Seminar

Seminar - OSIRIS-REx: To Bennu and Back - Sept. 13

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:42:13 +0000

Seminar - OSIRIS-REx: To Bennu and Back - Sept. 13 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/03/2024 - 07:42

Friday, Sept. 13
10:40 a.m. - Seminar in AERO 120
11:30 a.m. - Panel Discussion / Q&A in AERO 111

This seminar will recount the two-year proximity operations and remote sensing campaign at Bennu, including the dramatic sample collection event and the events leading to the landing of the sample capsule in Utah.

A panel discussion will follow, featuring members of the Navigation and Flight Operations Team from NASA Goddard, Lockheed Martin, and KinetX, who will each recount specific challenges faced during the mission and the innovations that were implemented to overcome them.

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Michael C Moreau (AeroEngr MS’97, PhD’01) has worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center since 2001, and for over 10 years has served in leadership roles on the OSIRIS-REx Mission, as the manager of the Navigation Team during development, launch, and Bennu encounter, then as deputy project manager and leader of the sample return capsule recovery team. Mike’s Ph.D. research at �鶹��Ѱ��focused on applications of the Global Positioning System in high Earth orbits, and contributed to the adoption of GPS on NASA missions such as GOES and Magnetosphere Multiscale. Before attending CU, he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Vermont.

Over three decades, Dr. Peter Antreasian (AeroEngr PhD’92) has made contributions to the navigation of NASA missions, Galileo, NEAR, Mars Odyssey, MER, Cassini-Huygens, GRAIL, and OSIRIS-REx. He began his career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1992, then joined KinetX 20 years later to lead the OSIRIS-REx navigation team. His expertise in orbit determination and navigation has been crucial in the success of these missions, including the first-ever landing of a spacecraft on an asteroid and the return of an asteroid sample to Earth. Peter earned his BS, MS and PhD in Aerospace Engineering, respectively, from Purdue, University of Texas and University of Colorado.

Dr. Jason Leonard (AeroEngr MS’12, PhD’15) received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the �鶹��Ѱ�� under the advisement of Dr. George Born. Currently, he is the Orbit Determination Group Supervisor at KinetX Aerospace and Deputy Navigation Team Chief for the NASA OSIRIS-REx and OSIRIS-APEX missions. He has been the Orbit Determination Team Lead for OSIRIS-REx since prior to Launch, during the duration of proximity operations and its successful acquisition of asteroid regolith, and through its return of the sample to Earth. For his contributions to the mission, Jason received the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal and the PI Award of Distinction.

Dr. Daniel Wibben is the Maneuver Design Group Supervisor for the Space Navigation and Flight Dynamics practice at KinetX Aerospace, Inc. Since joining the company, he has held the role of Maneuver and Trajectory lead for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. He has also been involved with the planning and operations of the LUCY, LunaH-Map, and DAVINCI missions. He received his B.S. in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the University of Arizona where his research was focused on nonlinear guidance techniques for asteroid proximity operations and planetary landing.

Coralie D. Adam (AeroEngr MS’17) is the Optical Navigation Group Supervisor at KinetX. She holds a B.S. in aerospace engineering and astronomy from the University of Illinois, and an M.S. in aerospace engineering sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder. During her 12 years at KinetX, Coralie has had lead roles on the navigation teams for NASA’s New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx, Lucy, and OSIRIS-APEX missions. In addition to leading the OSIRIS-REx optical navigation subsystem from development through sample collection, she co-convened the scientific investigation of Bennu’s active particle ejection phenomena. Coralie is currently the deputy Navigation Team Chief on NASA’s Lucy mission, and a navigation lead and science co-investigator on the OSIRIS-APEX extended mission to asteroid Apophis.

Ryan Olds (AeroEngr BS’04, MS’09) has 19 years of experience in Guidance Navigation and Controls at Lockheed Martin Space supporting NASA Deep Space Exploration Missions. Ryan started his career working on the Pointing Control System for the Spitzer Space Telescope. He developed the reaction wheel control system for the twin-spacecraft GRAIL mission and supported test, integration, launch, and operations at the Moon. Ryan began working on OSIRIS-Rex in 2013 by developing control systems as well as the Natural Feature Tracking system which provided autonomous navigation for OSIRIS-REx during the mission’s sample acquisition phase. Ryan is currently a Guidance, Navigation and Controls manager and continues to support Deep Space Exploration missions such as OSIRIS-REx and DAVINCI.

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Seminar - The EXHUME Project: Democratizing Immersed and Meshless Finite Element Analysis - Oct. 10

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 06:12:12 +0000

Seminar - The EXHUME Project: Democratizing Immersed and Meshless Finite Element Analysis - Oct. 10 Jeff Zehnder Fri, 10/03/2025 - 00:12

John Evans
Associate Professor and Chair-Elect, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Oct. 10 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Immersed finite element methods enable the simulation of physical systems that are challenging - or even prohibitively complex - for classical finite element approaches, spanning domains from aerospace (e.g., airflow around flexible wings) to biomedicine (e.g., blood flowing past heart valves). They also streamline computational design optimization, allowing the geometry and material layout of an engineered system to be tailored to prescribed performance metrics. Yet implementing an immersed finite element method remains a time-consuming and technically demanding task, even for experts, limiting its adoption in practice.

The EXHUME (EXtraction for High-order Unfitted finite element MEthods) software library was created to overcome this barrier. By making it possible to transform classical finite element codes into immersed finite element codes with minimal effort, EXHUME empowers a broader community of scientists and engineers to apply these methods. This talk introduces interpolation-based immersed finite element analysis - the key technology behind EXHUME - and demonstrates its efficacy through problems in heat conduction, structural mechanics, and fluid dynamics. I will also show how EXHUME integrates with the open-source platform FEniCS, making interpolation-based immersed finite element analysis accessible within a widely used community tool.

Beyond immersed finite element analysis, interpolation opens a second frontier: converting classical finite element codes into meshless analysis codes. This capability makes it possible to model extreme material behaviors - such as fracture under blast loading - that lie beyond the reach of both classical and immersed finite element analysis. Finally, I will showcase how EXHUME enables classical finite element codes such as FEniCS to be used for shape and topology optimization with little user intervention. By lowering the barrier to entry, the EXHUME project democratizes advanced simulation technologies and broaden their impact across science and engineering.

Bio: John A. Evans is Chair-Elect, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Curriculum, and an Associate Professor in the Ann & H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the �鶹��Ѱ��. His research lies at the intersection of computational mechanics, numerical analysis, and design optimization, with expertise in finite element, immersed, and isogeometric analysis methodologies. He has received awards for both research and teaching, including the Gallagher Young Investigator Award from the United States Association for Computational Mechanics and Educator of the Year from the Rocky Mountain Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Immersed finite element methods enable the simulation of physical systems that are challenging - or even prohibitively complex - for classical finite element approaches, spanning domains from...

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Seminar - Risk-aware Spacecraft Autonomy: Bridging Stochastic Optimal Control and Astrodynamics - Oct. 3

Jeff Zehnder — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 06:12:12 +0000

Seminar - Risk-aware Spacecraft Autonomy: Bridging Stochastic Optimal Control and Astrodynamics - Oct. 3 Jeff Zehnder Thu, 09/25/2025 - 00:12

Kenshiro Oguri
Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University
Friday, Oct. 3 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Safety assurance is critical in autonomous vehicle operation. Yet, this principle is significantly challenged in space, where vehicles must operate in nonlinear environments with stringent constraints and sparse human interactions. Such operations require risk-aware planning and control under uncertainty for long horizon. The demand for such capabilities will only increase as we expand the frontier of our exploration across and beyond the solar system.

My research group at Purdue advances theory and algorithms for provably safe planning and control under uncertainty. We leverage control theory, uncertainty quantification, and optimization to address fundamental limitations in current existing methods. This seminar will cover some recent results on risk-aware spacecraft autonomy and trajectory optimization under uncertainty.

Bio: Dr. Kenshiro (Ken) Oguri is an Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. Ken's research interest includes astrodynamics, control theory, stochastic systems, and optimization. His research bridges these fields to address challenges in space mission design, navigation, and autonomy. At Purdue, he leads a research group of 13 graduate students. He has published more than 100 journal/conference papers in relevant fields.

His research has been recognized by NASA Early Career Faculty award and multiple paper awards. His research has been supported by NASA, JPL, AFOSR, Draper, and Aerospace Corporation. Prior to joining Purdue in 2022, he worked at NASA JPL as a postdoc research fellow. He received his Ph.D. from the �鶹��Ѱ�� in 2021, and M.S. and B.S. from the University of Tokyo in 2017 and 2015, respectively.

Safety assurance is critical in autonomous vehicle operation. Yet, this principle is significantly challenged in space, where vehicles must operate in nonlinear environments with...

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Seminar: Developing Judgment for Addressing “Wicked Problems” in Engineering - Sept. 26

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 06:12:12 +0000

Seminar: Developing Judgment for Addressing “Wicked Problems” in Engineering - Sept. 26 Jeff Zehnder Fri, 09/19/2025 - 00:12

Aaron Johnson
Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan
Friday, Sept. 26 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Aerospace engineers constantly face “wicked problems,” which are ill-defined and complex sociotechnical problems with undefined and often-shifting constraints and requirements. However, the well-defined, closed-ended, and decontextualized problems prevalent in undergraduate aerospace education do not allow students to develop the complete set of practices needed to address these problems. To be prepared for wicked problems, aerospace students need to be given opportunities to develop their judgment, where they apply their knowledge and personal values to make decisions. This seminar will cover my qualitative design-based education research that integrates fundamental research of student thinking and evidence-based development of educational interventions to address judgment when developing and using mathematical models (called engineering modeling judgment) and when choosing a career that aligns with their own ethics and values. The talk will conclude with implications for aerospace education and future research directions toward a conceptual framework of humanity-centered aerospace engineering.

Bio: Aaron W. Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department and a Core Faculty member of the Engineering Education Research Program at the University of Michigan. His lab’s NSF-funded design-based research focuses on how to re-contextualize engineering science engineering courses to better reflect and prepare students for the reality of ill-defined, sociotechnical engineering practice. Their current projects include studying and designing classroom interventions around macroethical issues in aerospace engineering and the productive beginnings of engineering judgment as students create and use mathematical models. Aaron holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Michigan and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to re-joining Michigan, he was an instructor in Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the �鶹��Ѱ��. Outside of work, Aaron enjoys reading, collecting LEGO NASA sets, biking, camping, and playing disc golf.

Aerospace engineers constantly face “wicked problems,” which are ill-defined and complex sociotechnical problems with undefined and often-shifting constraints and...

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Seminar: Towards Computational Modeling of Materials Under Space Environmental Conditions - Sept. 19

Jeff Zehnder — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:54:30 +0000

Seminar: Towards Computational Modeling of Materials Under Space Environmental Conditions - Sept. 19 Jeff Zehnder Thu, 09/11/2025 - 10:54

Maryam Shakiba
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Sept. 19 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Elastomers and polymers such as silicone and Kapton have a wide range of applications across engineering disciplines, including structural components and thermal shields in space structures. In these applications, the materials are often exposed to high temperatures and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which compromises their mechanical performance and overall functionality. To understand and predict the degradation of these materials, we formulate constitutive equations that explicitly link changes in the macromolecular network to the resulting mechanical response. Our models utilize chemical and physical testing to characterize the macromolecular network and thereby predict stress–strain behavior and brittle failure. We integrate phase-field methods to capture fracture and validate our models against independent experimental data. The overarching objective is to provide predictive capabilities for material performance under coupled extreme space environments.

An even more challenging problem from the modeling perspective arises when these polymers are used in manufacturing fiber-reinforced composites. For such systems, we establish efficient numerical frameworks with robust constitutive equations to study stress distributions and crack progression in two-dimensional laminate representations. We also develop deep learning frameworks capable of predicting both elastic and post-failure full-field stress distributions and crack patterns in composites directly from their microstructures.

Bio: Maryam Shakiba is an assistant professor at the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the �鶹��Ѱ��. Before joining CU, she was and assistant professor at Virginia Tech and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Tehran Polytechnic. Shakiba’s group develops physics, chemistry, and mechanics-based constitutive equations to simulate multi-physics conditions for different advanced materials. The group also devises high-fidelity as well as mechanistic machine-learning approaches to solve engineering problems. Our goals are to (1) develop theoretical frameworks to understand advanced material responses under extreme multi-factor conditions and (2) integrate the theoretical framework with machine learning approaches, as physics-based machine learning is the key technology to creating true digital twins. Shakiba is the recipient of the AFOSR Young Investigator Program (YIP) award to investigate additively manufactured composites for high-temperature applications and the NSF CAREER award to understand the multi-physics mechanisms that cause macroplastics fragmentation and generate microplastics.

Elastomers and polymers such as silicone and Kapton have a wide range of applications across engineering disciplines, including structural components and thermal shields in space structures. In these applications, the...

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Seminar: Guidance Under Uncertainty: Navigating Trajectories of Spacecraft, Students, and Small Bodies - Sept. 12

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:29:16 +0000

Seminar: Guidance Under Uncertainty: Navigating Trajectories of Spacecraft, Students, and Small Bodies - Sept. 12 Jeff Zehnder Mon, 09/08/2025 - 10:29

Jay McMahon
Associate Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Sept. 12 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Our solar system is a fascinating place full of incredible mysteries that help explain where life came from, and where humanity may be going in the future. I have devoted my career so far to participating in the exploration of the solar system. We have learned more about our place in the universe with every successful mission. In participating in missions such as OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa2, DART, Hera, EMA, and INCUS we are helping to explore scientific questions, and to uncover many new mysteries. Similarly, each mission reveals ways in which we could learn more efficiently in our next missions with more capable spacecraft and deeper understanding of the environments we are visiting. This talk will take a trip through the variety of exciting work that has been done by my lab - ORCCA - over the past 10+ years. I will walk through some of our main areas of research and highlight our contributions to this field. Finally, I’ll spend a few moments talking our current work and future directions as we try to help develop the technology to further space exploration and humanity’s expansion beyond Earth.

Bio: Jay McMahon is an Associate Professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department at the �鶹��Ѱ��. His research focuses on autonomy, guidance, navigation, and control for spacecraft, along with the governing dynamics for these systems. He has especially focused on applications to small bodies. He was a Participating Scientist for the DART Mission, and was on the science teams investigating gravity science for NASA's OSIRIS-REx and JAXA's Hayabusa2 missions, and is currently supporting the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. He was named the 2020 Outstanding Faculty Graduate Advisor Award in �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. He obtained his PhD from the �鶹��Ѱ�� in 2011, his MS in 2006 from the University of Southern California, and his BS from the University of Michigan in 2004. He previously worked on launch vehicle guidance systems at The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, CA. Asteroid (46829) McMahon - a main belt binary asteroid - is named in his honor.

Our solar system is a fascinating place full of incredible mysteries that help explain where life came from, and where humanity may be going in the future. I have devoted my career so far to participating in the exploration of the...

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Seminar: Sensing and Interpretation of the Earth’s Gravity Field from Space - Sept. 11

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 21:47:07 +0000

Seminar: Sensing and Interpretation of the Earth’s Gravity Field from Space - Sept. 11 Jeff Zehnder Fri, 09/05/2025 - 15:47

Srinivas Bettadpur
Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
University of Texas Austin
Thursday, Sept. 11 | 8:45 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: Though the title is innocuous sounding, its subject offers a unique experience in connecting spaceflight technology with discovery in the Earth system sciences. The satellite is the instrument – this idea connects satellite geodesy with technology of inertial sensing to one side, presents challenges in engineering methods for quantitative reasoning – including aerospace systems engineering and computational methods for solving inverse problems – in the middle, and leads to an impact on improving our understanding of the planet Earth on the other side. In this seminar, I discuss the formative influences from my extended engagement in this field, discuss a few interesting technical challenges we tackled in this continuum in the past, and the opportunities for growth it continues to present for the future – in both research as well as education in aerospace engineering and in satellite geodesy.

Bio: Dr. Srinivas Bettadpur is the FSX Professor in Space Application and Exploration in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at UT Austin. His research interests span satellite geodesy, from the technology of space flight, modeling orbital motion, and estimation and interpretation of the Earth’s gravity field, its rotation, and the related reference frames. Significant milestones include helping originate the GRACE mission, complete life-cycle engagement with GRACE-FO and GRACE-C, serving as the Director of the UT Center for Space Research, and most recently, as Principal Investigator of the NASA-funded Quantum Pathways Institute. He obtained his PhD from UT Austin in 1993, and served at UTCSR in multiple research staff roles before transitioning to faculty position in 2015. Dr. Bettadpur is a Fellow of the IAG and the AGU, and an Associate Fellow of the AIAA. Personal recognitions include the European Geosciences Union Vening-Meinesz Medal in 2016, the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal in 2018, and the Charles A Whitten Medal of the American Geophysical Union in 2024.

Though the title is innocuous sounding, its subject offers a unique experience in connecting spaceflight technology with discovery in the Earth system sciences. The satellite is the...

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Seminar: Paving the Way from Microgravity Research to In-Space Biomanufacturing - Sept. 5

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:07:05 +0000

Seminar: Paving the Way from Microgravity Research to In-Space Biomanufacturing - Sept. 5 Jeff Zehnder Tue, 09/02/2025 - 08:07

Tobias Niederwieser
Assistant Research Professor, BioServe Space Technologies
Friday, Sept. 5 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: The International Space Station (ISS) has transformed over the past 15 years from a construction project into a unique laboratory for microgravity research. Our developed facilities and established protocols helped in the establishment of this laboratory and enabled various cutting-edge mammalian cell culture studies. With the planned decommissioning of the ISS in 2030 and the transition to commercial space stations, there is hope that experiments will continue to evolve: space stations could become biological production facilities for proteins, cells, and organs that are used in therapies on Earth, while basic research focuses on the effects of dangerous space radiation on the journey to the Moon. Hence, the future LEO focus is now targeted on developing in-space manufacturing capabilities. Of particular research focus is therefore the in-space manufacturing of various types of stem cells for producing treatments against common diseases here on Earth.

Bio: Tobias Niederwieser is an Assistant Research Professor at BioServe Space Technologies within the �鶹��Ѱ��. In varying roles up to Principal Investigator, he has outfitted the ISS with more than 250 kg of scientific equipment, supported over 22 rocket launches, and enabled more than 75 groundbreaking experiments. Additionally, Tobias was involved in the DSRG radiation biology experiment onboard Artemis-I conducting the furthest active biology experiment with sample return ever performed by humanity. He received both his PhD and MS in Aeronautical Engineering Sciences from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder in 2018 and 2015, respectively, and his BSc in Aerospace Engineering from the Technical University Munich in 2013. Dr. Niederwieser also graduated from the Space Studies Program of the International Space University at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technologies in 2016. Dr. Niederwieser is honored to have received the AIAA Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award, Aviation Week’s Twenty20s Award, as well as the NASA’s Silver Group Achievement Award.

The International Space Station (ISS) has transformed over the past 15 years from a construction project into a unique laboratory for microgravity research. Our developed facilities and established protocols helped in the...

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Charting Your Course: Navigating Careers in Aerospace - Aug. 27

Jeff Zehnder — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 20:47:07 +0000

Charting Your Course: Navigating Careers in Aerospace - Aug. 27 Jeff Zehnder Thu, 08/21/2025 - 14:47

Wednesday Aug. 27
5:30-6:30 p.m. • AERO 120
Free Pizza!

Smead Aerospace invites you to attend a special workshop on the broad range of career opportunities in aerospace engineering.

Featuring

Pamela S. Millar
Director for Strategic Development and Partnerships
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Carlos Pinedo
Test Pilot, 420th Flight Test Squadron
former Director of Education US Airforce Test Pilot School

Join moderator Prof. Torin Clark and two aerospace professionals who will discuss exciting and innovative accomplishments in our field, share experiences from their careers, and provide advice and guidance to your own path.

This will be a one-hour panel with questions from the moderator and audience, followed by an open house that gives you the opportunity to interact with panelists one-on-one.

Smead Aerospace invites you to attend a special workshop on the broad range of career opportunities in aerospace engineering...

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Seminar: Coupled mesoscale gas-material interactions in hypersonic flows - Aug. 29

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 19:48:44 +0000

Seminar: Coupled mesoscale gas-material interactions in hypersonic flows - Aug. 29 Jeff Zehnder Wed, 08/20/2025 - 13:48

Savio Poovathingal
Associate Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Kentucky
Friday, Aug. 29 | 10:40 A.M. | AERO 111

Abstract: At hypersonic speeds, vehicles experience extreme heating that drives ablation of thermal protection systems, where protective materials erode, releasing gases and particulates into the flow. At the mesoscale, this gas–material coupling is poorly understood, yet it governs how surface recession, particle ejection, and outgassing alter both the material response and the surrounding aerothermodynamics.

In this talk, I will discuss the development of an interface coupling method to couple disparate methods that investigate mesoscale physics. The coupling method, referred to as the marching windows method has two components: a modified marching cube algorithm and a flux mapping algorithm. The modified marching cube algorithm ensures clean surface generation, and the flux mapping algorithm enables consistent mapping of surface fluxes from the fluid solver to three-dimensional material points inside a solid and the transfer of boundary information from the solid back to the surface. As the material evolves through physical processes such as ablation or formation of cracks, the marching windows method tracks the evolution enabling physical simulations of complex processes. The coupled framework is used to perform detailed simulations of ablating microstructures, and these detailed simulations are then used to develop usable engineering models where multi-scale, multi-physics effects are important, such as those seen in hypersonic systems.

Bio: Dr. Poovathingal is an Associate Professor and the Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Scholar in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kentucky. Poovathingal received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Poovathingal specializes in developing computational tools to solve multi-scale problems in gas-material interactions pertaining to hypersonic flows.

During his career, he has developed numerical approaches for the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) technique and large-scale molecular dynamics calculations. He is also an expert in analysis of experiments to develop physics-based models for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and other continuum methods. His current interest lies in investigating the coupling of the mesoscale material architecture and aerothermodynamics.

His recent work includes the development of novel simulation capabilities to study momentum and radiative energy transport within thermal protection systems, and the use of x-ray computed microtomography to capture realistic microstructures. He advises 11 Ph.D. and 5 M.S. students, and 1 post-doctoral scholar.

At hypersonic speeds, vehicles experience extreme heating that drives ablation of thermal protection systems, where protective materials...

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