systems engineering

Students win contests for Chesapeake crossing challenge

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 20 May 2024 17:21:31 +0000

Students win contests for Chesapeake crossing challenge Nathan Kahl Mon, 05/20/2024 - 13:21

It’s such a part of the experience of spending time on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that those in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metropolitan areas know it simply as “the bridge.” And woe to those who don’t plan summer travel just right, because they may spend hours queueing up, waiting to cross it.

The William Prestion Lane Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge, with two spans, one built in 1952 and one in 1973, carries around 30 million vehicles annually. The age of the structures, combined with ever-increasing demands on the route over the Chesapeake Bay, has several entities looking for new solutions for crossing the bay.

One of those solutions may come from a team of engineering students from ��AV’s Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research (SEOR). The team won best paper in the climate and sustainability track at the Andrew P. Sage Memorial Capstone Design Competition and best presentation in the decision analysis track at the General Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Conference at West Point.

The six-page conference paper, authored by team members Carolyn Vaseghi, Jose Zorrilla, Richard Collie, Fatima Alarcon, and Naif Al-Harbi, was also published in the West Point conference’s proceedings along with the other competitors' papers.

“We were tasked with designing a crossing that is part of a regional transportation system between metro D.C. and the beach communities on the Eastern Shore, not just a bridge,” said team lead Vaseghi.

“We started the design by conducting ‘customer interviews’ with over 30 different stakeholders for the stakeholder analysis and analyzing historic traffic flow data,” said Collie.

Team members Carolyn Vaseghi, Fatima Alacorn, Naif Alharbi, Richard Collie, and Jose Zorilla. Photo provided.

The team identified seven solutions that included bridges with different lane configurations and a tunnel, noting that new boring technologies have reduced tunneling costs. The tunnel option is safer, with no bridge collision opportunities as with the recent disaster at Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The team’s proposed tunnel can accommodate rail mass transit, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and providing access to the 30% of D.C. residents without access to cars.

“In addition to obvious measures like congestion and costs, we also identified a category of measures for social justice and climate change,” said Alarcon.

The students outlined the pros and cons of design options in a report for the Anne Arundel County Transportation Commission (AACTC) and the Maryland Transportation Authority. The report will next be sent to Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s office.

Vaseghi said it was a tremendous learning opportunity and a good exploration of the systems engineering process. She said they focused on the “left-hand side of the systems engineering ‘V,” noting that in that process they started with context analysis, moved on to stakeholder analysis and concept-of-operations requirements, finishing with a simulation, where “we camped out for a long time,” spending four weeks on that part of the process.

Professor Emeritus George Donohue, a member of the AACTC, said, “This team’s out-of-the-box thinking about the tunnel option and their detailed analysis provides decision-makers a strong basis to make a sound investment that will affect the region for the next 75 years.”

In This Story

George Donohue

Topics

Systems Engineering and Operations Research

systems engineering

Chesapeake Bay

Students

College of Engineering and Computing

Zhisheng Yan nabs Best Student Paper Award

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 16:36:28 +0000

Zhisheng Yan nabs Best Student Paper Award Teresa Donnellan Thu, 11/03/2022 - 12:36

In This Story

Zhisheng Yan

A recent paper by Department of Information Sciences and Technology assistant professor Zhisheng Yan received the Best Student Paper Award at ACM Multimedia Systems (MMSys) 2022 conference held in Athlone, Ireland. ACM MMSys is a premier conference on multimedia. The awarded paper results from a collaborative project between Yan and researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.https://illinois.edu/

Of his paper, Yan writes, “Image compression standards such as JPEG and its variants designed for human viewing are no longer the optimal choice for emerging video analytics applications where machines and computer algorithms are the end consumers. We show in this paper that it is necessary and feasible to achieve fast and compact image compression while maximizing the accuracy of image classification and object detection algorithms through a machine-centered design.”

To read the paper, “Context-aware Image Compression Optimization for Visual Analytics Offloading,” go to https://mason.gmu.edu/~zyan4/papers/cico_mmsys22.pdf.

Topics

systems engineering

information sciences and technology

Mason hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds

Tama Moni — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:13:49 +0000

Mason hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds Tama Moni Fri, 09/23/2022 - 16:13

In This Story

Lance Sherry

John Shortle

More than 220 researchers from three continents participated in a virtual workshop hosted by ��AV and NASA Langley Research Center on Wednesday September 7, 2022.

The workshop was the first time that airlines, air traffic controllers, climate scientists, aircraft and jet engine engineers, and policymakers gathered to share the science and understand the practical operational constraints for contrail mitigation. ��AV was the natural host of the meeting given its previous work and its reputation in the field.

The workshop aimed to foster information exchange and discuss opportunities to address the global warming from clouds generated by aircraft. Lance Sherry, associate professor of system engineering, leads an inter-disciplinary team of researchers and students at George Mason who conduct pioneering research in this area.

“Contrails are the thin white clouds you see trailing behind aircraft,” explains Mason PhD student Amy Tal Rose. “Water and soot emitted from jet engines form ice crystals at high altitudes that lead to the formation of high clouds. These ice-clouds are like a blanket that traps ‘thermal radiation’ emitted by the Earth and leads to global heating.”

“The thing that surprised me most about the global heating effect of contrails,” says Brian Romero Lopez a system engineering student working on the research team, “is that contrails account for two percent of the total human made global heating. Green-house gases account for 98 percent of global warming, and contrails make up the remaining two percent. No one talks about this.”

“Mitigating the effects of contrails is considered a Wicked Problem,” explained co-host of the workshop, Chief Technologist for Future Airspace Operations at NASA Andy Lacher. “There are multiple stakeholders with complex interactions that require delicate tradeoffs. The science and practical operational constraints must be fully understood before any mitigation steps can be taken.”

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by other participants in attendance.

“Wicked Problems are the bailiwick of System Engineering,” adds System Engineering Department Chair John Shortle. “The complex climate related opportunities cannot be solved by politicians or economists alone. It requires system engineers to fully understand the science and the needs of all the stakeholders involved. Sherry and the team have been applying the latest sophisticated System Engineering methods and techniques to these climate opportunities.”

Sherry and Lacher are optimistic that the workshop will be the first of a series of workshops that will lead to a roadmap of evidence-based activities to take this opportunity to contribute to reduce global warming.

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by others who attended the conference.

For more information on System Engineering and climate adaptation research contact John Shortle, chair of the Systems Engineering & Operations Research Department.

Topics

A look back on 32 years at George Mason

Rena Malai — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 15:05:04 +0000

A look back on 32 years at George Mason Rena Malai Fri, 06/24/2022 - 11:05

During college, Kathryn Laskey, professor of Systems Engineering and Operations Research and associate director of the C4I Center, liked playing the guitar. Once life quickly got busy with family and career, the guitar was placed on hold.

But now, at the start of her retirement after wrapping up 32 years at ��AV, the guitar might make a comeback.

“I enjoy having music in my life and I’ll probably get back to that,” she says.

It’s been a fulfilling time at Mason for Laskey and she says it’s been gratifying to be a part of seeing the campus grow from a small, little-known niche to a thriving, world-class research university in a major metropolis.

“When I started, the engineering building was a parking lot. There were no parking garages. My office was in a trailer. There were few people. But over the years, I have seen such tremendous shifts in both structural growth and community and pride. Now when you walk up to a student and ask them where they go, they proudly say ‘George Mason.’”

Given its location and talented staff, Laskey knew when she first came on board that Mason would be a part of bigger and greater things. That potential was one of the reasons she wanted to be here.

“I’ve run into people who haven’t been to Mason in maybe a decade or two, and it’s unrecognizable to them now. The George Mason name is known worldwide as a great school,” she says.

Laskey says it’s been an incredible 32 years, and just a few of her accomplishments include starting the Center for Resilient and Sustainable Communities, and pioneering research within AI which was early in its explosive growth when Laskey first joined Mason. She has more than 150 peer reviewed publications and is on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Information Fusion and the Washington Metropolitan Area chapter of the International Council on Systems Engineering; she is past president of the Association for Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence.

She’ll still keep her hand in research, she says, and is currently working on a few items. One is a machine learning project that will aid in predicting ground water levels, in order to support drilling wells for agricultural needs. Another is a project on expanding digital opportunity in Tribal communities.

Although she says she doesn’t have definite retirement plans per se, music, time with grandkids and staying involved in research projects will keep her busy for the time being.

Besides her job, interacting with her students and colleagues, Laskey says she will also miss the beauty of the Fairfax Campus.

“It’s a bittersweet time in starting a new chapter and there is a huge amount I’m going to miss,” she says. “I’m honored to have been a part of making GMU what it is today.”

Topics

Retirement

a Career Change

College of Engineering and Computing

systems engineering

Masonat50

SEOR seniors create conditioned-based maintenance system for U.S. Navy

Tama Moni — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 19:30:19 +0000

SEOR seniors create conditioned-based maintenance system for U.S. Navy Tama Moni Fri, 06/03/2022 - 15:30

The System Engineering Capstone team and Mason President Gregory Washington display a $2,000 check at the GMU 2022 Accelerate Venture Capital Competition October 18, 2021. The team developed a digital twin of a jet engine used to reduce maintenance costs and increase fleet availability.

Movies like Top Gun never quite reveal a look behind the scenes at the Navy's scheduled maintenance methods for jet engine parts. Nevertheless, an enterprising team of System Engineering students decided it might be worth investigating to see if they could uncover how to decrease costs and improve efficiencies. Their project was sponsored by System Engineering Professor K.C. Chang as part of a research contract with the U.S. Navy.

Traditional scheduled maintenance methods require jet engine parts to be replaced on a pre-defined schedule. To ensure safety, many parts are replaced early, resulting in unnecessary maintenance costs and fleet downtime. New advances in technology have enabled manufacturers to add sensors to jet engines. With the sensors in place, the jet engine parts can be carefully monitored and replaced only when necessary.

”The concept is simple,” says Reed Lawrence (SE, BS ’22), “but the implementation of a condition-based maintenance system is really complicated.”

“First we had to build a digital-twin of the jet engine,” explained Wyatt Mingus (SE, BS ’22). “The digital-twin is a simulation of the real system that can be used to predict the degradation of component performance in the simulation before it occurs in the actual jet engine.”

It works like this. Sensor data from the jet engine operating in the field is fed to the simulation. The simulation predicts performance of each part forward in time. When the part’s performance degrades beyond a threshold, the part must be replaced.

“We tested the digital-twin using a NASA simulation of jet engines,” says Abdulrahman Albawardi (SE, BS ’22).

“For a planning horizon of seven days, a fleet size of five aircraft, and 10 maintenance technicians, we estimated a reduction in maintenance costs of 45 percent and an increase in fleet availability of 17 percent,” says Lawrence.

Chang says, “This was a very complex project. The students had to deal with massive amounts of data and a sophisticated digital-twin simulation. Their discipline and attention to detail was critical to success.”

“When we started, all we had was lines and lines of code,” says Lawrence. “Professor Chang was so supportive he gave us the freedom and the time to explore the problem thoroughly and come up with our own solution. We’re hoping that our project lives on in the department and eventually can be used in industry or elsewhere.”

“The student’s perseverance and creativity was remarkable,” says System Engineering Capstone course instructor Associate Professor Lance Sherry. “The team had to overcome some challenging technical problems to achieve a workable system. The System Engineering process was vital in providing a structure to separate the issues and tackle them in a logical order.”

The project won several awards. The team took second place in the 2022 Accelerate Venture Capital Competition in October 2021. They also won first place in the Military and Government Track at the Fifth Annual Andrew P. Sage System Design Conference in April 2022.

“The quality of the students’ simulation and understanding of the value of a digital twin for a jet engine is impressive,” says Michael J. Szostak, vice president, Aviation Programs at SAIC. “Sustainment costs for military aircraft engines can be very high and Condition-Based Maintenance is the future to bringing those costs down. High-end modeling and simulation--like what is being done at GMU--is key to those cost savings.”

To learn more about system engineering, digital twin, robotics, and data analytics, or to donate or sponsor a research project, contact System Engineering Department Chair John Shortle at jshortle@gmu.edu.

Topics

systems engineering

Senior Capstone Project

How System Engineering students plan to disrupt air travel with a blimp

Tama Moni — Wed, 18 May 2022 17:42:07 +0000

How System Engineering students plan to disrupt air travel with a blimp Tama Moni Wed, 05/18/2022 - 13:42

In This Story

John Shortle

The air transportation industry is entering a period of disruptive innovation. New composite materials, powerful lighter-weight batteries, and AI are enabling new classes of air vehicle designs.

Hybrid Air Vehicles (Bedford, England) and Mason Systems Engineering students are leading the charge.

“Hybrid Air Vehicles have developed a next-generation blimp using the latest technology,” explains Habiba Salada Systems Engineering major. “The helium in the blimp creates buoyancy that provides the lift force for the aircraft. The use of helium, an inert gas, eliminates the risk of fire such as what happened with the Hindenburg which used hydrogen.”

Hybrid Air Vehicles sponsored a Systems Engineering Capstone team to develop a tool to assess the best seat and payload configuration for their vehicle for routes in the U.S. market.

“The tool models passenger demand and the prices passengers are willing to pay on a specific route, and then compares the revenue to the cost,” says Adam Abu-Jamous Systems Engineering Capstone team lead. “The profit for each route can be estimated for different levels of passenger demand and different vehicle seat and payload configurations.”

The revenue-cost model used by the student team was originally developed by PhD students and faculty in the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research (CATSR) at ��AV.

“The Hybrid Air Vehicle is best suited to short trips of less than 250 miles such as Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or New York City,” says System Engineering student Yoseph Attai. “The vehicles do not need an airport. For example, it can lift off and land from water such as National Harbor here in D.C. This eliminates the hassle of an airport. It is much quieter than a jet, and does not emit CO₂.”

System Engineering student Basma Elqadri designed and tested the tool user interface. “The revenue-cost model is quite complicated, so we had to get really creative with the visualization for the user interface. We designed and conducted usability testing on several alternatives before we got it right.”

“Most people take the user interfaces for granted,” says Habiba Salada. “We learned the hard way just how difficult and complicated human-machine interaction can be.”

“We are thrilled with the results of the project,” says Walt Kreitler, Hybrid Air Vehicles representative in the U.S. “Hybrid Air Vehicles have taken delivery of the tool the students developed and plan to use it in design and for business development.”

This System Engineering Capstone team won first place in – the Decision Analysis Track at the 2022 General Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Conference held in person at the United States Military Academy on April 28, 2022 “It was a great honor to compete at the conference against some of the best Systems Engineering programs in the country,” says Adam Abu-Jamous. “I would like to thank the SE Department faculty for their support and encouragement over the years.”

“Clearly, the System Engineering students graduating from the ��AV program are well prepared to be an asset to the workforce,” says Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department Chair John Shortle. To learn more about System Engineering, robotics, and data analytics contact Systems Engineering Department Chair John Shortle (jshortle@gmu.edu).

System Engineering Capstone student Adam Abu-Jamous and System Engineering Department Chair John Shortle.

Topics

systems engineering

Senior Capstone Project

user interface

air travel

When robots meet sumo wrestling

Tama Moni — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:50:52 +0000

When robots meet sumo wrestling Tama Moni Mon, 04/25/2022 - 13:50

See Our Battlebots in Action

Systems Engineering students at the Norwalk Havoc Combat League on March 26.
From left to right: Rashed Almazrouei, Brian Romero, Nicholas Lechner, and
Sean Becker (team lead).

Battlebots is a nationally televised competition where robots battle in a closed arena. It is a breathtaking spectacle with robots colliding at high speeds and sparks flying. The winning robot must get a high score by hitting the opponent multiple times and pushing the opponent around the arena.

An enterprising team of Systems Engineering students in their Senior Design Capstone course designed, built, and tested a remotely controlled robot to compete in the 12-pound division in the Norwalk Havoc Robot Combat League (NHRL).

“The competition is unbelievably thrilling. The tension in the maintenance and repair bay preparing for the duel is high. Then you put your robot in the arena, and your heart is pumping at 120 beats per minute. Sparks flying, fans cheering. Whew!” said Brian Romero, a Systems Engineering student.

The team, led by nationally ranked combat robotics builder and Systems Engineering student Sean Becker says: “In the Systems Engineering class, we conducted a detailed analysis of the alternative attacking and defending mechanisms that are mounted on the robots.” The team built a Monte Carlo simulation and played out bouts between robots with different attack and defense mechanisms. “Based on the simulation, we came up with a unique design that attacks the opponent where they are least protected,” explained Sean Becker.

“We also took a step back and conducted a thorough design and analysis of the Life-cycle of a robot in the competition,” explained Systems Engineering student Nicholas Lechner. “This led us to realize the importance of modularity in the robot design.” Teams can have only 20 minutes between bouts to disassemble the robot and replace malfunctioning parts. “If you have ever watched a Battlebot fight, you know how much damage is done,” says Nicholas.

The team developed CAD designs and ran a Finite Elements Analysis on the components. The team fabricated the components, assembled, and tested the robot. “We broke a lot of components in testing and had to go back to the drawing board to redesign over and over again,” explained Sean Becker. “I never really appreciated the importance of testing, testing, testing,” says Brian Romero.

“We also practiced and timed the maintenance and repair to be ready for the competitions,” says Systems Engineering student Rashed Almazrouei. “It is like a Formula One race car pit stop. The parts and tools have to be lined up, and everyone has a specific role. The interaction has to be choreographed perfectly,” Rashed explained.

The team drove up to Norwalk, Connecticut, to compete in the Norwalk Havoc Robot Combat League on March 26, 2022. The robot won four six bouts and finished third overall.

“As systems engineers, and by applying the systems engineering methods, we had a big advantage over the competition,” says Sean Becker. “The Life-cycle analysis and the attack-defense simulation reduced the time and costs by learning in the digital world, what we would have to learn by competing in ten competitions.”

“We would like to thank all our professors in the Systems Engineering department for sharing their wisdom with us,” says Rashed. “Also, your encouragement, support, and belief in us as engineers made a big difference,” says Nicholas.

They are not out of the tournament yet. Since succeeding in the 12-pound class, the team is raising funding and applying to the 250-pound class Battlebot competition, which will premiere on the Discovery Channel.

To learn more about Systems Engineering, Robotics, and the Battlebot team, contact Systems Engineering and Operations Research Department Chair John Shortle.

Topics

College collaborations spark PhD program growth

Tama Moni — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 18:07:36 +0000

College collaborations spark PhD program growth Tama Moni Thu, 04/14/2022 - 14:07

In This Story

Ali Beheshti

Leigh McCue-Weil

Sepehr Salari is the first INFT PHD student to
graduate from Mason with a concentration in
mechanical engineering. After graduation he
moved to Detroit, Michigan to work for Robert
Bosch USA as an R&D engineer.
(Courtesy photo)

In 2018 Sepehr Salari was one of three PhD students at Mason within the INFT PHD program studying mechanical engineering. Four years later, Salari has his doctorate, and the program has 14 students.

“We are very proud to have Dr. Salari as the first doctoral graduate from our department,” says Leigh McCue, interim department chair, “We look forward to doctoral program growth through ongoing collaborations across the College of Engineering and Computing.” 

Salari, who is originally from Iran, transferred to Mason from Lamar University in Texas, with his advisor Ali Beheshti, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The current focus of Beheshti’s lab is on tribology and surface mechanics and centers around performance of advanced materials and components such as superalloys as well as additively manufactured (3D printed) parts in extreme environments.

“Doctoral students play a key role in the educational and research activities of the department,” says Robert Handler, professor and director of graduate studies. “We are excited by the growth in the program and our research portfolio.”

One area of mechanical engineering looks for innovations to make faster, smaller, and less expensive products by studying surface mechanics of everything from miniature electrical connectors to jet engines. Salari’s dissertation explored surface mechanics and contacts, observing how advanced alloys behave over a long duration of time and at very high temperatures.

Since completing his dissertation and graduating, Salari has moved with his wife – also a Mason PhD student in Systems Engineering and Operations Research – to Detroit, Michigan where he landed a job with Robert Bosch USA as a reliability R&D engineer. In this role, Salari works to improve the reliability of electrical components in vehicles.

 As there were few mechanical engineering doctoral students to show him the way, Salari helped blaze a trail for others to follow. According to Beheshti, Salari did an outstanding job for his graduation path especially given the fact that he was the first student to go through all the steps.  

 “I wish him the best in his new job and hope we can collaborate in a different capacity in the future,” says Beheshti. 

Topics

mechanical engineering

systems engineering

Working on spacecraft and 3D-printed solar cars, junior accelerates his career at Mason

Mariam Aburdeineh — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 19:15:24 +0000

Working on spacecraft and 3D-printed solar cars, junior accelerates his career at Mason Mariam Aburdeineh Tue, 01/25/2022 - 14:15

In This Story

John Shortle

Syed Abbas Zaidi

Michael Riggi, president of Mason's solar car team, Hypernova Solar, poses with Orion, a solar car his team revamped. Photo provided by Hypernova Solar.

Since Michael Riggi was about six years old, his father and brother would take him to a “Cars and Coffee” show in Great Falls, Virginia, on weekends. Being around classic automobiles and luxury vehicles, Riggi said he developed an appreciation for cars, and other machines that go fast, including planes, boats, and rockets.

Riggi developed an appreciation for cars at a young age. Portrait by Michael Riggi.

Now, as a junior at ��AV, his career path has also been racing forward.

The systems engineering major working on an accelerated master’s degree is the president of Hypernova Solar, a student organization creating what they believe will be the world’s first 3D-printed solar car.

Ultimately, Riggi said he aspires to work in the aerospace industry. His work with Hypernova Solar combined with his degree helped him land an internship with the global aerospace, defense, and security company, Northrop Grumman, he said.

“[Systems engineering] is in high demand in almost all tech industries,” Riggi said.

“Mason is one of the only schools I found in this area that offered a system engineering major, and Mason’s program was ranked higher than [the University of Virginia]’s,” he said. “I chose Mason off their great program.”

When Riggi interned with Northrop Grumman in summer 2021, he said he worked on spacecraft that go up to the international space station—in particular, the Cygnus Mission. Riggi said his tasks involved taking measurements, estimating error, and creating a CAD model of the thruster.

Riggi interning at Northrop Grumman. Photo provided.

“We made a tool that allowed Mission Control to quickly throw in measurements of the motors to see how it affects the angle of the spacecraft on-the-fly, so they can steer the spacecraft,” Riggi said.

“The qualities about Michael that impressed me and my colleagues [at Northrop Grumman] were his imagination and ability to tackle a task that was initially beyond the scope of his previous experience,” said Roseann Alvarez, systems engineering manager at Northrop Grumman. “He shows plenty of growth potential and will be an asset to any future employer.”

“Based on Michael’s performance and his contributions to the [Commercial Resupply Services] program, I would highly recommend Northrop Grumman recruitment of Mason interns and graduates in the future,” she said.

Riggi said he’s excited to intern again with Northrop Grumman in summer 2022.

“There’s something about being on the cutting edge of technology and science that I really love,” he said. “[My internship] helped me realize what traits I value in a workplace and helped me realize specific parts of my education to focus on because I’ve seen what’s actually needed in the workforce.”

In addition to opportunities in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, Riggi said he has enjoyed learning from supportive Mason professors including John Shortle, Abbas Zaidi, and Colin Reagle.

“Michael embodies the ideal of a systems engineer, being able to assemble and lead a large team of students with diverse skills to design, build, and test a complex system,” Shortle said. “He’s a great ambassador for the discipline and will be a great asset in the workforce.”

When he’s not leading Hypernova Solar, Riggi said he enjoys going off-roading and taking photos.

When he's not leading Hypernova Solar, Mason student Michael Riggi enjoys going off-roading with his truck and taking photos. Photo by Michael Riggi.

Photography by Michael Riggi.

“It’s really a great way to blow off steam and relax,” Riggi said, suggesting diverse activities help keep his life balanced yet exciting. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being bored.”

That’s another reason he appreciates the opportunities at Mason.

“My favorite part of Mason is the community,” Riggi said. “The diverse student population has taught me so much and helped me make so many friends, the amazing faculty have been so helpful, and the community of Fairfax is very diverse and a great space to explore.”

Riggi (front left in green) with members of Mason's solar car team, Hypernova Solar. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/��AV

Topics

Systems Engineering and Operations Research

Space

space exploration

experiential learning

accelerated masters

diversity

Racing toward Mason’s first 3D-printed solar car

Mariam Aburdeineh — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 17:50:29 +0000

Racing toward Mason’s first 3D-printed solar car Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 11/17/2021 - 12:50

Hypernova Solar, Mason's student-run solar car team, meets at the MIX to discuss progress and moving forward with building a 3D-printed, solar-powered car for competition. The team is building the 3D printer, pictured here, that will be used to build the car. From left to right: Mason undergraduates Abigail Kennedy, Phoenix Lee, Brandon Escobar, Kareem Elsharkawy, Petr Soucek. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/��AV.

Most people with access to a 3D printer find themselves creating small objects or gadgets. But one student group working at the MIX at ��AV each Friday is driven by a different dream.

“We build, design, test and plan to compete in solar-powered car competitions,” said Michael Riggi, president of Mason’s solar car team, Hypernova Solar. “[We believe] our car, when complete, will be the world’s first and only 3D-printed solar car.”

Riggi, a junior studying systems engineering, said the team aspires to compete in the American Solar Challenge, which involves racing a couple thousand miles across the country against other university teams. Their subsequent goal is to race in the World Solar Challenge in Australia.

When Hypernova Solar was founded in 2019 by Mason alum Alex Hughes (BS Bioengineering, Honors College '21), Riggi said the group laid the logistical groundwork for parts, designs, and fundraising. Today, the group’s 50 members comprise everyone from Mason freshmen to seniors, and a few students from Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) and local high schools.

Their momentum has been strong.

“We’re in the process of building our own car, Hypernova One, that we plan to complete in about a year,” Riggi said, adding that the car’s steel frame that they weld on Mason’s Science and Technology Campus is halfway done.

From left to right: Johnnie Hall (ME Lab Shop Technician, Volgenau School) and mechanical engineering major Abigail Kennedy welding the new suspension for Orion in May 2021. Photo by Michael Riggi.

From left to right: Johnnie Hall, Exploratory Honors College student and EIP alum Elyas Shafiq, and Environmental Science major Brandon Escobar welding Hypernova One's frame in October 2021. Photo provided by Hypernova Solar.

Hypernova One will be the team’s proof-of-concept car, he said. Once it’s complete, they’ll review it to see what could be done better, and then build a second car for competition.

The group has also been working on a car that was donated to them in 2020 from the University of California, Berkeley team.

“We’ve completely revamped the suspension, the motors, the aeroshell and repainted it,” Riggi said of the 10-year-old vehicle they renamed Orion. “It gave everyone a good experience on what actually goes into a solar car.”

Michael Riggi, president of Hypernova Solar, with Orion. Photo provided by Hypernova Solar.

They’ve also been benefiting from Mason’s resources and experts.

“My systems engineering coursework has helped me manage the team, understand business concepts, as well as understand the engineering aspects and challenges presented to us,” Riggi said. “I’ve also taken a MIX workshop on 3D printing and am applying this knowledge to building a 3D belt printer to create the shell of our first car.”

A model of Hypernova One's shell. Image provided by Hypernova Solar.

Why is the team developing their own 3D printer?

“Unlike a 3D printer where you’re printing layer by layer going up, ours is tilted at a 45-degree angle and prints on a conveyor belt, so you can actually print on an unlimited axis,” said Ross Clark, Hypernova Solar’s lead designer and a NVCC student who said he’s transferring to Mason.

The unique printer helps make the car resilient and safe, he said. Printing vertically would make it more susceptible to breaking along the X-axis.

“The shell is going to be sturdy and meet safety regulations,” Clark said. “We’re also using a special plastic, PETG, which doesn’t break, it flexes more, and is a lot more heat resistant.”

“I’ve been impressed by the team’s passion and drive,” said faculty advisor Colin Reagle. “They are constantly pushing boundaries on what they can do within a university setting.”

“The opportunity to build a unique machine like this is a huge draw to a diverse group of students,” said Reagle, who teaches in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “I can’t wait until you see them rolling around campus in this vehicle inspiring the next surge of students.”

Exploratory student Kareem Elsharkawy drills holes in aluminum at the MIX to help create a 3D belt printer, November 2021. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/��AV.

Overall, Hypernova Solar is about more than just building cars.

“The most rewarding part is seeing progress on the car and watching team members develop new skills,” Riggi said. “Our goal is to develop the skills of the students, make them more well-prepared for the workforce, and also just make friends.”

In addition to the thrill of problem solving, and the joy of mentoring new members, Clark and Riggi said another benefit is the group’s inclusivity.

“We have a spot for everyone—even if you’re not an engineering major,” Riggi said. “Some members aren’t huge car people, but want to develop personal skills, or do business and fundraising.”

“That’s why I love this project so much,” he said, “you can tailor it to what you want to get out of it.”

Hypernova Solar, Mason's student-run solar car team, meets at the MIX in November 2021. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/��AV.