Projects¶
A collection of projects and activities that I am, or have been, involved with.
Please click on the images for more detailed descriptions of the projects.
Since Oct 2020 (Postdoc and Research Associate at UT Austin)¶
My work at UT Austin includes the experimental study of an inductively coupled plasma torch and a capacitively coupled glow discharge. The goal is to develop predictive models, study fundamental issues in plasma physics, and test materials in a hypersonic surrogate flow. To this end, I utilize advanced optical and laser spectroscopic techniques, statistical inference, and model inversion methods. This includes quantitative emission spectroscopy, N2/CO Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering, and Bayesian uncertainty quantitification.
Click on the picture below for more information.
PhD work Jan 2015 - Aug 2020¶
Georgia Tech Ben T. Zinn Combustion Laboratory
Georgia Tech Computational Combustion Lab
Click on the pictures below for more information.
Turbulent, spherically expanding flames in a windtunnel-like facility. |
Jet entrainment and ignition in a supersonic crossflow. |
Besides the research highlighted under the links above, I took the opportunity to improve the on-boarding and knowledge transfer processes in the combustion lab. We formed a student committee to organize regular social events, events for minority groups in the lab, knowledge exchange opportunities, such as specific work groups, the combustion symposium at Georgia Tech and a centralized knowledge repository. The efforts are still ongoing but I have finished my PhD at Georgia Tech and leadership has been transitioned to another capable grad student.
Hummingbird Spacecraft¶
Development of a viable, near-term business model for small spacecraft returning experiments, debris, and products from low-earth-orbit.
Click on the logo below for more information.
Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is.org)¶
An organization dedicated to lifting humanity up to the stars.
Click on the logo below for more information.
Competitions¶
Mars 18 for the Inspiration Mars Design competition by the Mars Society: design a human Mars fly-by mission launchning in the year 2018. |
NASA RASC-AL: the RASC-AL Dreamteam designed a crewed mission to the moons of Mars. |
CalTech Space Challenge: manned mission to the NASA Asteroid Retrieval Mission and further utilization of the asteroid. |
Spaceport America Cup: The world’s largest intercollegiate rocket engineering conference and competition. |
Other¶
3D prints and Schlieren visualization of human speech¶
In a collaboration with an artist, we used Schlieren and scanning laser tomography to visualize human speech or, more specifically, the plumes of hot air leaving our mouth as we talk. The original idea was to train a neural network to recognize the plumes and identify the spoken words, thereby reconstructing whatever has been said. Moreover, using the scanning laser tomography we 3D printed models of the plume created by saying “Au Clair de la Lune”, see below. Artistically, the spoken words are translated from a more ethereal, acoustic world into the more tangible world of images and objects we can see and touch.
Unfortunately, training the neural network proved to be very difficult, as the plumes have no significant, unique features that can easily be used for recognition of a specific phrase. The plumes change from person to person, depend on the intonation and dialects, and seem to lack clear enough, consistent patterns.
Remote microwave/laser driven propulsion systems¶
Work in progress …