Ongoing research projects Planar measurements of differential diffusion in turbulent jets (details) Investigations of the effects of buoyancy on turbulent jet mixing (details) Large-eddy simulations (LES) of turbulent jet mixing, focusing on grid resolution and the effects of different scalar transport and mixing models (details) Experimental assessment of subgrid mixing models for large-eddy simulation (LES) (details) Linear stability analyses of variable density jet flows (details) Examination of stabilization mechanisms in turbulent, lifted jet diffusion flames (details) Development of high-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) algorithms Prior research projects Investigation of the fine-scale structure of turbulent mixing via planar measurements of the three-dimensional scalar gradient vector (details) Mapping of crossflowing jet velocity, scalar and associated fluctuation fields (details)   Other interests Lester was also a Congressional Fellow with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 2000-01 (working in the office of Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers), and maintains an interest in public policy issues as they relate to engineering, the sciences, and education. He has written articles on the following topics for the "Washington Window" column in Mechanical Engineering magazine: Outsourcing Funding for research in engineering and the physical sciences Diversity in engineering K-12 education   home  research  people  courses       Dept. of Mechanical Engineering