Nathan Salowitz, associate professor, mechanical engineering, recently received the following three awards from NASA through the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium. The awards support Salowitz’s research and a UWM student organization.
- A $25,000 award to support research into embedded inspection and structural health monitoring of pressurized water containers. This research will enable automated detection of damage and buildup to prevent catastrophic failures in such devices.
- A $10,000 award to support research into the micromechanical properties of self-healing metal-metal composite materials that have an innate ability to repair damage. This research will specifically enable design and microstructural optimization of the materials. Self-healing materials have the potential to fundamentally change how structures are designed by altering the definition of “failure” and leading to lighter-weight and longer-lasting structures and vehicles.
- A $2,400 award enabling students in the UWM chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space to participate in the RockSat program, in collaboration with the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. In this program, students build a rocket payload that will be launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.