March 4, 2009
News View Article
Pitt Lecture Explores Latest in Computational Mechanics, From Building Airplanes to Simulating Cell MovementRenowned engineering professor J.N. Reddy of Texas A&M University to speak
From designing airplanes and rippling art-structures à la the Sydney Opera House to simulating intercellular relations, computational mechanics provides the basis for creating—and improving—products and procedures before they’re brought to fruition. Major industries such as automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, and petroleum—as well as the emerging biotechnology and information technology industries—rely on computational mechanics to help with engineering, design, and manufacturing.
To examine the latest developments in this important engineering field, the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will host J.N. Reddy for its 2009 Landis-Epic Lecture. Reddy is a Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University renowned in the broad fields of mechanics, applied mathematics, and computational engineering. The lecture, “Modeling and Simulation of Complex Structures: From Physical to Biological Systems,” will be held at 4 p.m. March 20 in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium, 650 Schenley Dr., Oakland. The lecture is free and open to the public. RSVP to mebitz@pitt.edu before March 13.
Reddy will discuss two significant research areas in computational mechanics, namely, developing techniques for simulating complex shell structures and biological systems. Shell structures such as airplane fuselages, boat hulls, and certain buildings—Australia’s Sydney Opera House being the most famous—are an arrangement of thin, curved structural components, or shells. Accurate shell theories are important for developing mathematical models and efficient computational analysis tools that accurately predict the mechanical behavior of such structures resulting from their various loads.
A deeper understanding of the behavior of biological systems is critically important for all aspects of health science, such as diagnosing and treating serious diseases. Mathematical models and computational methodologies can provide a valuable tool for understanding these complex processes. Reddy will discuss computational frameworks used in medicine, including multiscale, multiphysics models that illustrate processes at the subcellular scale (transduction of chemical signals), the microscopic scale (interaction of cells), and the macroscopic scale (cell migration or blood flow).
The Landis-Epic Lectureship was established in 1991 in honor of Pitt alumnus Donald H. Landis (CE ’52), president of Epic Metals Corporation and a nationally recognized leader in the design and construction of cold-formed steel structures.
