Letter from May-Win Thein, Assistant Professorof Mechanical Engineering
To Inquiry:
I am very pleased to have participated in two student research projects funded by Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) grants. One involved research in Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS), and a current one deals with a helicopter feedback control system.
My first UROP experience was with senior Oliver Olson, who developed and modeled a control algorithm for a spacecraft ADCS. This is directly tied to my research. He also designed and built a prototype of a satellite model and enabled the application of a real-time ADCS for the spacecraft.
During this research, Ollie and I came across unexpected phenomena that we did not realize existed until building the actual prototype. It was a very enlightening experience. I advise Ollie, now a graduate student, as he continues his research in spacecraft ADCS. I strongly believe his decision to pursue graduate studies at UNH was a direct result of his participation in the UROP project.
I work with two seniors, Neil Mushaweh and Peter Chivers, on my current UROP project, which deals with the real-time, automatic feedback control of a helicopter model prototype. This research is very challenging, as the helicopter is an inherently unstable system.
During our work in the application of system dynamics and control to aerospace systems, I have watched the interest of both of these students bloom. Furthermore, this project has strong outreach content, intending to attract high school students to science and (mechanical) engineering. As a result, both Neil and Peter gained significant insight into the demands of education and community awareness in education.
From working on this project, Neil confirms he will likely pursue a Masters Degree here at UNH. Peter will enter the Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program, where he intends to help design and improve nuclear-powered submarines.
I will incorporate this helicopter model research into my undergraduate and graduate curriculum.
Both of my experiences with UROP were, and continue to be, very rewarding. I hope to continue advising students in this endeavor.
May-Win Thein, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
