Exploring the Boundaries of Turbulence Earns Honors for Caltech Researcher Published March 3, 2010 By Maria Callier Office of Scientific Research ARLINGTON, Virginia -- A turbulent work environment is no obstacle for Dr. Beverley J. McKeon, an Air Force Research Laboratory-funded researcher at the California Institute of Technology. In fact, her research focus, an area of great interest to the Air Force, depends on it. Dr. McKeon explores the physics of turbulence, including its potential impact on boundary layer airflow over aircraft surfaces. By advancing the understanding of such fundamental aspects, her work has the potential to impact a broad range of AF applications (particularly in terms of future vehicle design) and has commercial aviation and manufacturing/industrial merit as well. The boundary layer refers to the thin layer of air at the surface of the aircraft. In this region, the air flowing over a surface transitions from laminar (smooth) to turbulent. Understanding boundary layer properties is therefore critical to understanding how an aircraft performs. Accordingly, Dr. McKeon leverages both new and traditional diagnostic materials to create simplified models of conditions that produce turbulence--a phenomenon that remains one of the greatest unsolved problems of classical physics despite the substantial scientific attention it has drawn for decades. For her cutting-edge work in modeling turbulence under different pressure gradients, Dr. McKeon earned recognition as one of just 41 Department of Defense-funded recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The award honors young scientists in the early years of their independent careers.