FDRC Seminar Series
Each semester, FDRC invites speakers from across the United States and abroad to present their research on fluid dynamics to members of the Penn State community. Topics include fundamental research on turbulence, numerical methods for CFD, the development of experimental techniques, and engineering applications related to medicine, propulsion, combustion, and more.
Seminars are accompanied by complimentary coffee and donuts!
Most seminars are broadcast via Zoom. Links to the Zoom room are distributed bi-weekly via our mailing list. To subscribe, simply send an e-mail to l-fdrc-subscribe-request@lists.psu.edu. You can unsubscribe by sending an email to l-fdrc-unsubscribe-request@lists.psu.edu. No subject or body is required in either case.
Fall 2026 Series
Seminars in this series are hosted every Thursday at 9:30 am in 125 Reber Building.
Schedule
| Date | Speaker | Affiliation | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 27 | Jacqueline O'Connor | Pennsylvania State University | Internal |
| Sep. 3 | Aditya Nair | University of Nevada, Reno | Tamy Guimarães |
| Sep. 10 | Christoph Brehm | University of Maryland, College Park | James Coder |
| Sep. 17 | Matthew Krull | Pennsylvania State University | Stephen Lynch |
| Sep. 24 | Liselle Joseph | Virginia Tech | Tamy Guimarães |
| Oct. 1 | Harish Ganesh | University of Michigan | Matthew Bross |
| Oct. 8 | Zhao Pan | University of Waterloo | S. Grauer, X. Yang |
| Oct. 15 | Vijay Vedula | Columbia University | Melissa Brindise |
| Oct. 22 | Shaun Harris | Sandia National Laboratories | Jeff Harris |
| Oct. 29 | Paul Durbin | Iowa State University | Robert Kunz |
| Nov. 5 | Nathan Wei | University of Pennsylvania | Michael Krane |
| Nov. 12 | Jonathan Naughton | University of Wyoming | Mark Miller |
| Nov. 19 | Karen Thole | Pennsylvania State University | Internal |
| Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving | ||
| Dec. 3 | Sven Schmitz | Pennsylvania State University | Internal |
| Dec. 10 | Jake Buzhardt | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Samuel Grauer |
Abstracts and Biosketches
Jacqueline O'Connor
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Pennsylvania State University
Use of information networks for understanding hydrodynamic instability on complex wake flows
August 24, 2026
Hydrodynamic instability drives the performance and operability of a number of aerospace systems, including aircraft, rotorcraft, and propulsion systems. Identifying the source of the instability and its dynamics in complex configurations is challenging, particularly in highly turbulent, three-dimensional environments. In this talk, we'll explore the use of information network theory for identifying the critical regions of unstable flows. We apply these methods to wake flows, both single- and multi-wake systems, to explore opportunities for better insight into complex flow behaviors.
Biosketch
Dr. Jacqueline O'Connor is a professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State and directs the Reacting Flow Dynamics Laboratory. She and her students study issues related to combustor operability, alternative fuels, and high-temperature material durability and heat transfer for power and propulsion applications. She received a B.S. from MIT and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Georgia Tech. She was a post-doctoral researcher at Sandia National Laboratories before starting at Penn State in 2013. She is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.