Daniel T. Valentine, Director
Clarkson Space Grant Program
Box 5725
Potsdam, NY 13699-5725
Phone: 315-268-7689, Fax: 315-268-6438
Objectives of The Program
The primary focus of the Clarkson Space Grant Program is the
enhancement of undergraduate and graduate education in space-
related fields. The program aims to provide the necessary
financial support to attract highly qualified students to space-
related technical studies. Two areas of research that are of
particular interest are fluid dynamics and nonlinear problems
that arise in aeronautical engineering systems.
These objectives are achieved through the implementation of
several complementary program elements, including the
summer research internship program for undergraduates and
first-year graduate students,
outreach activities, and the advanced fluid mechanics
laboratory.
Undergraduate Summer Research Program
Four summer research assistantships are awarded each year to
outstanding undergraduates and first-year graduate students. The
objective is to
encourage top students to enter space-related fields by immersing
them in an exciting atmosphere focusing on aerospace activities.
The students are assigned to research areas consistent with their
interests and interact with both faculty and graduate students in
a laboratory environment.
Outreach
The Clarkson Space Grant Program includes an outreach component.
Examples of activities that have been done are described below.
The Clarkson Space Grant Program has provided a number of hands-
on science workshops (including space-related activities) to
students in grades K-12. The workshops were presented at
various schools, libraries and discovery centers in Northern New
York. It has also provided judges for science fairs containing
space-related exhibits.
The Clarkson Space Grant Program Administrator spoke in
Ellenville to high school science teachers at the New York State
Convention and encouraged them to incorporate space-related
activities into their lessons. The presentation involved
audience participation and included science current events,
science experiments in space and space-related hands-on
activities and demonstrations.
An academic science and math program called Horizons has been
offered to talented seventh and eighth grade girls. The
aeronautics component of the program was led by the director of
the Clarkson Space Grant Program. Under the director's guidance
the students would build and shoot model rockets and discuss the
aeronautical concepts of lift, thrust, weight and drag. They
would also take measurements in a wind tunnel and later use a
computer program to make calculations and compare the predictions
with their experimental results.
Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) Workshops were presented to
interested high school science teachers in Northern New York.
The workshops, sponsored by the Center for Advanced Materials
Processing (CAMP) at Clarkson University, were in part organized
and presented by the Clarkson Space Grant Program Administrator.
The STM
allows one to see individual atoms of samples such as gold and
graphite at various magnifications. Teachers attending the
workshops were provided with hands-on science activities and the
necessary information and training to operate the STM. They were
also given an opportunity to borrow the microscope for use in
their schools.
High school students of the American Indian Science and
Engineering Society (AISES) were given a tour of the Center for
Advanced Materials Processing at Clarkson University. They saw
NASA-related activities including the centrifuge which is the
only one in the world dedicated to crystal growth. Also the
students were provided with scanning electron microscope (SEM)
and transmission electron microscope (TEM) demonstrations.
Advanced Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
An advanced fluid mechanics laboratory has been established under
the Clarkson Space Grant Program to investigate fluid dynamical
phenomena from experimental, computational, and theoretical
perspectives. The laboratory aids in advancing fundamental
research in fluid dynamics and fosters productive interactions
between Clarkson students and faculty. To help run the
laboratory, a competitively based research award provides support
to one graduate research assistant with an interest in fluid
dynamics.
The program relies on corporate donations to equip the laboratory
with experimental and computational facilities.
Organizational Structure
The Clarkson Space Grant Program is managed by an affiliate director
of the New York Space Grant Consortium.
The director at Clarkson is a member of
the Consortium's advisory board. When needed, an advisory
committee is formed from amongst the Clarkson faculty to help with
the selection of students for internship awards, and to place these
students
within the research community at Clarkson or elsewhere within the consortium.
Clarkson Space Grant Program (CSGP) Managment
Daniel T. Valentine, Director of the CSGP
and an Affiliate Director of New York Space Grant Consortium
ABOUT THE CLARKSON SPACE GRANT PROGRAM RESEARCH
Participants in the Clarkson Space Grant Program are actively
involved in aeronautical and aerospace engineering at Clarkson.
The space-related research of mechanical and aeronautical
engineering faculty focusses primarily on fluids engineering
problems, including the fluid dynamics of mixing, instability,
turbulence and propulsion. Current research projects include
investigations of instability of nonparallel shear flows,
organized structures in turbulent mixing regions, organized
structures in turbulent mixing regions, instability of air-water
interfaces of liquid jets and sheets, and computational modeling
of laminar and turbulent flows.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK STATE SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM
A reputation for breadth and strength in space-related fields
made Cornell University a natural choice for one of three space
grant consortium designations in the northeastern United States.
The New York State Space Grant Consortium, directed by Dr. Peter
J. Gierasch of Cornell University, has defined its program plan
to focus on graduate student recruitment and support. A major
component of the plan is the establishment of ties with industry
and NASA to aid in recruitment and in placing students in jobs
where their talents can be utilized.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING
The Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at
Clarkson offers an ABET-accredited undergraduate course of study
toward a Bachelor of Science degree and also programs of graduate
study leading to Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy
degrees. Aeronautical engineering is a new program at Clarkson.
Research and teaching in aerospace fields have been the focus of
mechanical engineering faculty for many years. These efforts
were incorporated in 1990 into a viable group by establishing an
accredited degree granting program in aeronautical engineering.
Approximately 22 faculty members in the Mechanical and
Aeronautical Engineering Department teach and advise 600
undergraduate and graduate students.
ABOUT CLARKSON UNIVERSITY
Clarkson is an independent, coeducational university located in
Potsdam, New York, in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.
The major organizational units of the University are the School
of Engineering, the School of Business, the School of Science,
the Faculty of Liberal Studies, the Engineering and Management
program, the Graduate School, and the Division of Research.
The University attracts intelligent, motivated men and women with
strong career interests in engineering, management and the
sciences. Approximately 3,000 students attend classes on the
University's 640-acre campus, which has grown significantly since
1950.
While multiplying in size, Clarkson has continued to reflect the
beliefs of Thomas S. Clarkson, in whose honor the institution was
founded: a commitment to professional skill and competence
coupled with personal integrity and human understanding.
Clarkson University is a nondiscriminatory, equal opportunity,
affirmative action educator and employer.
