I was awarded promotion to Teaching Associate Professor at the end of the Spring 2022 semester, effective August 2022. I continue to teach Aerodynamics based courses and was able to revive the graduate CFD course. I have also continued successful research projects in the areas of unsteady aerodynamics, projectiles, and unpiloted aerial systems.

After working on several research projects that were subject to the ITAR, I was asked to take on an administrative role helping with the Export Control Office. My primary role is to provide general engineering and scientific oriented technical support to the ECO. I help to screen Statements of Work, Visa applications, and equipment for awarded research grants nad contracts.

While working as a Research Assistant Professor, the department advertised a teaching track position. I was fortunate enough to be offered the position and am excited to work in this role. Although my primary responsibility is teaching undergraduate courses, I still participated in a variety of research that enhances my teaching ability. I predominantly taught aerodynamics oriented courses, including Incompressible Aerodynamics, Compressible Aerodynamics, and Introduction to Aerospace Engineering.

I continued to work on research projects dealing with unsteady aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, and unpiloted aerial systems. I also become involved with an NSF education-based research project.

My background in unsteady aerodynamics led me to work on a project dealing with trajectory and orientation prediction of unstable aerodynamic bodies. As part of this research team, I aided in the development of an outdoor research facility. This facility provides the ability to record projectile launches using multiple synchronized high-speed cameras, as well as a 70 camera VICON motion capture system. The goal is to statistically validate models as well as dive into the physics that cause the motions captured during test flights.

I also started an additional project dealing with the flow and thermal properties of submerged tubing. My primary task is CFD analysis of various tubing and their components at different ambient and flow conditions. The goal is to make the fluid delivery system more efficient in terms of pressure drop across the system, as well as to reduce heat loss.

I also taught classes as needed, including Introduction to Aerospace Engineering, Statics, and Thermal and Fluids Laboratory.

Upon graduation, I was hired as a Visiting Scholar which then transitioned into a Postdoctoral Fellowship. In this role, I extended my active flow control studies into the area of projectile maneuverability. The experimental analysis was conducted using particle image velocimetry (PIV) to visualize the flow field around 40mm mortar rounds. Static and dynamic roughness elements were added to document their effect on the flow field. Although there was an effect, results were not conclusive on its ability to potentially maneuver such an object.

I also was able to continue teaching as needed by the department in this role. I taught several classes, including Fluid Mechanics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, and Thermodynamics.

The goal of my dissertation work was to evaluate the application of dynamic roughness to rapidly pitching airfoils. Dynamic roughness has previously been used to computational and experimentally eliminate the laminar separation bubble near the leading edge of an airfoil at various angles of attack. The new application involves the delay of the dynamic stall phenomenon. Dynamic stall is a condition that occurs on airfoils undergoing relatively rapid pitching maneuvers, or airfoils that are impulsively started at a large angle of attack. In these cases, the airfoil is able to continue to produce lift beyond the static stall angle of attack.

A consequence of dynamic stall is the development of a leading-edge or dynamic stall vortex. This vortex helps to sustain lift, but once the vortex sheds downstream there is an abrupt loss of lift, increase in drag, and change in pitching moment. I was able to show computationally and experimentally that dynamic roughness can delay the formation of the leading-edge vortex. I used particle image velocimetry (PIV) to visualize the flow field around the pitching airfoil and the commercial CFD code Fluent in this research. Using macros and user-defined functions I was able to develop additional code to simulate the pitch-up maneuver, as well as surface displacement to mimic dynamic roughness. It is hoped dynamic roughness will have less energy consumption than other active flow control techniques such as plasma or blowing/suction.

It was also during this time that I started teaching as a graduate student. My first class was Fluid Mechanics.

Working on the Resilient Tunnel Project was a challenging but rewarding experience. The goal was to develop an inflatable structure that could act as a flood mitigation barrier in subterranean transit tunnels. Our multidisciplinary team consisted of faculty and students from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and the LANE Computer Science and Computer Engineering Department.

My primary role was to design, development, and implement systems dealing with fluid storage, transmission, and sensing. I developed data acquisition hardware and software techniques to record flowrate, pressure, and displacement. While working on this project, we transitioned from small 3-foot scaled experiments to full scale and full pressure subway mockups. The full-scale experiments required designing and implementing pumps and plumbing to safely deliver water at over 3000 GPM. I also had the honor to work with industry and government partners such as ILC Dover, Department of Homeland Security, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Some additional info can be seen by accessing the links below.

https://www.dhs.gov/publication/resilient-tunnel-project
https://youtu.be/9F8U0_VtZ-4
https://www.tunneltalk.com/New-Products-Dec12-Resilient-Tunnel-Plug-for-inflatable-flood-protection.php

My MS research investigated the behavior of various materials under biaxial load conditions for potential use on the surface of a morphing wing. In order to test different types of flexible materials, I designed and fabricated a bulge test apparatus. This device is a pressure vessel with a clamping end that allows material to be securely installed. Upon pressurization material displaces, the profile of the displacement is measured using a traversing optical range. This profile measurement allows biaxial stress calculations.

The results showed a combination of woven and rubber based materials would provide excellent conformability while providing the balance between strength and flexibility required by morphing structures.