Melissa A. Green

Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Lift generated by flapping wings, thrust generated by oscillating fins, drag generated by struts and cables, moments generated by a gust hitting an aircraft wing. In all of these scenarios, the interaction of fluid (air, water) with the surface generates coherent structure or motions in the fluid, often in the form of vorticity or distinct vortices. These in turn are often associated with pressure and forces on the surface. Depending on the application, these interactions are desired and need to be augmented. In others, they need to be mitigated. Fundamental investigation and visualization of how these interactions play out is key to predicting future forces or moments, and to designing appropriate geometries, motion profiles, or control systems to detect and direct the flow field evolution on-the-fly.

• 2009-2011 NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate, Naval Research Lab
• 2009 Ph.D. Princeton University
• 2003 B.S. University of Notre Dame