Rice University Mechanical Engineering

Tayfun Tezduyar, Kenji Takizawa, and their Waseda University collaborators Takuya Terahara and Hiroka Miura recently published a paper on computational analysis of flow from a bioprosthetic aortic valve to the aorta.

The analysis shows complex vortex structures and flow reversal associated with valve motion, highlights how the curvature and torsion of the aortic arch govern near-leaflet flow patterns, and can help surgeons assess how the valve will perform for each patient depending on those same parameters.

This first-of-its-kind solution is made possible by a synthesis of Space-Time Computational Flow Analysis (STCFA) methods from the Team for Advanced Flow Simulation and Modeling (TAFSM), including three unconventional approaches:
🔹 High-resolution boundary-layer representation, despite contact between the leaflets
🔹 ST Isogeometric Analysis, with superior accuracy compared to traditional numerical methods, despite the geometric complexities of this real-world problem
🔹 Computational efficiency focused where it matters most, including the valve-leaflet surfaces

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq93fun0tgk
🔗 Paper: https://lnkd.in/gJ2D9vwT
🔗 Space-Time Computational Flow Analysis book: https://lnkd.in/g6t6pvUQ
🔗 TAFSM: https://www.tafsm.org/
🔗 TAFSM (Japan): https://www.jp.tafsm.org/

Aortic-Valve to Aorta Flow with High-Resolution Boundary-Layer Representation: Space–Time IGA https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00466-026-02788-5Space–Time Isogeometric Analysis of the Aortic-Valve to Aorta Flow with High-Resolution Boundary-Layer Represent...

Breastfeeding is one of the most complex biological processes in early motherhood, and much of what drives it remains invisible.

Chihtong "Lily" Lee, a doctoral researcher in Rice Mechanical Engineering, is working to change that. Using medical imaging data and computational models, she simulates how breast tissue deforms and how electrical properties change during feeding, building toward noninvasive tools that help mothers track milk flow in real time. Her work recently earned her a travel fellowship from the American Academy of Mechanics to present at the 2026 US National Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.

Read the full story:https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/rice-doctoral-student-uses-mechanics-map-how-breastfeeding-works-real-time