2025 AMSI-ANZIAM Lecture Tour - Research and Higher Education

Posted 11 December 2024

2025 ANZIAM Lecturer

The AMSI-ANZIAM Lecture Tour invites a distinguished international academic in an applied mathematical field to speak at universities across Australia after the conclusion of the ANZIAM conference. It includes a series of talks including specialist and public lectures. The tour is organised biennially by AMSI and is supported by ANZIAM.

Speaker

Professor Sunghwan Jung, Cornell University

Dr. Sunghwan (Sunny) Jung is a professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. Jung received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at NYU and MIT before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech and Cornell. His research focuses on fluid mechanics problems arising from the interaction between biological systems and their physical surroundings. His work also encompasses topics related to bio-inspired engineering applications, taking advantage of physical principles derived from his research findings using dynamical system approaches.

Schedule

Prior to the lecture tour, Professor Sunghwan Jung will deliver a plenary talk at the ANZIAM Conference held in Coffs Harbour from 2-6 February 2025.

Date	Time*	Type	TITLE	HOST	Venue/Location	Register
Friday 7 February	3 pm – 4 pm AEDT	Colloquium	Transport Mechanisms Induced by Raindrop Impact	University of Newcastle	Meeting Room SR202 Campus Map: and online via Zoom	Register now (for online participants)
Monday 10 February	3pm - 4pm AWST Followed by networking drinks and refreshments in Monadelphous Integrated Learning Centre (MILC) 4pm - 5pm	Public Lecture	Transport Mechanism Induced by Raindrop Impact	University of Western Australia	Blakers Lecture Room, G18, The University of Western Australia, Crawley Campus Campus map	Register now
Wednesday 12 February	5:30pm AEST	Public Lecture	"Fast"-inating fluid mechanics on snail	University of Queensland	Physiology Lecture Theatre, Room 63-348, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus Campus Map Google Map	Enquiries
Thursday 13 February	1pm - 2pm	Colloquium	Transport Mechanisms Induced by Raindrop Impact	Queensland University of Technology	Room GP-O603, O-Block level 6, Gardens Point campus, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane Google Map	Enquiries

Talk abstract

Transport Mechanisms Induced by Raindrop Impact

Plant leaves possess a remarkable ability to adapt and withstand external fluidic stimuli in the wild. Rainfall, in particular, exerts impulsive stress on plant leaves, causing them to twist, bend, and vibrate, leading to the shedding of spores and allergens. These interactions between the raindrop and leaf have raised some intriguing scientific questions and practical applications. Upon impact, air vortices form and play a pivotal role in spore dispersal, with a single raindrop capable of dispersing over a thousand spores. These initial vortices lift spores beyond the boundary layer, enabling them to be carried away by the wind. Subsequently, the vibrating motion of the leaf further induces flow coherence and enhances the transport of spores. Through Lagrangian diagnostics, we have further discovered the presence of hyperbolic and elliptical coherent structures around fluttering leaves, providing a dynamic description of spore transport.

“Fast”-inating fluid mechanics on snail

Animals inhabit complex environments and carry out various functions. By studying animal behaviors, we can uncover valuable insights to enhance the design and development of engineering devices. We explore the intriguing abilities of snails to capture floating food particles on the water surface using their undulating foot. By studying the undulator’s two-dimensional traveling waves, we unveil a mechanism for large-scale pumping of thin liquid near the liquid-air interface. Interestingly, we discover that the flow rates depend non-monotonically on the wave speed, and we propose an optimal speed that maximizes pumping efficiency through our analysis of the thin-film equations. This research sheds light on a novel mode of pumping with reduced energy dissipation near a free surface, which can be useful in designing a robot for collecting micro plastics. If time permits, I will discuss the drinking dynamics of bats on the wing.