Portonovo Ayyaswamy Receives ASME 75th Anniversary Medal

Portonovo Ayyaswamy, Asa Whitney Professor of Dynamical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, has been selected to receive the 75th Anniversary Medal of the ASME Heat Transfer Division “in recognition of his service to the heat transfer community and contributions to the field.”

Dr. Ayyaswamy’s research is in the area of mechanical engineering, with foci in modeling, simulations and experimentation of multi-phase flow/heat and mass transfer. His latest research activities are concerned with the motion of nanoparticles and associated transport, particularly in the context of targeted drug delivery. Over the years, Dr. Ayyaswamy has contributed to many diverse areas of heat transfer, mass transfer, and fluid mechanics. These include investigations of: finite sized bubble motion and the effects of surfactants in the context of gas embolism, forced convective effects on condensation, evaporation and combustion of moving drops and particles, the effect of electric fields on flames under normal and microgravity conditions, capillary flows related to heat pipes, and buoyancy driven flows. In the area of interconnection of electronic chips by wire bonding, he has investigated the melting of metals and alloys by low-energy plasma arc-discharges and subsequent solidification. In the area of die-bonding, he and his coworkers have established new results for the squeezing flow of yield stress fluids. In the area of microgravity fluid mechanics, mass transfer, and biotechnology, his lab has worked to determine the mechanisms responsible for changes in osteoblast behavior under simulated microgravity conditions by employing experimental and numerical-analytical methods.

The award will be presented at the 2013 Summer Heat Transfer Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July. ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world.

To learn more about Dr. Ayyaswamy and his research, visit his faculty profile.