Great time at Thousand Islands Meeting 2025

Toronto Researchers Shine at Thousand Islands Meeting 2025

Team celebrating at TIM 2025 conference

Our team at the Thousand Islands Meeting 2025

We’re thrilled to announce our team’s exceptional performance at this year’s Thousand Islands Meeting (TIM 2025). Both Khodr and Howard delivered standout presentations on cutting-edge fluid dynamics research, with Howard earning the conference’s coveted (and slightly notorious) GUPPIE Award!

Innovative Research in Fluid Dynamics

Khodr presenting his research on curved flow dynamics

Khodr explains his novel approach to complex geometries

Khodr captivated attendees with his groundbreaking perspective on fluid dynamics, famously declaring that “life is more curved” — a brilliant conceptual bridge between Minecraft’s blocky world and his sophisticated framework for curved flow dynamics. His pioneering work on cavity flows and innovative methods for handling complex geometries drew enthusiastic responses from peers and established researchers alike.

A Celebration of Excessive PowerPoint Excellence

Howard perfecting his award-winning presentation

Howard fine-tuning his GUPPIE Award-winning slides

Howard’s dedication to presentation perfection was rewarded with this year’s GUPPIE Award (Gratuitous Use of PowerPoint in Excess), recognizing both his substantive research on computational methods for cylinder flow simulation and his… enthusiastic application of every PowerPoint effect known to science.

His presentation on advanced computational fluid dynamics techniques demonstrated not only rigorous scientific innovation but also a bold willingness to embrace spinning transitions, dramatic reveals, and other presentation flourishes that lesser researchers might shy away from.

Group photo on a rainy weekend

Want to learn more? Visit the official TIM 2025 website to explore conference abstracts and discover more cutting-edge research from this year’s meeting.

Congratulations to Howard Ho on winning the GUPPIE award at the Thousand Islands Meeting 2025

In a historic first for Toronto research, the prestigious GUPPIE award has finally come home!

After one of the hardest-fought competitions in recent memory—and for the first time in the over 40-year history of both the TIM and Cosawasco meetings—the University of Toronto can proudly claim this coveted honor.

Congratulations to Howard Ho for bringing this distinction to our team!

For aspiring future winners: The secret formula appears to involve more fireworks, dramatic explosions, and 3D spinning animations (preferably accompanied by dramatic drum rolls).

Howard Ho receiving the GUPPIE award for outstanding PowerPoint presentation

Special Issue Call for Papers: Open and Closed-Loop Control Systems for Active Flow Control

I’m pleased to announce this special issue of Fluids journal focusing on adaptive control strategies for synthetic jet actuators (SJAs).

Developing dynamic control systems that respond to changing flow conditions is essential for broader SJA applications. Our special issue explores how these adaptive systems can optimize performance across jets, airfoils, and turbomachinery through advanced sensing, machine learning, and real-time control.

Key Topics Include:

Adaptive control frameworks
Flow data and computer vision for real-time analysis
Robust, reliable SJA implementation

Submission Details:

Journal: Fluids (Impact Factor: 1.8, CiteScore: 3.4)
Deadline: December 31, 2025
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Pierre Sullivan

All submissions undergo rigorous peer review, with accepted papers published continuously and listed on the special issue website.

Submit your manuscript at: www.mdpi.com
APC: 1800 CHF

#FluidDynamics #ActiveFlowControl #CFD #Engineering #AerospaceEngineering

Congratulations Howard on His ASME Journal of Fluids Engineering Paper

Ho, H., Essel, E. E., and Sullivan, P. E. (January 8, 2024). “Improving Three-Dimensional Synthetic Jet Modeling in a Crossflow.” ASME. J. Fluids Eng. March 2024; 146(3): 031302. org/10.1115/1.4064185.

Congratulations Matthew on his Actuators Paper

Butler, M. G., Ekmekci, A., & Sullivan, P. E. (2024, February). Multiphysics Modeling of a Synthetic Jet Actuator in Operation. In Actuators(Vol. 13, No. 2, p. 60). MDPI. 3390/act13020060

Congratulations Xuan on his AIAA Journal Paper

Shi, X & Sullivan, P. E. (2024). Plasma Actuator Separation Control Investigated with Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition. AIAA Journal, 62(5), 1755–1774. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.J063327

Congratulations Adnan and Kecheng on their Journal of Visualization Paper

Machado, A., Xu, K., & Sullivan, P. E. (2024). Visualizing three-dimensional effects of synthetic jet flow control. Journal of Visualization. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-024-00992-0

Congratulations Adnan and Kecheng on their Physics of Fluids Publication

Machado, A., Xu, K., & Sullivan, P. E. (2024). Spanwise control authority of synthetic jets on a stalled airfoil. Physics of Fluids, 36(6), 064113. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0212135

Congratulations Bin and Xuan on their Physics of Fluids Publication

Bin Xu, Liu, T., Shi, X., Sullivan, P. E., Chen, Z., & Chen, X. (2024). Mitigation of crosswind effects on high-speed trains using vortex generators. Physics of Fluids, 36(7), 075199. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0218270

Congratulations to Howard and Ali on their Fluids publication reviewing SJAs

Ho, H.H., Shirinzad, A., Essel, E.E., and Sullivan, P.E. Synthetic Jet Actuators for Active Flow Control: A Review. Fluids2024, 9, 290. https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9120290