Monthly Archives June 2019

Agathe’s research experience with RRG

Agathe performing experiments with the PPS

Hello everyone,

I am from the Ecole Polytechnique de l’Université de Nantes in France, and 4 weeks ago I crossed the Atlantic ocean to join the ALOX team for a 3-month internship. I want to become an engineer in the field of aeronautics or aerospace, so this is a huge opportunity for me to increase my knowledge and skills in this field. After days of research and discussion with the team, I was able to understand their work and the importance of it. The goal is to design a coating with enhanced sensing capability from the photoluminescence characteristics of alumina while maintaining the capacity of improving mechanical properties, namely fracture toughness. The team is also developing systems using piezospectroscopy to observe the dispersion of alumina, which is essential. In the future, the coating will be used to check the state of structures in order to make planes even safer. The ALOX team trained me on the calibration of the Portable Piezospectroscopy System (PPS), developed in-house, the positioning of the laser beam on the samples and the control of the data collected. They also taught me how to use MATLAB to create intensity maps of the studied samples. So now I am able to help them in every step of the PLPS experiment and the analysis of the results. I also have the chance to help Remelisa, Alex, and Ryan in the development of the Photoluminescent Hyperspectral Imaging system (PHI). Each day we try new things for the system, and the team shares ideas to improve the system. I particularly like this project because it is the first time I feel like I am a part of something never done before. I already learned a lot thanks to the team, and I am sure that this is just the beginning.

Article Written by Agathe Demay

The art and zen of Hypersonic Flight

Dyllian (Left) and Johnathan (Right) working on Ansys simulations.

This summer I have an amazing opportunity provided to me by the Mechanical Engineering department at UCF. This program, entitled the Research Experience for Undergrads: HYpersonic, Propulsive, Energetic, and Reusable Platforms, or REU HYPER for short, pairs students with professors and graduate students who seek to apply each intern’s unique abilities to further research into hypersonic travel. As a part of this program we not only get to perform hands on research tasks in laboratory environments, but also prepare for grad school with the help of the UCF graduate center. Activities offered by the program include backstage industry tours where we can see how professionals in our field work day to day, resume and skill building workshops that cover the details of building a robust CV or using industry programs, and, of course, extracurricular events to some of Orlando’s most exciting attractions. Thanks to the contributions of professors and staff at UCF, this summer program will provide me with the skills and experience I need to pursue my future career in the field of Aerospace Engineering!

Article Written by Dyllian