Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Annual Report Annual Report 2016 | Page 38

NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING LABORATORY Located in Arlington, Virginia, the NSEL is engaged in research and education in application areas of nuclear science and engineering to include Power, Medical, Security and Safeguards. In addition to internal collaborations, the lab also works with Georgia Tech, Penn State, and the U.S. Naval Academy on joint research projects, educational opportunities, and in the sharing of resources and facilities. The lab is directed by Professor Alireza Haghighat, an American Nuclear Society Fellow. VIBRATIONS AND ACOUSTICS LABORATORIES The Vibrations and Acoustics Lab was formed in 1985 to educate and carry out fundamental research and applications in acoustics and vibrations and to support its use in industry. Today, the lab is led by Samuel Langley Distinguished Professor Chris Fuller and students are working in a variety of fields including Active structural acoustic control, Active vibration control of aircraft interior noise, Experimental studies of supersonic inlet noise, and many more. MECHATRONICS LABORATORY With a focus on 'Creating Practical Solutions,' the Mechatronics Lab uses integrating sensors and microcontrollers in applications both military and medical. Founded in 2005 with the DARPA Grand Challenge, the lab continues to compete. Associate Professor Al Wicks leads the lab of undergraduate and graduate students working on both applied autonomy projects as well as pediatric medical devices. ZT GROUP Assistant Professor Zhiting Tian leads this lab focusing on understanding and engineering nanoscale thermal transport in hard and soft materials for energy applications and other uses. The lab uses equipment such as atomistic simulations and laser-based measurements to carry out their research. The group is currently working on a Nano Engineered Thermoelectric Systems for Lightweight Portable Primary/Secondary Power Sources for DARPA.