Actuators | Interview with Prof. Dr. Luigi De Luca, Member of the Committee of the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Actuator Technology
1. Could you introduce your current research direction and provide an update on your progress?
I am a professor of aerospace engineering and am active in the fluid mechanics field. My interest in the topic of actuators is related to the area of flow control, which is a current research line from both scientific and industrial viewpoints. I worked on the design, development and application of devices that are generally referred to as synthetic jets, which are used to manipulate and change the properties of fluid flows. An interesting new direction of this research is its application to two-phase flows, like liquid jets issuing into a gaseous ambient to produce atomization. This research will be carried out experimentally and numerically.
2. Can you share any experiences of overcoming challenges that you have faced in your research?
Surely, I encountered many difficulties and challenges; in the research field, when a problem is solved, it often appears trivial, and one has to move towards more difficult and challenging new goals.
I overcame the difficulties by studying, reading similar papers in the literature, exchanging information with colleagues, and participating in conferences. Of course, in the end, one’s intuition is a base requisite.
3. What do you believe the hot topics in the field of fluid mechanics research will be over the next few years, and why do you think these subjects will become important?
Fluid mechanics problems involve physical situations where many variables change rapidly in space and time; hence, to predict flow behavior, it is mandatory to work with reduced-order models to capture the essence of the physics with a relatively simple model. This need constitutes a modern research line, named reduced-order modeling, or modal decomposition analysis. Also, so-called data-driven models are a modern topic which can be used to reduce the complexity of the problem, drawing information from previous (numerical or experimental) knowledge or data.
4. With numerous conferences being organized each year, do you have any suggestions that might make our conference more meaningful for scholars and students?
Maybe the organization of mini-symposia on specific restricted topics could help potential participants recognize how to benefit from participation in the conference.
5. What are your thoughts on the current trends and developments of open access publishing?
Open access publishing speeds up the diffusion of information and new results. Also, the reduced time of revision of manuscripts is an important parameter. In my opinion, sometimes the costs are too high, especially for young independent researchers.