Steven P. Schneider, Professor from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University, conducted a short course jointly held by AEDC and the UT Space Institute entitled, “Hypersonic Boundary Layer Transition” on April 21.

The short course focused on the dynamics of boundary layer transition for slender lifting vehicles. The course is biased toward experimental data and wind tunnel noise issues since the instructor is a quiet tunnel experimentalist. The short course was a 3–4 hour condensed version of the 45-hour graduate course he teaches at Purdue University. The course was well attended.

Schneider is widely recognized as the international authority on the subject of hypersonic laminar-turbulent transition and his expertise has guided numerous system development programs and technological collaborations. At the beginning of his distinguished career, Schneider anticipated the critical need for clear physics-based insight into the complex fluid dynamics governing the transition process. In response to this challenge, he has spent more than two decades passionately studying the intricate physics of this key problem, while refining and maturing low-disturbance quiet flow wind tunnel technology. He is the author of seven authoritative reviews on the subject in the archival literature and his students are sought for positions in government and industry.