Simulating Supersonic Fluid Flows in the Student Aerodynamics Lab – Dr Oleg Goushcha, Manhattan College
Original Article Reference
This SciPod is a summary of the papers ‘Revival of water table experiments in fluid mechanics courses, part I’ and ‘Revival of water table experiment in fluid mechanics courses, part II’, from the International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306419019831393
Share Episode
About this episode
When learning about fluid dynamics, physics and engineering students can benefit greatly from hands-on experiments that allow them to visualise the equations they learn in lectures. For supersonic flows, however, the equipment required is incredibly expensive, making some experiments inaccessible to many universities. Dr Oleg Goushcha at Manhattan College has revived an old methodology to demonstrate supersonic flows in the classroom using far more affordable equipment. He has shown that the features seen in supersonic can be accurately simulated through an inexpensive setup involving water surface waves.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 
What does this mean?
Share: You can copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt: You can change, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Credit: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
Related episodes
Jenni AI: Preserving academic integrity in an age of AI-written text
As generative AI becomes ever more convincing at mimicking human text, many universities and academic institutions have come to rely on AI detection tools to police academic integrity. However, recent research has clearly demonstrated that these tools are not only ineffective, they are also amplifying systematic injustices in academia. Jenni AI presents a smarter workspace for drafting, citing, and proofreading: helping students and researchers make the best possible use of AI tools while ensuring their academic integrity is preserved.
Where Gas Meets Liquid: Rethinking Carbon Capture for a Net-Zero Future | Dr. Ali Najarnezhadmashhadi
The story of climate change is often told through numbers. Rising temperatures, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, and tightening timelines toward global climate targets dominate headlines. Yet behind these numbers lies a quieter, more complex story of engineering innovation. It is a story about how we might redesign industrial systems to reduce emissions without dismantling the infrastructure that modern life depends on. At the center of this effort is carbon capture, a technology that has shifted from theoretical promise to practical necessity.
Prof. Marjorie Wonham | The Power of Crossing Disciplines: How Blending Arts and Sciences Transforms Education
In many people’s minds, the arts and the sciences still occupy separate worlds. Science is often imagined as precise, objective, and technical, while the arts are seen as expressive, subjective, and emotional. These stereotypes are reinforced by the way higher education is organized, with students urged to specialize early and remain safely within disciplinary boundaries. Yet the challenges that shape contemporary life rarely respect those boundaries. Climate change, biodiversity loss, public health crises, and social inequality are problems that demand not only data and analysis, but also imagination, empathy, and the ability to communicate across cultures and perspectives to achieve meaningful change. In this context, the growing movement to integrate arts and sciences in higher education is not a luxury or an experiment. It is a necessity.
Mara Bălașa – Professor Rickard Sandberg | Green Steel and the Price of a Cleaner Future
Steel is everywhere. It forms the skeletons of skyscrapers, the frames of cars, the rails beneath trains, and the machines that build modern economies. Yet behind this essential material lies a difficult truth. Steelmaking is one of the world’s most carbon intensive industries. Each ton of conventional steel can release nearly two tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As countries race to reduce emissions and limit climate change, transforming the way steel is made has become an urgent challenge.
Increase the impact of your research
• Good science communication encourages everyday people to be scientifically literate so that they can analyse the integrity and legitimacy of information.
• Good science communication encourages people into STEM-related fields of study and employment.
• Good public science communication fosters a community around research that includes both members of the public, policymakers and scientists.
• In a recent survey, 75% of people suggested they would prefer to listen to an interesting story than read it.
Step 1 Upload your science paper
Step 2 SciPod script written
Step 3 Voice audio recorded
Step 4 SciPod published