This $585,000 five-year faculty early career development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports research to characterize turbulence and wind loads in urban environments. The goal is to advance fundamental understanding of turbulence behavior in densely populated areas and improve analytical models for predicting wind-loading on low-rise structures. The project will utilize wind tunnel experiments and computational fluid dynamics simulations of idealized urban environments to develop conceptual formulations encoding the relationship between surface morphology, flow conditions, and key turbulence statistics. The resulting analytical models will be integrated into building design codes to enhance the resilience of structures against extreme wind events. The project also includes an educational and outreach program leveraging virtual/augmented reality technologies. This award will contribute to the NSF's role in the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, with potential long-term impacts on community resilience to wind hazards.
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