2008–2009 - Florida Institute of Technology

conduct thesis research in conjunction with the Harbor Branch
staff and use facilities at the institution.
Ship and marine facilities provide an excellent base for research
activities involving all aspects of offshore and coastal ship operations,
structures, erosion, and environmental control applications.
The sheltered waters and geography of the Indian River Lagoon
allow excellent conditions for undertaking control and propulsion
research using large models or full-scale craft.
Oceanography Research
Biological Oceanography: The major emphasis in this laboratory
is directed toward pelagic and benthonic investigations. Available
equipment for student and research needs include fluorometers,
collection nets, trawls, grabs, and photographic and microscopic
instruments. A controlled environmental room is operated within
this laboratory.
Chemical Oceanography: This laboratory is equipped to enable
both routine and research-level analyses on open ocean and
coastal lagoonal waters. Major and minor nutrients, heavy-metal
contaminants and pollutants can be quantitatively determined.
Analytical instruments include scintillation counters, organic
carbon analyzers, fluorescence spectrometers, ultraviolet and visible
light spectrophotometers, an atomic absorption spectrometer
and field measurement equipment. Equipment for investigation of
physical chemistry of seawater is also available.
Marine Geology and Geophysics: This laboratory contains
state of the art equipment for the compositional and textural
analysis of sediment and water samples, including a rapid sediment
analyzer and computer-assisted sieve stations. High- and
low-temperature ovens, PC-based computer workstations and
suspended sediment filtration systems are also available. In addition,
the laboratory houses vibracore and sediment grab sampling
equipment.
Physical Oceanography: Supports graduate research in ocean
waves, coastal processes, tsunamis, climate change, circulation
and pollutant transport. In addition, current meters, tide and
wind recorders, salinometers, wave height gauges, a side-scan
sonar, CTD system, ADCP and other oceanographic instruments
are available.
Ocean Engineering: Ocean engineering facilities support both
traditional design activities and computer-aided design. The
Underwater Technologies Laboratory has facilities for the design
and construction of surface and underwater vehicles such as
ROVs and AUVs. The Instrumentation Laboratory is equipped
with testing and calibration equipment, machining and construction
tools, and deployment facilities.
Evinrude Marine Operations Center and Research Vessels: This
facility houses small outboard-powered craft and medium-sized
workboats. These vessels are available to students and faculty for
teaching and research use in the freshwater tributaries and the
lagoon. Chartered research vessels are the focal point of research
in the Indian River Lagoon and coastal areas, as well as teaching
in oceanography and marine meteorology.
Vero Beach Marine Laboratory: An oceanfront marine research
facility, owned and operated by Florida Tech and located in Vero
Beach, just 40 minutes from campus. Laboratory and office space
total approximately 4,500 square feet. Flowing seawater allows
90 Florida Tech
research in such areas as aquaculture, biofouling and corrosion.
See the Academic Overview section in this catalog.
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI): The department
maintains a close working relationship with HBOI, located
about an hour from campus between Vero Beach and Fort Pierce.
Scientists and engineers from HBOI interact with Florida Tech’s
students and faculty, and make their facilities and expertise available
in directing student research.
Midwest Research Institute, Palm Bay Laboratories: Florida
Tech cooperates with MRI, Florida, in the use of state-of-the-art
analytical instrumentation. Current areas of research at this
center (eight miles south of Florida Tech’s main campus) include
inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometry (ICP/MS)
and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Surf Mechanics Laboratory: The wave channel in the laboratory
supports teaching and research in wave mechanics, marine
hydrodynamics, ocean instrumentation, and coastal processes.
DePartment of meChaniCal anD aerosPaCe
engineering
Pei-feng Hsu, Ph.D., Head
Degree Programs
Aerospace Engineering, B.S.
Aerospace Engineering, M.S.
Areas of Specialization:
Aerodynamics and Fluid Dynamics
Aerospace Structures and Materials
Combustion and Propulsion
Aerospace Engineering, Ph.D.
Mechanical Engineering, B.S.
Mechanical Engineering, M.S.
Areas of Specialization:
Biomedical Engineering
Dynamic Systems, Robotics and Controls
Structures, Solid Mechanics and Materials
Thermal-Fluid Sciences
Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.
Professors
Pei-feng Hsu, Ph.D., radiative and multimode heat transfer, premixed
combustion in porous ceramics, numerical methods in heat transfer, pulsed
laser applications in medical imaging and material property diagnostics,
thermal conductivity measurements, heat exchanger design, HVAC systems
design.
Pierre M. Larochelle, Ph.D., P.E., synthesis and analysis of mechanisms
and machines, design and control of robotic manipulators, theoretical
kinematics, design of spherical and spatial mechanisms, computer-aided
design.
T. Dwayne McCay, Ph.D., low-density gas dynamics, high-speed flows,
propulsion systems, laser interaction with materials.
Chelakara S. Subramanian, Ph.D., P.Eng. (UK), experimental fluid
mechanics, turbulence measurements, LDV, photoluminescence barometry
and thermometry, wind tunnel experimentation, wind engineering,
structure of complex turbulent flows, turbulence modeling, boundary layer
receptivity, energy efficient systems, film cooling.
Research Professor
Mary Helen McCay, Ph.D., P.E., metallurgy, crystal growth, laser
interaction with materials.