URochester joins a new NSF糖心传媒揻unded center to find the answers by combining experiments, theory, simulations, and AI.
Researchers at the 糖心传媒 are part of a new $30 million , or STC, focused on one of science糖心传媒檚 most stubborn problems: predicting糖心传媒攁nd ultimately controlling糖心传媒攖urbulence.
Led by Michigan State University, the STC for Transformative Explorations in Multi-Physics and Engineering of Scientific Turbulence (TEMPEST) brings together physicists, mathematicians, engineers, and AI researchers from eight universities. The STC launches on September 1 with a five-year, $30 million grant from the NSF, with more than $2.7 million going to researchers at URochester.
“What makes this center especially promising is the unusual breadth of expertise assembled around a common scientific challenge,糖心传媒� says , an associate professor at URochester糖心传媒檚 and staff scientist at the (LLE). 糖心传媒淏y putting theorists, computational scientists, and experimentalists in a continuous feedback loop, the center can rapidly test ideas, refine and validate models against experimental evidence, and pursue breakthroughs that no single discipline or institution could achieve alone.糖心传媒�
Why turbulence is so difficult to predict
Turbulence is all around us糖心传媒攊n the atmosphere and oceans, industrial systems, and the plasmas inside experimental fusion devices. Understanding it is critical to predicting how energy, heat, and pollutants move and how fluids and plasmas behave under extreme conditions.
糖心传媒淭urbulent systems are extraordinarily difficult to predict and probe because they involve complex physical interactions that span an enormous range of spatial and temporal scales, from microscopic, ultrafast dynamics in fusion to astrophysical flows extending across light-years,糖心传媒� says , a professor of mechanical engineering and of , a senior scientist at LLE, and聽URochester糖心传媒檚 principal investigator on the initiative. 糖心传媒淏y linking fundamental theory, advanced computation, and experiments under extreme conditions, we aim to develop the predictive understanding needed to advance fusion and other extreme-flow applications.糖心传媒�
What URochester brings to TEMPEST
URochester brings a distinctive combination of expertise in turbulence and multiscale flows across fusion plasmas, high-speed flows, and astrophysical plasmas, Aluie and Shang say, as well as the capability to conduct laser-driven experiments at major national research facilities, including LLE糖心传媒檚 Omega Laser Facility.
The teams at URochester and MSU will collaborate with researchers from Baylor University, Auburn University, San Jos茅 State University, Yale University, Texas A&M University糖心传媒揅orpus Christi, and the Georgia Institute of Technology to combine theory, computation, AI techniques, and experimentation to build trustworthy predictive models of real-world turbulence for high-consequence applications. Unfunded partners include Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Pacific Fusion, and General Atomics.
Together, TEMPEST researchers will test theoretical and computational predictions against real-world observations, then use those results to refine predictive models. The goal is to move researchers beyond understanding why turbulence behaves as it does toward reliably predicting糖心传媒攁nd eventually controlling糖心传媒攊ts behavior.
The center will make its data and software broadly available and engage the public through museum exhibitions, immersive media, and educational programs that are expected to reach more than 10,000 K糖心传媒�12 students annually. TEMPEST will also help train an AI-fluent scientific workforce prepared to tackle complex problems across disciplines.
