Charles Meneveau, the Louis M. Sardella Professor in Mechanical Engineering, is the recipient of the 2021 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Fluid Dynamics Award.
The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the understanding of the behavior of liquids and gases in motion as related to need in aeronautics and astronautics.
Meneveau was selected for his work to advance both the theoretical and practical understanding of turbulence through groundbreaking modeling techniques and applications of Large Eddy Simulation (LES).
He will be presented with the award at the AIAA AVIATION Forum in June.
Meneveau’s research investigates multiscale aspects of turbulence, using tools such as subgrid-scale modeling, downscaling techniques, and fractal geometry. His work has made possible the application of LES to complex turbulent flows of engineering and environmental interest, where prior models could not be used. Currently, Meneveau’s group is focused on applications of LES to wind energy; insights from this work will pave the way for the next generation of wind turbine systems.
Meneveau has also led efforts to democratize access to valuable “big data” in turbulence research. As associate director of JHU’s Institute for Data Intensive Engineering and Science (IDIES), he led the team that built the Johns Hopkins Turbulence Database (JHTD). This open numerical laboratory provides researchers from around the world with user-friendly access to large data sets arising from Direct Numerical Simulations of various types of turbulent flows.
A Johns Hopkins faculty member since 1990, Meneveau holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Environmental Health and Engineering and Physics and Astronomy. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Mechanics, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.