Hurricane expert to speak at UF-organized fluid dynamics conference

November 15, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of the state’s leading hurricane experts will be the featured speaker at an international conference on fluid dynamics beginning Sunday in Tampa. The three-day conference is being organized by the University of Florida.

T.N. Krishnamurthi, a meteorologist at Florida State University, will discuss the latest methods for forecasting hurricane tracks – including comparisons between the predicted and actual tracks of Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005.

His talk is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in Grand Salon E at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina, where the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics 59th annual meeting is being held.

Other highlights include a workshop for high school science teachers beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday in meeting room 4. At the workshop, about 15 attending local high school science teachers will work with national leaders in fluid dynamics research. Teachers will participate in demonstration projects designed to teach fundamental concepts of fluid dynamics.

The conference is expected to attract expected to draw more than 1,000 scientists from around the world, including at least two dozen UF faculty and graduate students. Presenters will showcases some of the latest ground-breaking research in all areas related to fluid flow, including microfluidics, biofluid dynamics, geophysics, turbulence and so on.

More information, including a schedule of presentations, is available at http://dfd2006.mae.ufl.edu/.