Fluid news time with a twist of heat transfer. Keep reading for stories on boundary layer visualization, how tree 'plumbing' limits tree height, how to focus heat like light, the F1 in Schools 2013 Championship venue announcement, how CFD helps elite athletes, and how NASCAR is becoming more like rocket science.

Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of a Boundary Layer

Boosting Efficiency By Coming To Terms With Turbulence

At Australia's Monash University, two supercomputers -- the Multi-modal Australian Sciences Imaging and Visualisation Environment (MASSIVE) and the National Computational Infrastructure in Canberra -- are visualizing the patterns and structures in the swirling air by applying massive computing power to the thin layer of turbulence. Read more >>

'Tube' Physics Limits Leaf Size, Tree Height

Basic scientific principles can explain why leaves on the tallest trees are all about the same size, and why those tall trees aren't even loftier. Read more >>

How to Treat Heat Like Light

New approach using nanoparticle alloys allows heat to be focused or reflected just like electromagnetic waves. Read more >>

F1 in Schools 2013 World Championship Will be Held in Austin, Texas

F1 in Schools, an international educational program in which students design, build and race miniature cars, will hold its world finals in Austin in conjunction with November’s Formula One grand prix, officials said Monday. Read more >>

F1 in Schools 2012 Championship

Fluid-Dynamics Mapping in Virtual Space is Giving Elite Athletes the Edge

"This model is generated in a virtual wind-tunnel and shows fluid forces," says David James, an engineer at Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Sports Engineering Research. "It helps us understand how the athlete moves, and what forces are slowing him or her down." Read more >>

Science on the Fast Track

Modern NASCAR racing teams use computational fluid dynamics simulations, wind tunnels, and the highly technical know-how of engineers to eke milliseconds out of each driver's lap time. Read more >>