Students develop skills in engineering design and experimentation as they work on projects which focus on the thermal and fluid sciences, alternative fuels, and dynamic machanical systems.
Project work includes measurement of temperature, pressure, stress and strain, flow, and other quantities of engineering interest.
The laboratory accommodates both individual and group projects ranging from benchtop models of thermal storage systems to the conversion of an automobile from internal combustion to electric drive.
"I don't know if there is anything that can't be studied in the Energy Systems Lab. If the project involves some transfer of energy, then it fits this lab. In my class alone, we had projects ranging from a study of granular flow to the conversion of a 1985 Ford Escort into a battery-powered vehicle. The experience, as an individual and as part of a group, is one that can be applied to almost every aspect of life." -Todd Burner, Student