static Pendant Drop

UniversityTalks Link: http://talks.is.ed.ac.uk/talk/949/show  

This is a special talk that only uses board and chalk, no powerpoint but yet not a standard lecture!

The stability of a pendant drop is discussed. The only scaled groups that govern the stability are the scaled volume and the Bond number. It can be shown without computations that the volume of the drop has a maximum value beyond which it must break catastrophically. However, this upper bound on volume is not the instability limit for the drop for all Bond numbers.  There exists a critical Bond number, above which the drop breaks before the upper bound on volume can be reached. We explain how we can find the instability WITHOUT and instability calculation i.e., without solving an eigenvalue problem.

Ranga Narayanan is a Distinguished Professor and Distinguished Teacher-Scholar at the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. His research is in the area of pattern formation. This field has applications ranging from earth science, to the making of materials in outer space and on earth, to biomedical science and even to cell biology. As an engineer, Professor Narayanan is concerned with science questions as to how length and time scales compete to form patterns and what fundamental connections can be made between the various physical situations that generate patterns. Applications of his research include ways to “tune” patterns to create better and useful products such as better drug delivery systems and better semiconductor and energy efficient devices. As a result of his work he now directs a major National Science Foundation research training “center” grant in the field of patterns in fluids and interfacial science that has affected over 35 doctoral students in the College of Engineering. In addition to research, this project seeks to internationalize graduate education.

Ranga has also directed two major outer space experiments, designed to confirm theories on the effect of microgravity on crystal quality. These widely publicized space flight experiments were conducted in 1996 and 1997. This research has led to a new and clear interpretation of fluid dynamical patterns seen during convection and the transition of such patterns to near chaos. He continues work on microgravity pattern formation with two prospective experiments on the International Space Station, in collaboration with the Japanese and European Space Agencies.

Ranga has over two hundred published papers and conference presentations and four authored and edited books. He serves as an executive editor of the Journal of Engineering Mathematics and is on the editorial board of several scholarly journals. In addition he has been invited several times as a visiting faculty to major universities in France, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Israel and India. Among his many awards are the A.v. Humboldt Senior Award (2016), J.W. Fulbright Distinguished Chair Fellowship (Israel 2012), European Commission Senior Scientist (2011-12), Distinguished Foreign Scientist Award from the Government of India (2011), a Chevron Chair at IIT Madras (2011), Japan Society for Science Foundation Fellowship (2009), J.W. Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship (Belgium, 2001), and Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (1989). He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and has been elected as Academician to the International Aeronautics Academy (2012).

The University of Florida has honored him with a Distinguished Professorship (2013), Edie Professorship (2012), Distinguished Teaching Scholar (2009), Florida Blue Key Distinguished Faculty Award (2010), an International (2012), International Educator of the Year Senior Faculty Award (2012), a UF Research Foundation Professorship (2002), a Chemical Eng. Department Charles Stokes Professorship (2003), two College of Eng. Teaching Awards (1995, 2000), a Professorial Excellence Award (1998) and a Teaching Incentive Program Award (1995).

Event Contact Name: 

Prashant Valluri

Event Contact Email: