UC Santa Barbara, College of Engineering
Dressaire Lab
ME 152A. Fluid Mechanics
Fall
This quarter-long course is an introduction to the fundamental concepts in fluid mechanics and basic fluid properties for undergraduate students. Hydrostatic and hydrodynamics. Governing equations of fluid flow, focusing on control volume analysis. Dimensional analysis and similitude.
ME 125ED/225ED. Special Topics in ME: Bio-Inspired Design in Fluid Mechanics
Winter
In this course, students learn how Nature can support the creative design process. Students study evolutionary adaptation as a source for inspiration, extracting design principles to leverage the functionality, adaptability, and robustness of biological systems. To advance knowledge of biological strategies and facilitate quantitative analysis of the proposed solutions, the course focuses on Biologically Inspired Design in Fluids. The course includes lectures, case studies, and design activities.
For the final projects, teams of students develop designs that demonstrate a biological adaptation. The demonstrations are then used for K-12 STEM education and public outreach. This course is open to upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students.
ME 221. Advanced Viscous Flows
Fall
In this course, graduate students learn about viscous flows in microchannels. Microflows are common in Nature and Engineered systems. In microchannels, transport processes can be coupled with other physics (including electromagnetism, solid mechanics, and acoustics) and/or biological phenomena. The quarter begins with a review of the relevant physics, including fluid flow and transport phenomena in microchannels. Students are then introduced to microfluidics systems and related applications. Finally, the course covers porous media flows. The large number of microchannels that compose a porous medium requires a multiscale approach.
