Carolyn Lachance Email & Phone Number

Research engineering and project management supporting the development of an RF electrothermal thruster for the US Air Force.

MS program. Researching plume characteristics of a water-fueled micro pulsed plasma thruster in conjunction with the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins and Busek Company of Natick, MA. Conducting triple and quadruple Langmuir probe measurements of the high density, fast transient plasma generated by a PPT firing.

Teaching assistant in the Mechanical Engineering department of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Taught courses in thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and aerodynamics, both theoretical and laboratory.

Literature review and initial discretization of partial differential equations governing Teflon ablation in pulsed plasma thrusters.

Research conducted in tandem with graduate-level research into pulsed plasma thrusters. Gathered and reduced single Langmuir probe measurements of fast-transient plasmas.

Finite element analysis of engine components using ANSYS and LS-DYNA, including stress, modal, and buckling. Fatigue, fracture, and lifing analysis. Project engineering. Interfaced with clients and and designers to provide rapid, complete, and documented solutions to difficult analysis problems.

Research assistant position in experimental design and troubleshooting, data collection, and data analysis for microgravity pulsed flame combustion. Joint project with NASA Glenn Research Center for Shuttle science module.

Ms, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering

Activities and Societies: Pi Tau SigmaTeaching Assistant, 2005-2007 Research Assistant, 2005

Bs, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering

Activities and Societies: Pershing Rifles, Arnold Air Society, Science Fiction Society, Air Force ROTCGraduated with Distinction in.