People - Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Autonomous systems; artificial intelligence; human-robot interaction; interface design; swarm intelligence; probabilistic methods for robotics; air vehicle test and evaluation.
Gas dynamics; propulsion; computational methods; computational fluid dynamics; fluid mechanics measurements. Website
Energetic materials, high strain-rate loading of solids, novel nanocomposites, rst principles simulations.
Obstacle Avoidance; Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM); Autonomy in robotics; Computer vision for unmanned systems; Path planning for unmanned systems; Networking for multi-vehicle coordination; Obstacle Avoidance for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs); Feature Based Navigation for AUVs; Collaboration amongst Autonomous Underwater, Aerial and Surface Vehicles; Rendezvous strategies for AUVs docking to submarines; Persistence in AUV operations
Spacecraft dynamics and control, trajectory optimization, astrodynamics, space mission design, small satellites, orbital robotics, satellite servicing, on-orbit space system diagnostics.
Space Flight Mechanics, Orbital Robotics, Spacecraft Attitude/Proximity Maneuver Guidance and Control, Optimal Control, Space Debris Remediation, On orbit Assembly, Service and Manufacturing.
Astronautics; deterministic A.I.; nonlinear dynamics; controls; guidance; optimization; deterrence, assurance & command and control communications.
Orbital and Flight Mechanics; Guidance, Navigation and Control of Unmanned Air, Surface and Underwater Vehicles, Satellites, Guided Weapons and Parachutes; Trajectory Optimization; Combat Systems Modeling and Simulation; Numerical Methods and Programming.
Department Staff
Technical Staff
David Dausen, Research Associate
John Gibson, Engineering Technician
Stefan Kohlgrueber, Supervisory Technician
John Mobley, Model Maker
Chanman Park, Materials Engineer
Alexis Thoeny, Faculty Associate Researcher
Carson Vogt, Faculty Associate Researcher
Bobby Wright, Faculty Research Associate
Administrative Staff
Laurie Bliss, Administrative Support Assistant
Carolina (CJ) Martin, Management and Program Analyst
Daisy Rodriguez, Sponsored Program Financial Analyst (SPFA)
Program Personnel
CDR Caleb MacDonald
Program Officer
Susan Lichtenwalter
Education Technician
Lisa Benson
Education Technician (571/572/608/613)
Professor Emeritus
Aircraft Combat Survivability, Structures and Structural Dynamics
Unsteady Aerodynamics; Fluid Dynamics; Aerodynamics; Instrumentation; Measurement Techniques; Sensors
AVCO Everett Research Laboratory (Summer 1967) NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellow, NASA Ames RC and Stanford University, Tech Rep for OTEC Power Systems Design (Three Contractors: TRW, Lockheed and Westinghouse), Advisor on Power Systems National Science Foundation Review Panel for the Cooperative USA-USSR Research Program in Heat and Mass Transfer (1980)
Interests are concentrated on functional materials, from tailored synthetic pathways for their fabrication and the characterization of their structures-properties to their properties and failure mechanisms. Recent projects include the use of additive manufacturing techniques. Her work aims to understand the correlations between structural features and the materials reactivity, thermal, electrical and mechanical properties. Application projects with naval relevance include the generation of materials for sensors, batteries, supercapacitors and structural components. Publications
Fundamental and applied research in Shock and Vibration: underwater shock response analysis and testing, shock modeling and simulation, shock and vibration isolation and suppression, shipboard machinery condition monitoring and diagnostics, modal testing and acoustic damping measurement, acoustic-structure interaction, fatigue reliability, joint damping characteristics, and passive vibration control by constrained viscoelastic layers and wave guide absorber.