Research and Planning in Fluid Mechanics

Owing to the intractability of the governing equations and the ubiquity of instabilities in fluid fields, the most sophisticated and effective solutions to problems in fluid flow usually involve some judicious combination of theory, data, numerical analysis, special models and testing. The U.S. system of research funding since World War II had been almost completely anarchic. While this has served freedom of research well, it has left some problems in old technologies untouched. Moreover, a crisis in resources for research suggests that clearer priorities need to be established at the national level. Engineering societies need to assist the government in this task. Appropriate criteria for judging research seem to be: (1) time scale; (2) probable scientific significance; (3) probable technological impact; and (4) feasibility within the limits of personnel, facilities, and resources of a given institution.