(Posted November 3, 2000)

Dr. Gerald Kruse, assistant professor of mathematics and computer science at Juniata College, will present as part of the Bookend Seminar series "Using Massively Parallel Computers for Fluid Flow Simulation" at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 8 in Good Hall 202. The event is free and the public is welcome to attend.

Kruse will discuss how the newest supercomputers are used to solve the mathematical equations to describe fluid flow. He will use examples from everyday life to explain his theories, including how someone may improve the flight of their golf ball or how to be more efficient when doing large amounts of laundry. Kruse will also share results from recent blood flow simulations.

Kruse received his bachelor?s degree from the University of Illinois and continued to earn his master?s degree and doctorate in applied mathematics from Brown University. He is a member of numerous honor societies including Sigma Xi, Tau Beta Pi, Golden Key, and Phi Eta Sigma. In addition, Kruse was the recipient of a NASA Space Grant Fellowship in 1996. As part of his NASA fellowship, he presented workshops on the mathematics and computations related to space exploration to Rhode Island Public School students in grades K-12. The teaching experience coincided nicely with his graduate work in computational fluid dynamics, where he developed computer simulations of fluid flow.

Prior to his arrival at Juniata in 1999, Kruse served a software engineer for Compaq Computer Corporation. He was in the Mathematics Library Group, where he developed high-performance numerical routines. Before attending graduate school, Kruse worked for the DuPont Company in such positions as Database Administrator, Information Center Analyst, and Data Center Supervisor.

The Bookend Seminar Series provides a forum for the Juniata faculty and administration to address topics of interest to members of the Juniata campus and local communities. The next presentation will be December 13 at the same time and place.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.