{"id":10192,"date":"2024-12-08T16:47:20","date_gmt":"2024-12-08T16:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=10192"},"modified":"2025-12-09T15:11:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:11:56","slug":"aerospace-materials-studies-lead-to-early-faculty-career-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecm.eng.auburn.edu\/wp\/emag\/?p=10192","title":{"rendered":"Aerospace: Materials studies lead to early faculty career awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Vinamra Agrawal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two assistant professors in the Department of Aerospace Engineering were recently awarded prestigious early career awards for their research.<\/p>\n

Vinamra Agrawal earned a faculty early career development grant from the National Science Foundation and Davide Guzzetti was awarded a NASA Early Career Faculty grant.<\/p>\n

Nanocrystalline Alloys in Harsh Environments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nanocrystalline Alloys in Harsh Environments Agrawal\u2019s research, titled \u201cInvestigating the role of microstructure in the high strain rate behavior of stable nanocrystalline alloys,\u201d will go toward the study of stable nanocrystalline alloys and its performance in harsh environments to determine whether it is a viable candidate for materials for structural components.<\/p>\n

Agrawal has been studying materials exposed to extreme environments since he was a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology and said that orbital debris and micrometeorite impact are common considerations when designing missions.<\/p>\n

Another portion of his award is educational, as he is working to develop a novel platform called Mechblocks, which uses Lego-like blocks to demonstrate concepts in mechanics and materials science.<\/p>\n

Agrawal will partner with local science museums and children\u2019s centers, using Mechblocks, to expose K-12 students, parents and educators to materials, mechanics and structures that will help train the next generation of the STEM workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to convey these ideas in an exciting way,\u201d Agrawal said. \u201cThese blocks provide a hands-on experience for students to see what happens when you\u2019re breaking something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orbital Debris Remediation<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Davide Guzzetti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guzzetti has earned a NASA Early Career Faculty award to research how to remediate the accumulation of smaller pieces of orbital debris.<\/p>\n

His project, \u201cMetamaterial particles for orbital environment remediation,\u201d spans three years and will research the feasibility of developing technology to deploy dust clouds to intercept small debris to reduce its altitude by inducing drag.<\/p>\n

While still in the early phases of researching the topic and possibility of a solution, Guzzetti envisions the distribution of engineered particulates in targeted regions of space to bring debris to the Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n

According to Guzzetti, there are currently two important categories of debris. There is larger debris, usually larger than 10 centimeters in diameter. These are typically trackable and could potentially be physically captured.<\/p>\n

Smaller debris, less than one centimeter in size, is more prevalent and more challenging to detect and track.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we are trying to solve is how to actively remove those smaller debris or facilitate their reentry into the atmosphere,\u201d Guzzetti said.<\/p>\n

Though Guzzetti said there may not be a single answer to the orbital debris remediation challenge, he is still excited to join the attempt at solving the issue, as well as help students obtain research experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis allows me to engage with minds brighter than mine on these problems and expose them to orbital mechanics and the complexity of space,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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