People

   Faculty

     Richard Braun, Professor

Nonlinear BVPs and free boundary problems in fluid mechanics and material science. Applications include physiology of the tear film, solid-solid phase transformations and crystal growth.

     L. Pamela Cook, Professor

Complex fluids, viscoelastic fluids: flows and modeling; transonic aerodynamics.

     David A. Edwards, Associate Professor

Asymptotic and perturbation methods in biochemical, chemical engineering, and viscoelastic systems.  Applications of such methods to mathematical finance.

     Robert P. Gilbert, Unidel Professor

Moving boundary problems (Hele Shaw flows) and porous media (homogenization).

     David O. Olagunju, Associate Professor

Viscoelastic fluids, reacting flows, flow stability, dynamical systems.

     John Pelesko, Assistant Professor

Processing of materials, in particular microwave heating and shock compaction. Thermal and thermoelastic instabilities arising in materials processing applications..

     Louis Rossi, Associate Professor

Vorticity dynamics, flow through porous media and Lagrangian methods, viscoelastic flows.

     Gilberto Schleiniger, Associate Professor

Viscoelastic fluid flow and transonic aerodynamics. Mathematical finance.

     Richard J. Weinacht, Professor Emeritus

Mathematical problems in continuum mechanics, thermoelasticity.

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   Post-docs and Visiting faculty

     Michael C. Sostarecz , Visiting Assistant Professor

   Graduate students

     Robert Ronkese

     Paula Vasquez

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Areas of Research

The main areas of research in fluids and materials in the Department of Mathematical Sciences are:

     Mathematical methods of modern continuum mechanics with applications to phase transformations in solids

and mathematical description of problems involving microstructures.

     Variational approach to moving boundary problems, porous media flow, homogenization of nonconsolidated

granular media and their associated flows.

     Mathematical modeling and analysis of viscoelastic flow systems relevant to applications in industrial

processes. Non-classical diffusion of penetrants through viscoelastic polymer systems.

     Transport effects on biochemical reactions.

     Transonic flow theory and computation.

     Viscous free surface flows with surfactant transport.

     Quasi-static approximations in thermoelasticity.

Seminars and Other Activities

The Applied Mathematics Seminar series is currently organized by Dr. Pelesko and Dr. Schleiniger.

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Graduate Studies

Students wishing to study and do research in fluids and materials are advised to apply to the Applied Mathematics Graduate Program.

   Courses

Courses which are of particular interest to these areas are:

MATH616	Introduction to Applied Mathematics I
MATH617	Introduction to Applied Mathematics II
MATH810	Asymptotic and Perturbation Methods
MATH824	Topics in Applied Mathematics
MATH835	Partial Differential Equations I
MATH836	Partial Differential Equations II

Other courses in the Department of Mathematical Sciences of interest to students in these areas are:

MATH611	Introduction to Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing I
MATH612	Introduction to Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing II
MATH807	Complex Analysis
MATH838	Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations

Students in Applied Mathematics are also encouraged to take courses outside the Department. Examples of such courses are:

CHEG830	Fluid Mechanics
CIEG639	Ocean Fluid Dynamics
MEEG630	Intermediate Fluid Mechanics

   Funding

Besides the usual university and departmental funding for TAs and fellows, some students are also supported by industries.

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Computational Resources

The Department operates several computers for the support of research computing.  All faculty and graduate students involved with scientific computing have personal workstations.

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