CETA and NASA Partnership Offers Unique Student Experiences
If you visit the College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) at the University of Hartford, you will likely meet someone who has had a NASA internship or has done research sponsored by NASA. Our unique partnership with NASA lets students intern, research, and even work alongside NASA engineers. Students are introduced to computer simulations and state-of-the-art software right away, and it’s the same software NASA uses. They develop skills within industry software, apply these skills to their research, and report on their findings.
Along with this unique experience to work with NASA, students are also encouraged by many CETA faculty to start research opportunities early on during their time as an undergraduate. The best part is many of these research opportunities can be done alongside faculty where students can work with these professors outside of the classroom. Through funded grants, students also work with Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Paul Slaboch and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ivana Milanovic on their own research.
Paul Slaboch, Assistant Professor, CETAThe level of this partnership between CETA and NASA sets us apart from other programs in the area. Students talk to NASA engineers, present their research, and have a true hands-on experience.
Many of CETA’s NASA interns obtained jobs, pursued similar research in graduate school, and presented their research around the world. Other CETA students and alumni have gone through the Pathways Programs at NASA, guaranteeing them a job while attending graduate school.
Here are just a few of our NASA success stories:
Jonathan Brown ’19, Mechanical Engineering
Jonathan received an Undergraduate Research Fellowship from the NASA CT Space Grant Consortium last year, allowing him to pursue his research on analyzing the acoustics and sounds of specific aircraft engines.
He worked on specialized acoustic software, Actran, to simulate experiments performed at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, under the direction of Assistant Professor Slaboch. His work determined how the engines might sound in different conditions. Brown was given an opportunity to then present his finding to the acoustics team at NASA Glenn Research Center. His hard work has surely paid off since last summer.
“Through continuing this work with Assistant Professor Slaboch, my research paper was accepted in the AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference that will be held in Delft, Netherlands, this May, where I will be able to present my research to fellow engineers,” says Brown. I plan to continue this work for my last semester at the University of Hartford as part of my capstone. These experiences have given me the knowledge and experience to understand aeroacoustics and will assist me in my future work as a mechanical engineer.”
This kind of research doesn’t have to end once students like Jonathan Brown graduate. “I hope to bring in some juniors to help out with some of the work and complete simulation experiments,” says Slaboch. “This allows students to learn from each other and grow comfortable learning new skills even if they don’t have all the knowledge in the beginning."
Lucas Shearer ’17, Mechanical Engineering
Shearer has been part of the Pathways Programs at NASA since he was a CETA student. He is currently a research engineer while studying at the University of Texas at Austin for his master’s in Mechanical Engineering, Acoustics.
Shearer has quite a resume. During his time at
“By the end of my undergraduate studies, I had worked at Sikorsky, NASA Langley Research Center, and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center,” says Shearer. “As a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, I research sonar signal processing and ocean sediment characterization. I'm also a civil servant with NASA Glenn Research Center in the Structural Dynamics branch.”
WeSaam Lepak ’18, Mechanical Engineering
During the academic year 2017-18, CETA Alumni WeSaam Lepak ’18, Mechanical Engineering, and Michael Sterner ’18, Mechanical Engineering, had the opportunity to work on a unique acoustic liners project for jet engines with Assistant Professor Paul Slaboch for their senior capstone. The research was conducted for NASA.
At the time, NASA was exploring new strategies for these engines to absorb sound to adapt to their aircrafts. According to Lepak, who interned at NASA Glenn the summer prior, the team designed, 3D printed, and tested acoustic liner samples in order to investigate how to increase low-frequency absorption in turbofan jet engines. “Through incorporating this into my senior capstone, I really enjoyed working towards having a positive effect on society by researching how to decrease aircraft noise pollution,” says Lepak. “It was a great project, as I gained both experimental and analytical engineering skills.”
Since graduating from the University of Hartford, Lepak returned to NASA Langley Research Center as their Loads + Dynamics Intern in the summer of 2018 (yes, a second internship with NASA!).
“My task at Langley was to investigate how much vibration a launch vehicle would experience during its ascent to orbit. This involved predicting unsteady pressure fluctuations as the rocket goes transonic (passes through the speed of sound). Such predictions are important to ensure that the launch vehicle will not fail during its launch,” says Lepak. “Working at NASA was such an incredible experience; it was amazing to learn so much by working alongside the best experts in the field.”
Lepak is now pursuing his masters in Mechanical Engineering, Acoustics, and Vibration at Purdue University.
Have these stories inspired you to work alongside NASA engineers or explore new kinds of research? Learn more about CETA’s partnership with NASA through the CT Space Grant Consortium.