Undergraduate students gain research experience through summer program
Sept 11, 2024
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — This summer, the Penn State Center for Gas Turbine Research, Education, and Outreach, housed within the Penn State College of Engineering, hosted the Penn State Low-Carbon Power and Propulsion Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at University Park.
This 10-week REU allowed undergraduate students from across the country to conduct research in a range of disciplines, including additive manufacturing, turbomachinery, low-carbon energy systems, heat transfer and combustion. Students also had the opportunity to network with professionals from across the propulsion and power-generation industry and develop professional skills.
The program — which is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office for Scientific Research and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration — is co-led by Jacqueline O’Connor, professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, Peter Miraldi, teaching professor in communication arts and sciences at Penn State, and Karen Thole, former distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State and currently the dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Students in the Low-Carbon Power and Propulsion REU gather outside the East Campus Steam Plant to tour and learn about the facility. This year was the second year for the program, and 17 students participated. Credit: Photo provided by Jacqueline O’Connor.
Students learn about the Solar Turbines Taurus 70 gas turbine engine in the East Campus Steam Plant and how it provides energy to the plant and campus. Credit: Photo provided by Jacqueline O’Connor.
Students meet with Stephen Lynch, professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, to discuss aircraft engine technologies and the work they plan to conduct in low-carbon energy and propulsion technologies. Credit: Photo provided by Jacqueline O’Connor.
Students in the Low-Carbon Power and Propulsion REU are joined by faculty and graduate students for a hike at Whipple Dam State Park, followed by a potluck lunch. Credit: Photo provided by Jacqueline O’Connor.
Students pose for a group photo outside the Pratt & Whitney Customer Training Center with program directors Jacqueline O’Connor and Peter Miraldi. During this trip to the training center, students presented their research conducted during the program to a group of technical fellows from Pratt & Whitney. Credit: Photo provided by Jacqueline O’Connor.
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