• Atassi Named Rayleigh Lecturer • ASME Honors Dunn • Center for Flow Physics and Control Expands Atassi Named Rayleigh Lecturer Hafiz M. Atassi, the Viola D. Hank Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, was named the 2004 Rayleigh Lecturer by the Noise Control and Acoustics Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The award is presented annually in recognition of "pioneering contributions to the science and applications of acoustics." Atassi presented his lecture on November 18, 2004, at the International Mechanical Engineering Congress in Anaheim, Calif. A faculty member since 1987, Atassi is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the ASME. His interests are in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, aeroelasticity, and applied and computational mathematics. Founded in 1880, ASME is a 120,000-member professional organization focused on technical, educational, and research issues of the engineering and technology community. The Rayleigh lectureship is named for John William Strutt, the third Baron Rayleigh, whose Theory of Sound is considered the first comprehensive treatise on modern acoustics. Rayleigh won the Nobel Prize for his contributions to physics in 1904. [back to top] ASME Honors Dunn Patrick F. Dunn, professor of the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Conferred upon a member with a minimum of 10 years of active engineering service who has also made significant contributions to the field, the rank of fellow is the highest level of membership in the ASME. Dunn is the eighth member of the department to receive such a designation. Other members of the department named fellows of the ASME are Viola D. Hank Professor Hafiz M. Atassi, McCloskey Dean of Engineering and H.C. and E.A. Brosey Professor Frank P. Incropera, Roth-Gibson Professor Thomas J. Mueller, Professor John E. Renaud, Professor Mihir Sen, Professor Emeritus Albin A. Szewczyk, and Professor Emeritus Kwang-Tzu Yang. Dunn’s research focuses on the dynamics of aerosol formation, transportation, and deposition. He has been a faculty member since 1985. [back to top] Center for Flow Physics and Control Expands The Center for Flow Physics and Control has added a Turbomachinery and Propulsion Laboratory (TPL). According to Scott C. Morris, assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and director of the TPL, the facility will simulate the operating conditions of gas turbine engines most widely used in advanced commercial and military aircraft. "Although exact engine conditions cannot be recreated in a laboratory environment," says Morris, "the compressor in the TPL has been designed to function using the same relevant parameters. Our objective in the many experiments we will perform is to use flow control to obtain increased performance and efficiency in modern jet engines while also identifying current design limitations." The TPL will study the fluid flow through the rotating blade rows of the compressor. Studies in the TPL will use technology developed at Notre Dame, such as plasma anemometers and actuators, to sense and control the flow in a closed loop system. Information gathered from this research will assist in the design of engines that are lighter, feature fewer parts, cost less to manufacture, offer greater fuel efficiency, and produce fewer emissions. [back to top]