Karl Lawrence (L) and Qasem Al-Mdallal won first place
in the poster competition at the MITACS Atlantic Interchange,
held at Dalhousie University March 24, 2003. MITACS is
the Networks of Centers of Excellence for Mathematics
of Information Technology and Complex Systems.
By Kristin Harris
Thesis work for the graduate student is often a long and solitary
road. However, Qasem Al-Mdallal, PhD candidate in the Department
of Applied Mathematics, and Karl Lawrence, M.Sc student in
the Computational Science program, have come together under
the guidance of their mutual supervisor, Dr. Serpil Kocabiyik,
Math and Statistics.
While the two students are pursuing independent theses, their
work shares a similar mathematical modelling. Under the umbrella
of theoretical and computational fluid dynamics, they are
examining various aspects of cylinder configuration that can
be applied to various engineering structures, such as offshore
structures, marine risers, and power cables. Their work partly
focuses on the impact of currents on structures to accurately
predict the design life of these structures.
Mr. Al-Mdallal and Mr. Lawrence’s work can be delineated
into two main areas: theoretical, which includes mathematical
modeling and applied analysis; and computational, the main
elements of which are software programming and flow visualization.
Dr. Kocabiyik, the supervisor of both students, said that
Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Al-Mdallal are working in, “one
of the most promising and cutting edge research in fluid mechanics
– flow topology and control.” She sees their work
as integral in helping to advance these relatively new areas
in fluid dynamics, and sees their collaborative work as having
a positive effect on both their theses.
Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Al-Mdallal are both quick to credit the
other for his success. Because they come from different academic
backgrounds, each contributes his expertise towards their
common goal. In addition, they work well personally. Mr. Lawrence
said, “If we were working individuals, we wouldn’t
be as far ahead as where we’re at now.” Added
Mr. Al-Mdallal, “it is a good experience to work with
someone who has a strong background in areas different from
myself.” They both agree that Dr. Kocabiyik’s
encouragement regarding their collaborative efforts has been
Recognition has also come the way of Mr. Al-Mdallal and Mr.
Lawrence. While both students’ final objective is the
thesis, they have also received joint awards for their shared
work to date. While Mr. Al-Mdallal acknowledges that each
award is special, they both agree that they are especially
appreciative of the three major awards they have received
together in various poster competitions.