April 25, 2022
Two students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics have received 2022 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (NSF GRFP) that will allow them to pursue graduate studies in the field of aerospace engineering.
The NSF GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines and helps ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, plus a $12,000 educational allowance for tuition and fees.
Zoelle Wong
Majors: Aerospace Engineering and Chinese
Faculty Advisors: David Goldstein, Dr. Philip Varghese, Dr. Laurence Trafton
Undergraduate Research Overview:
Our research involves developing computational models to understand Europan surface morphology, with a specific interest in penitente growth. While penitentes, thin spikes of hardened snow or ice, grow on Earth at low altitudes, we want to know if these structures grow on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. The potential existence of these structures is important for landing future spacecraft. My work involves improving the thermal system of an experimental apparatus that is capable of simulating Europan or other icy world environmental conditions. Under the guidance of my faculty advisors, as well as Dr. Kevin Hand and Dr. Dan Berisford, from the Ocean Worlds Laboratory at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), I communicated my findings at the 2022 Lunar Planetary Science Conference in a poster presentation and written abstract.
Student Project Involvement:
During my freshman year I was a hardware engineer with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Team (UAV), where I was responsible for modeling landing gear with SolidWorks and performing flight tests using a SIM box. During my senior year, I was the avionics subsystem lead for the 2020-2021 NASA Glenn University Student Design Challenge for Venus Landers. With three other students (Grace Calkins, Kaylee Champion, Rujing Zha), we conceptualized a Venusian lander mission that will collect surface composition pictures and measure the atmospheric and seismic vibrations of Venus. Our proposed mission won the NASA Glenn challenge and it was an amazing journey.
Graduate Research Focus: My research will focus on fluid-structure interactions and turbulence modeling.
Graduate Institution: Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech as a President's Fellow under Dr. Juergen Rauleder.
Post-graduation Plans: I plan to spend my time visiting family and continue developing Fermata Reeds at the Blackstone LaunchPad.
Benjamin Diaz Villa
Graduate Program: Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering with a specialization in Space Tech Entrepreneurship
Faculty Advisors: Noel Clemens, Jayant Sirohi
Research Overview:
My Ph.D. research is on aerothermodynamics applied to hypersonic aeroelasticity. I am looking at the fluid-structure interaction of a full 3D hypersonic vehicle configuration. I will be using UT Austin's Mach 5 Wind Tunnel at Pickle to obtain experimental results.
Post-graduation Plans:
After graduation, I am deciding whether to start an aerospace company tailored to solving the challenges of sustained hypersonic flight or start working in the industry. Nevertheless, I am also passionate and committed about raising STEM awareness to underrepresented youth and immigrant students here in Texas, and I would like to continue to do so.
