{"667409":{"#nid":"667409","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Chasing Chaos: Alex Blumenthal Awarded CAREER Grant for Research in Chaos, Fluid Dynamics","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHow do you picture chaos? To \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ablumenthal6.math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EAlex Blumenthal\u003C\/a\u003E, it\u2019s a raging river, the wake behind a boat, and the infinite swirls coffee creamer makes as it\u2019s mixed into a mug of joe.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe chaos in these examples is in the seemingly unpredictable and unrepeatable way the fluids move\u2013 imagine predicting the exact motion of particles in a patch of whitewater, or recreating the exact way frothy water pours from a faucet into a full sink.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ENow, Blumenthal, an assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/math.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Mathematics\u003C\/a\u003E, has been awarded an NSF CAREER grant to work towards just that.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award is a five-year grant designed to help promising researchers establish a foundation for a lifetime of leadership in their field. Known as CAREER awards, the grants are NSF\u2019s most prestigious funding for untenured assistant professors.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe award, for \u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EChaotic dynamics of systems with noise,\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E will help Blumenthal continue tackling some of the most difficult questions in his field\u2013 those of chaotic fluid dynamics. Because Blumenthal\u2019s work with fluid dynamics intersects with chaos and disorder, the impacts of his work range from weather prediction to how we model economics.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe butterfly effect\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMathematicians have been interested in predicting chaotic, dynamical systems since Leonardo Da Vinci first sketched frothy, unpredictable jets of water hitting a canal, but solving this type of problem is notoriously difficult.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EOne reason for the challenge? The b\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eutterfly effect \u2013 where a small deviation (like a butterfly flapping its wings) can have compounding impacts on a system (like that tiny gust of wind gathering into a tornado). Because even a microscopic change in conditions can compound as the system changes, it is impossible to exactly recreate an experiment, and extremely difficult to mathematically model.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cCreating rigorous mathematical proofs is difficult in this situation, because the chaos and non-chaos coexist in these systems \u2013 and the initial conditions heavily impact the results of the mathematics,\u201d Blumenthal explains. Imagine stirring that drop of creamer into a cup of coffee again\u2013 could you recreate \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eexactly \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Ewhere the first drop is added, down to a molecular level?\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIt wasn\u2019t until 2020, when Blumenthal, alongside a team of researchers, proved that it is possible to predict those folds and striations, called \u201cswiss rolls,\u201d that you see as the creamer is stirred into the coffee, or as two colors of paint are stirred together, \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.quantamagazine.org\/mathematicians-prove-universal-law-of-turbulence-20200204\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eproviding the most rigorous mathematical proofs on turbulence to date, and proving a decades-old theory called Batchelor\u2019s Law\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E. Additionally, since the mathematical proof can be used to predict how fluids might mix, it can help scientists predict salinity profiles in the oceans, or atmospheric conditions.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAnother key application of the research? The development of a new problem-solving framework, which Blumenthal plans to investigate with the CAREER grant as a key for unlocking new research into broader turbulence and chaos problems.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBringing research-level topics to students\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe grant also includes funding to bring students to the forefront of the field. \u201cOne cool thing about these systems is that they lend themselves to a lot of computational projects that are accessible to undergraduates,\u201d Blumenthal says. \u201cI\u2019ll be designing a short curriculum on these random dynamical systems that\u2019s accessible to undergraduates\u2013 bringing them to research-level topics in this field in a short amount of time.\u201d The undergraduate topics class will serve as an introduction to the kind of probabilistic perspective one takes while tackling chaotic theory, a class he plans to pilot in the Spring of 2023.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHe expects the intersection with data science will be particularly interesting to undergraduates, explaining that \u201cthe principles of chaotic dynamics underlie a lot of the assumptions in data science. Data science is implicitly leveraging these ideas, so this will help students explicitly understand those implicit ideas. It\u2019s a theoretical primer students could leverage in the data science field.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe field is ripe for research, and Blumenthal is eager to include both graduate students and undergraduates, allocating funds for research experiences for undergraduates, alongside a graduate student workshop, where students from across the world could be invited to Georgia Tech for a weeks-long program, learning from Blumenthal and other experts about the chaotic dynamics of random systems.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThere\u2019s a whole lot of new stuff to do, and these things lend themselves to numerical exploration \u2013 pencil and paper proofs, and computer-assisted proofs,\u201d Blumenthal says. \u201cThere\u2019s a growing community of people studying random dynamics, and a growing community of people doing computer proofs\u2013 it\u2019s a great place for undergrads to have meaningful research experiences.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EBlumenthal, an assistant professor in the School of Mathematics, has been awarded an NSF CAREER grant \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Econtinue tackling some of the most difficult questions in his field\u2013 those of chaotic fluid dynamics. Because Blumenthal\u2019s work with fluid dynamics intersects with chaos and disorder, the impacts of his work range from weather prediction to how we model economics. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The award, for \u201cChaotic dynamics of systems with noise,\u201d will help Blumenthal continue tackling some of the most difficult questions in his field\u2013 those of chaotic fluid dynamics"}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2023-04-18 17:25:07","changed_gmt":"2023-05-01 15:07:31","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-04-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"670580":{"id":"670580","type":"image","title":"Mosaic Turbulence ","body":null,"created":"1681840504","gmt_created":"2023-04-18 17:55:04","changed":"1681840546","gmt_changed":"2023-04-18 17:55:46","alt":"A mosaic-like illustration of a turbulent river","file":{"fid":"253465","name":"River_Mosaic.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/18\/River_Mosaic.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/04\/18\/River_Mosaic.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1676158,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/04\/18\/River_Mosaic.png?itok=e5CnYagE"}}},"media_ids":["670580"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/chemistry-chaos-peptides-and-infinite-problems-georgia-tech-researchers-pioneer-new-frontiers","title":"Chemistry, Chaos, Peptides, and (Infinite) Problems: Georgia Tech Researchers Pioneer New Frontiers with NSF CAREER Grants"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/solving-infinite-problems-anton-bernshteyn-awarded-nsf-career-grant-developing-new-unified","title":"Solving Infinite Problems: Anton Bernshteyn awarded NSF CAREER grant for developing a new, unified theory of descriptive combinatorics and distributed algorithms"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/fundamental-questions-jesse-mcdaniel-awarded-nsf-career-grant-research-new-method-predicting","title":"The Fundamental Questions: Jesse McDaniel Awarded NSF CAREER Grant for Research Into New Method of Predicting Chemical Reaction Rates, Leveraging Computer Modeling"},{"url":"https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/news\/making-medicines-vinayak-agarwal-awarded-nsf-career-grant-peptide-research","title":"Making Medicines: Vinayak Agarwal Awarded NSF CAREER Grant for Peptide Research"}],"groups":[{"id":"1279","name":"School of Mathematics"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192251","name":"cos-quantum"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"173647","name":"_for_math_site_"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39431","name":"Data Engineering and Science"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWritten by Selena Langner\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jess.hunt@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}