Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department Research
About Mechanical & Aerospace Research
Mechanical and aerospace research aims to tackle open questions at both the fundamental and applied levels, using theory, computation, and experiments. MAE research groups are at the cutting edge in a range of mechanical and aerospace engineering disciplines, including solid and fluid mechanics, thermodynamic and heat transfer, dynamic systems and controls, and energy. Principal Investigators in MAE groups are funded through the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense - including the nearby United States Air Force Academy.
Opportunities for students are available at the undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels. The department also offers funded positions through the Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) program for graduate students. Interested students should contact their advisor.
Research Areas
Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab
Uncertainty quantification and probabilistic modeling; Statistical shape and trait modeling; Musculoskeletal biomechanics; Particularly fragility fracture diagnosis and individualized treatment strategies. - Dr. Todd Bredbenner (OCSE B206)
Multiphase and Biofluids Lab
Advanced CFD for multiphase and cerebrovascular flows; Dynamical systems and machine learning; Experimental acoustics and ultrasound. - Dr. Michael Calvisi (OCSE B202)
Celestial & Orbital Mechanics Lab
Orbital analysis, design and control for space mission and astronomical applications; orbital and rotational dynamics of natural and artificial celestial bodies; environmental forces modeling in space; space debris mitigation risk; space situational/domain awareness, two- and three-body problem; perturbation theory; Hamiltonian and dynamical systems. - Dr. Josue Cardoso dos Santos (OCSE A431)
Space Systems Lab
Small satellite (CubeSat) technology, Earth-Mars-Meres Human Missions, and Space Domain Awareness/Debris Mitigation. - Dr. Lynnane George (AEC 102)
Advanced Manufacturing Lab
Manufacturing of rockets and batteries, polymer composites, viscoelasticity, mechanical testing, spectroscopy, polymer dynamics, thermal/kinetic analysis. - Dr. Jena McCollum (OCSE B208)
Combustion & Acoustics Lab
Combustion dynamics and instabilities; Non-linear acoustic damping; Monopropellant, pintle injector spray atomization; Developing big data analysis tools for dynamical systems. - Dr. J. Matt Quinlan (AEC 202)
Spaceflight Mechanics Group
Dynamics and control of tethered satellites; Formation flight; Cislunar orbital mechanics; Space domain awareness. - Dr. Steve Tragesser (OCSE A429)
Computational Thermal Fluids Lab
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and reduced-order modeling; Dynamics modeling of Lighter-than-air-vehicle (LTAV) landing process; Thermal management using heat pipe or phase change materials. - Dr. Hui Wan (OCSE A431)
Data-driven Modeling & Machine Learning Lab
Data-driven reduced order models for complex and non-linear systems; Machine learning models for complex systems with physical interpretations. - Dr. Xin (Cindy) Yee (OCSE A435)
INCLINE
INCLINE is a high performance computing cluster funded through the National Science Foundation for use by the UCCS and Southern Colorado scientific communities.