A LHEEA-based PhD student is awarded the "Libersky Prize" for her work on the SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) method.

Arbia's thesis is supervised by Guillaume Oger, of the IIHNE team at LHEEA, and co-supervised by David Le Touzé, head of the IIHNE team, and Serge Simoens from the LMFA at Centrale Lyon. This thesis deals with the validation of a method for calculating the complex fluid-structure interactions involved in the aquaplaning phenomenon. In this scenario, a complex deformable structure (the tyre) is both in contact with the uneven road surface and interacting closely with the water on the road on which the tyre partly (or totally in the event of severe aquaplaning) "mounts", resulting in a very complex fluid flow around the tyre.

The Libersky Prize is awarded at every SPHERIC Workshop for the best work by a student, based on their presentations and papers, as judged by the Scientific Committee. All students who present at the Workshop are considered for the award, which is named in honour of Prof. Larry Libersky, one of the pioneers of SPH in engineering.