SURE Program Inspiring the Next Generation of Aerospace Engineers

Each summer, the College of Engineering offers undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in graduate level research experiences through the Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program. The goal of this program aims to increase the number of diverse students in engineering through full-time summer research opportunities under the mentorship of leading faculty members across a wide range of engineering disciplines. 

This year, Michigan Aerospace faculty mentored ten undergraduate students through the SURE program. Among these ten was one student from University of the District of Columbia (UDC), a student from the U-M’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) and eight students from the Michigan Aerospace Department. 

“The SURE program is a great way for students to learn about academic research. Since the program is over the summer, it provides students the time to fully engage in a research project without the distraction of courses. The program provides workshops to the students on best research practices and ways to develop as a researcher. It’s also a great way to engage with professors/faculty to learn about the research side of their jobs, which is often hidden from undergraduate students,” commented Professor Oliver Jia-Richards.

Over the summer, Professor Jia-Richards co-advised one student, Cristina Erskine, alongside Professor Gökçin Çınar in their research project, “Analyzing the Impact of Launch Vehicle Noise Emissions.” Erskine assisted Professors Jia-Richards and Çınar by modeling the noise emission from a launch vehicle and its potential impacts on nearby communities and/or ecosystems. Her work on the project involved conducting a literature review on the impacts of noise, learning how to use open-source models for predicting the noise emissions from rocket launches, and simulating the anticipated noise levels in communities surrounding the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, TX.

“The value of the program is similar to conducting a “regular” summer internship: it provides students a way to apply their coursework, learn new things, and test out potential options for after graduation. I’d strongly recommend it for students considering pursuing graduate research, and even those on the fence. It’s a great way to see if research is something you’re interested in pursuing in a relatively risk-free environment,” Jia-Richards added.

By the end of the summer program, students participated in the SURE Student Poster Showcase, where they presented the research they pursued. This summer, Michigan Aerospace student Benjamin Donaldson, who took part in Professor Carlos Cesnik’s research project, “Using Shear-Extension Coupling of Carbon Fibers for Shear Strain Measurements using Fiber Optical Systems,” received a second place award in the People’s Choice category at the Poster Showcase. 

“The award feels really good to receive. I saw so many amazing posters and heard so many amazing presentations throughout the entire program that it is truly an honor to be seen as one of the top posters,” Donaldson commented after receiving the award.

Donaldson presented his research on, “Shear-Extension Coupling of Carbon Fibers for Optical Strain Measurements,” which focused several experiments using optical strain sensing fibers to measure the strain on an aluminum beam and how that strain was impacted by the addition of a carbon fiber laminate attached. He also created a numerical model and compared the results to his experiments while highlighting next steps for the research.

Students participating in the Aero SURE program chose between 17 possible aero projects to work on throughout the summer. Each project allowed the students to work alongside one of the following Professors: Gökçin Çınar, Oliver Jia-Richards, George Halow, James Cutler, Ilya Kolmanovsky, Alex Gorodetsky, Joaquim R.R.A. Martins, Benjamin Jorns and Aerospace Engineering Department Chair Carlos Cesnik.

The SURE program continues to be a valuable opportunity for undergraduate students to explore and engage in various research opportunities within the College of Engineering and the Michigan Aerospace Department. This experience provides students with the ability to contribute towards cutting edge research and to assess their interest in pursuing research at the Masters or PhD level in graduate school at the University.