It Is “Rocket Science”

The challenges facing our engineers today demand creative innovation, keen knowledge, and unparalleled collaboration, especially in the area of aerospace. Armed with a strong technical competency in fundamental engineering principles along with aeronautical and astronautical engineering topics, our student and faculty researchers take on these challenges and find solutions that will positively impact the global community.

Expert faculty in WPI’s Aerospace Engineering program have developed several research focus areas.

Research Focus Areas

FLUIDS AND PLASMAS
Professor Blandino: Plasma dynamics; micro fluidics
Professor Gatsonis: Computational fluid, gas and plasma dynamics; micro- and nano- fluidics; rarefied flows
Professor Olinger: Fluid-structure interaction; low speed aerodynamics
Professor Jayachandran: Combustion, Flame Chemistry, Modeling of Reacting Flows, physical and chemical processes at extreme thermodynamic conditions.
 
PROPULSION AND ENERGY
Professor Blandino: Electric propulsion and micro propulsion
Professor Gatsonis: Micro propulsion; spacecraft-environment interactions
Professor Olinger: Wind energy
Professor Jayachandran: Air- breathing and rocket propulsion.
 
CONTROLS AND DYNAMICS
Professor Demetriou: Controls; flexible structures; spacecraft dynamics; mobile sensor and actuator networks; fluid-structure interaction systems.
Professor Cowlagi: Unmanned aerial vehicles, motion planning and optimal control with applications in aerospace engineering.
 
STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS
Professor Demetriou: Smart material structures, vibrations
Professor Richman: Mechanics of granular media, including compaction of powders, and constitutive modeling of rapid flows and their interactions with vibrating boundaries.
Professor Olinger: Fluid dynamics, fluid-structure interaction.
Professor Karanjgaokar: Micro/nano-scale experimental and temperature mechanics, granular flows
Professor Yuan: Solid mechanics computational mechanics, composite materials and structures, structural stability
 
EDUCATIONAL, STEM, AND OUTREACH INITIATIVES

Professors Gatsonis, Blandino, Demetriou, Olinger, Taillefer.

Aerospace Research Areas at: https://www.wpi.edu/academics/departments/aerospace-engineering/research

New Course Titles and Numbers

Looking for next year's courses? As the academic catalogs aren't available online yet, look at this PDF to help you determine the courses that interest you most.

Aerospace Engineering New Course Titles and Numbers 2022-23 (PDF) about New Course Titles and Numbers