How the fluid dynamics lab is maintaining the flow

Lees in het Nederlands

Endlessly long tubes, powerful lasers, and some tables to work on in between. During the corona crisis the lab work in his Faculty had largely come to a standstill.

But according to the people in the fluid and hydrodynamics lab (Process & Energy Department) most of the work in the laboratory has now been resumed. Professors Jerry Westerweel and Christiaan Poelma, and Technical Assistant Edwin Overmars, would like to show how this works.

The starting point was to prevent study delays, says Overmars. It cannot be said whether that was entirely successful, but he does, however, remember the students’ joy when they were able to get back in the lab to work.

There are currently 13 PhD students working in the lab, mostly on their own equipment. In addition, there are four graduates and three bachelor end projects are underway. In the case of these BEPs, there are at most two students present in the lab at any point in time and the rest have to make do with the experiments by their team members. All in all, the employees estimate that the lab is running at 80% of its normal capacity. How is that possible?

Students had to do preparations for laboratory courses at home

Westerweel is pleased that the Dean left the details of the corona measures to the departments themselves to customise their work.  Students and PhD students were and still are involved in any agreements made. In connection with study planning, priority was given to PhD students, graduates and BEPs.

From a practical point of view, the resumption of activities in the lab meant that a safety officer had to be available, and that a staff member had to be present at all times for supervision. Schedules were made and students had to do more preparation for their laboratory courses at home than before.

What can others learn from this? Westerweel likes to use the creativity of PhD students to arrange the shared facilities and equipment. He also underlines the importance of keeping up a good atmosphere. “In times like these, under extra pressure, it is important to give each other some space. We have been doing this for years,” says Westerweel. “Working together is a fluid entity after all.”