Dr. Zhang has secured an award for the project titled “Initiatives to Grow New Innovative Talent to Enable Fusion Energy (IGNITE Fusion Energy)” from the Department of Energy’s Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) program! This project, led by Dr. Peng Zhang (PI) and Dr. Mohan Rao (Co-PI) from Tennessee Tech, leverages the collective strengths of five other collaborating institutions (Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, Southern Adventist University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and more than ten private fusion companies. The project is funded with a total budget of $2.25 million, from which Tennessee Tech will receive approximately $490,000 over three years as the lead institution. See the official award announcement by DOE here.

This is our first award in nuclear engineering at Tennessee Tech. This collaboration focuses on developing workforce training initiatives and enhancing curriculum to prepare the next generation of researchers for careers in fusion engineering and technology. Read more about this project here.

On November 25, our PhD student, Sina Kazemipour, presented his research on morphing vehicle designs at the APS 77th Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD). Read our research here.

The FSML welcomes Nathan Spann, currently a junior undergraduate student at Tennessee Tech. Nathan’s research interests include computational fluid dynamics and optimal design. Welcome to the group, Nathan!

Our latest paper, titled “Photochromic webbing structures for monitoring UV-induced mechanical strength degradation”, authored our PhD student Sina Kazemipour, our collaborators Drs. John Ohanian and Maurizio Porfiri, and PI Dr. Peng Zhang, has been published in the journal Smart Materials and Structures. This study introduces a novel class of photochromic webbing structures that can afford noninvasive monitoring of UV-induced degradation of their mechanical strength. Experimental observations are complemented by a physics-based mathematical model that provides insights into the webbing’s sensing mechanism. Read the paper here.

Our latest paper, titled “Large deformation of trees in a strong wind”, authored by Dr. Peng Zhang, has been published in the journal Applied Mathematical Modelling. This study introduces a geometrically accurate, physics-based model for analyzing the dynamic, large deformations of trees under strong wind conditions, providing insights into how trees mitigate wind-induced damages. Read the paper here.

Since Summer 2023, our lab has been collaborating with the Putnam County School System’s (PCSS) Virtual Instruction to Accentuate Learning (VITAL) school to support their KidWind Challenge team. The team consisted of a dynamic group of talented students and dedicated teachers, and following months of hard work, they won the state-wide KidWind Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee in October 2023! Their achievement was recognized by the Putnam County Board of Education in December 2023.

Congratulation to the students and teachers! We wish them success as they showcase their innovative work on the national stage!