Second-Year Review of the NSF-DoD REU Site: HYPER

Ali Gordon; Jeffrey Kauffman

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 7
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42076
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42076
Download Count: 401

Paper Authors

biography

Ali Gordon University of Central Florida

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Ali P. Gordon is the Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs in College of Engineering and Computer Science and a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Central Florida. As associate dean, his role is to maintain oversight of the college’s graduate students and graduate programs. His leadership focuses on recruitment, retention, professional development, program assessment, and the introduction of new curricula/programs. Over the past four years, graduate student enrollment in engineering and computer science has increased 25% while at the same time becoming more selective. As a faculty member, his principal research activities focus on the development of microstructurally-informed, continuum-level models to predict behavior and durability of materials and structures subjected to complex conditions. To support these activities, he has accumulated funding from sources such as: NSF, ONR, ARO, AFRL, NASA, and numerous industrial partners. Ali is a four-time awardee of the Air Force’s Summer Faculty Fellowship with on-going collaborations with colleagues at AFRL in Wright-Patterson, Ohio. He and his students have authored over 150 peer-reviewed technical articles and two have been recognized as best papers in American Society of Mechanical Engineers journals. He is a Fellow of ASME. Ali has taught 11 different courses and leads an engineering-based study abroad course in Brazil as well as the jointly-funded NSF-DoD REU site on Hypersonics (HYPER). Ali is well-known for engaging undergraduates in research, and he is UCF’s 2019 Champion of Undergraduate Research inaugural awardee. At UCF and in the broader higher education community, Ali focuses his efforts on expanding the pipeline of graduate students qualified to pursue careers in academia. Just before joining UCF as an Assistant Professor, he earned a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His degree in Mathematics was attained from Morehouse College.

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Jeffrey Kauffman

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Abstract

The challenges associated with achieving hypersonic flight, developing advanced propulsion systems, and designing reusable launch platforms are strongly interdisciplinary. Exposing undergraduate students to interdisciplinary research is recognized as a means to equip society’s future engineers and scientists with the broad skillset necessary to contribute to these areas. The jointly funded NSF-DoD REU site Advanced Technologies for Hypersonic Propulsive, Energetic and Reusable Platforms (HYPER) unites multidisciplinary interests to study advanced structures and systems with application to hypersonics, space, propulsion, and energy. Over the course of two 10-week summer sessions (2019 and 2021), participants have gained hands-on training in contemporary challenges such as: (1) utilizing advanced manufacturing techniques for high-value components, (2) integrating in situ monitoring of stress-strain evolution, (3) developing novel methods for improved internal cooling and heat transfer effectiveness, (4) mitigating flutter through advanced rotor dynamic control, etc. Eleven research projects have been crafted to engage students in PhD-level topics. Many of these challenges rely on approaches that cut across disciplines and research techniques (e.g., experiments and computer simulation). The present reporting serves as a synopsis of challenges, advances, and lessons learned conducting the research thus far. The site HYPER has six core objectives that relate to: (1) preparing students for graduate school and/or research-oriented careers, (2) fostering technical skills in student participants, (3) improving participants’ communication skills, (4) marketing to and recruiting a diverse group of participants, and more. Assessment of the program outcomes according to these objectives are reported here with data gathered after two years. Program outcomes were conducted with an external evaluator affiliated within the University of Central Florida’s Program Evaluation and Educational Research Group (PEER). Results demonstrate a very effective site with strongly positive outcomes for all participants. Insights are provided so this research effort may be confirmed by other independent sites. It should be noted that the 2020 session was postponed out of an abundance of caution based on the uncertain and evolving conditions facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citation
Format

Gordon, A., & Kauffman, J. (2022, August), Second-Year Review of the NSF-DoD REU Site: HYPER Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--42076

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The challenges associated with achieving hypersonic flight, developing advanced propulsion systems, and designing reusable launch platforms are strongly interdisciplinary. Exposing undergraduate students to interdisciplinary research is recognized as a means to equip society’s future engineers and scientists with the broad skillset necessary to contribute to these areas. The jointly funded NSF-DoD REU site Advanced Technologies for Hypersonic Propulsive, Energetic and Reusable Platforms (HYPER) unites multidisciplinary interests to study advanced structures and systems with application to hypersonics, space, propulsion, and energy. Over the course of two 10-week summer sessions (2019 and 2021), participants have gained hands-on training in contemporary challenges such as: (1) utilizing advanced manufacturing techniques for high-value components, (2) integrating in situ monitoring of stress-strain evolution, (3) developing novel methods for improved internal cooling and heat transfer effectiveness, (4) mitigating flutter through advanced rotor dynamic control, etc. Eleven research projects have been crafted to engage students in PhD-level topics. Many of these challenges rely on approaches that cut across disciplines and research techniques (e.g., experiments and computer simulation). The present reporting serves as a synopsis of challenges, advances, and lessons learned conducting the research thus far. The site HYPER has six core objectives that relate to: (1) preparing students for graduate school and/or research-oriented careers, (2) fostering technical skills in student participants, (3) improving participants’ communication skills, (4) marketing to and recruiting a diverse group of participants, and more. Assessment of the program outcomes according to these objectives are reported here with data gathered after two years. Program outcomes were conducted with an external evaluator affiliated within the University of Central Florida’s Program Evaluation and Educational Research Group (PEER). Results demonstrate a very effective site with strongly positive outcomes for all participants. Insights are provided so this research effort may be confirmed by other independent sites. It should be noted that the 2020 session was postponed out of an abundance of caution based on the uncertain and evolving conditions facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  
AU  - Ali Gordon
AU  - Jeffrey Kauffman
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Second-Year Review of the NSF-DoD REU Site: HYPER
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/42076
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42076
ER  -