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2010 Virtual Press Room

Bubble Burst in the Kitchen

Welcome to the Virtual Press Room for the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics. The Division exists for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of the physics of fluids with special emphasis on the dynamical theories of the liquid, plastic and gaseous states of matter under all conditions of temperature and pressure.

This page features stories and images related to the Division's annual meeting and other news related to fluid dynamics.

63rd APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Annual Meeting

The 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics took place from November 21-23, 2010 in Long Beach, California. the Meeting brought together researchers from across the globe to address some of the most important questions in modern astronomy, engineering, alternative energy, biology, and medicine.

Image & Video Galleries

Every year, the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics hosts posters and videos that show stunning images, graphics and videos from either computational or experimental studies of flow phenomena. The most outstanding entries were selected by a panel of referees for artistic content and honored for their originality and ability to convey information. The 63rd Annual Meeting Image Gallery has a subset of these images and videos available for viewing prior to the judging process.
Image Gallery
Video Gallery

Press Releases

Heating Nanoparticles to Kill Tumor Cells
November 23, 2010 - Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a promising new cancer treatment that essentially "fries" cells inside tumors. When the nanoparticles are heated, cancer cells die with no adverse effects to the surrounding healthy tissue.

Jellyfish-Inspired Pumps
November 23, 2010 - To researchers at the California Institute of Technology, the undulations of the simple invertebrate jellyfish hold secrets that may make possible a new generation of tiny pumps for medical applications and soft robotics.

Optimizing Large Wind Farms
November 23, 2010 - Researchers in Baltimore, MD and Belgium have developed a model to calculate the optimal spacing of wind turbines for the very large wind farms of the future.

Secrets of Sharks' Success
November 23, 2010 - New research from the University of South Florida suggests that one of the evolutionary secrets of the shark hides in one of its tiniest traits -- flexible scales on their bodies that allow them to change directions while moving at full speed.

The Physics of Coffee Rings
November 23, 2010 - Researchers in Rhode Island, Colorado, and Massachusetts have analyzed the stain patterns left behind by coffee droplets on a surface and are presenting their "coffee ring" models today at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting in Long Beach, CA -- work that promises to help devise new microphysics tools.

Flying Snakes, Caught on Tape
November 22, 2010 - New video analysis and mathematical modeling by engineers at Virginia Tech reveals how certain types of snakes can "fly" by flinging themselves off their perches, flattening their bodies, and sailing from tree to tree.

Whale-Inspired Ocean Turbine Blades
November 22, 2010 - Lessons learned from the ocean's largest mammals have inspired United States Naval Academy researchers to tackle one of the serious design challenges facing a technology that uses underwater turbines to convert ocean tides into electricity.

Air Flows in Mechanical Device Reveal Secrets of Speech Pathology
November 21, 2010 - A mechanical model of human vocal folds and new observations by researchers at George Washington University may lead to new devices to help people afflicted with vocal fold paralysis.

Enhancing The Efficiency Of Wind Turbines
November 21, 2010 - New ideas for enhancing the efficiency of wind turbines include a new type intelligent system for turbines operating under many different wind conditions and a way to reduce drag on turbine blades by covering them with tiny grooves.

How Hummingbirds Fight the Wind
November 21, 2010 - Hummingbirds rank among the world’s most accomplished hovering animals, but how do they manage it in gusty winds? A team of researchers has built a robotic hummingbird wing to discover the answer.

Jet Engine Too Hot? Schedule an MRI!
November 21, 2010 - Researchers at Stanford University are using MRI to improve jet engine efficiency. The technique could also provide insights into other fluid mixing problems, ranging from combustion to the flow of oil through porous rock in a well.

Jump Rope Aerodynamics
November 21, 2010 - Engineers at Princeton University have built a robotic jump rope device and used it to study the underlying physics of jumping rope.

Should Airplanes Look Like Birds?
November 21, 2010 - Airplanes do not look much like birds, but should they? This question is exactly what a pair of engineers in California and South Africa inadvertently answered recently in experiments they describe today.

Simple Rubber Device Mimics Complex Bird Songs
November 21, 2010 - A team of scientists at Harvard University has reproduced many of the characteristics of real bird song with a simple physical model made of a rubber tube.

Rivers, Fires, Storms on Jupiter, Oil Mucus, and Other Fluid Flows - Meeting Highlights
November 12, 2010 - The 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society's (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD) is the largest scientific conference of its type, the meeting brings together thousands of researchers from around the globe to present work in engineering, energy, astronomy, medicine, and more - all related to different forms of fluid flow.

Water, Blood, Wind, Movies, Robots, and Coffee Rings - Meeting Announcement
November 3, 2010 - Many of nature's most fascinating phenomena involve various forms of fluid flow, and scientists who study fluid dynamics investigate everything from the way that dogs shake off water to the formation of proto-planets and coffee rings, the mathematics of flowing blood, the spray from rolling tires, the blowing wind, and a wide range of other questions that impact applications from ship design to medical devices.

Hummingbird Tongues, Butterfly Sips, Swimming Bacteria, and Robotic Clams
November 24, 2009