Solving the Undefined

Corpuz, Raiza M.

2013-14987

For several centuries, we left the discovery of science to the ancient empires and to the erudite citizens of Europe. Of course, the time came for the Filipinos too to start contributing to the pool of knowledge that was continuously extended and filled by the brilliant minds of the world.

                The University of the Philippines Diliman has been known to house the best of every field, be it the arts of the sciences; among them is Dr. Muriel. Born November 24, 1939, Doctor Amador Muriel, now a world renowned physicist was once a UPD student like us. To be specific, he was a Physics major in UPD, but he pursued his masters and doctorate degree in the State University of New York, Stony Brook, U.S.A. Originally, he was in the Chemical Engineering program of UP but he shifted to Physics not long after.

                He sought to give the Filipinos a voice in the world of science and so he pursued his research outside the country. He saw the reason why the Navier-Stokes equation, an equation that rules all fluid dynamic, cannot explain turbulence. For him there were two reasons: one, because no one has ever really defined turbulence properly. Second, people ignored the existence of atoms and molecules after the Navier-stokes equation became a continuum.

                He found the answer to his problem from a paper he wrote 13 years ago in Princeton. This happening was not extraordinary because according to him, decades of waiting are common in research. From that piece of paper he proposed the theory of the origin of turbulence. Not only did he gain worldwide recognition in the area of turbulence, but also in the area of stellar dynamics. He proved the natural formation of gravitational structure analytically. He also contributed in the field of quantum computing through accurate solutions to the performance of two-level systems.

                At present, he is working in the Germany under the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems to further expand his molecular Theory of Turbulence. He is also the first Filipino appointed member of the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, delegate of the South Eastern Asia to the World Federation of Scientists headed by Doctor Antonio Zichichi, and involved in planetary discussions in European countries. His works have been published in prestigious international journals.

                While he enjoyed the fruits of his labor outside of the country, he also helped train several undergraduate and graduate students and researchers inside the Philippines to become world-class scientists and engineers. For his work inside and outside of the country, he was awarded The Outstanding Filipino award in 1999. It has also been revealed that he was using his own money to convert a dormitory in Los Baños into a modern research center with living quarters akin to what he was using outside the Philippines. It is said that he has been roaming UP Diliman to help Ph.D. complete their course and publish their works on international science journals.

References:

Jojo Robles, 2002. A teacher's beautiful mind. Manila Standard. Volume XVI No. 168.

The Outstanding Filipino Award. http://www.tofil.ph/awardee_profile.php?id=58. March 5, 2014

2003. Fourth Session Lasted Long into the Night. Issue Number 1. NY 62nd Street FORUM. http://www.tanjaycity.org/Trivia/62nd_Vol1.pdf. March 5, 2014

Nicole Paterno, 2011. Dr. Amador Muriel: creating "turbulence" for prgress. http://old.bgn.org/news/item/2290. March 5, 2014