The author, evaluating flight test instrumentation on a T-38 jet trainer at Edwards Air Force Base.

I came to Creare in 2001 after receiving my M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota. My dissertation on fluid flow in turbomachinery suggested a natural fit to Creare, which has core strengths in fluid dynamics. My engineering interests are fairly wide ranging, including aerodynamics, instrumentation, and data acquisition, as well as programming and image processing. I was happy to find a matching variety of projects to work on at Creare.

For my first project, I teamed with two senior engineers who were developing technology to recycle rare medical gases, Xenon-127 and Helium-3, which are used as contrast agents in lung imaging. Because they are spin polarized, these gases provide vastly better detail than other agents, allowing doctors to accurately diagnose lung diseases with overlapping symptoms. However, the exorbitant cost of these gases makes it impractical to use them without recycling. We therefore designed and fabricated devices to capture, purify, and re-use Xe-127 and He-3. I also worked on tests with human subjects to determine how many exhalations are necessary to make it economically feasible to use the gases, and created a MATLAB model to formulate the data. It was an enjoyable change of pace for me to apply my engineering skills to this important biomedical project.

I have also worked to solve a crucial problem in the delivery of supplies to special operations ground troops. The safety of these soldiers depends on their location remaining hidden, but supplies dropped by parachutes are visible 50 miles away. We developed a unique, auto-rotating package based on the biological model of the maple seed.

Our package deploys blades which act as fins to shape the descent trajectory. Just prior to impact, a sensor triggers a shift in the angle of the blades to significantly slow the package’s descent. I particularly enjoyed testing package models and dropping them out of windows, off stadiums, and, finally, off a boom crane.

In addition to the variety of projects at Creare, I am able to develop expertise in particular technical areas through work on related projects. As an example, shortly after arriving at Creare I started work on a project to cryogenically separate air into liquid oxygen and nitrogen for use in military aircraft. The nitrogen is used for fuel tank inerting to prevent explosions and the oxygen is used for breathing systems and medical evacuations. Subsequently I worked on an air separation and liquefaction system for commercial aircraft. We later used similar technology to design and build a much smaller distillation column for oxygen generation. The miniaturized distillation column technology became the basis for an improved method of supplying oxygen to home oxygen therapy patients through a project for the National Institutes of Health. As a result of my participation in these projects, I have become an expert on the cryogenic distillation of oxygen and nitrogen.

My other work includes serving as the principal investigator on a Java software development project, enabling low level network socket access. I am also the principal investigator on another project, a smart snap hook designed to save the lives of parachute jumpers whose parachutes don’t detach from the jump line. Beyond the breadth and depth of the projects I work on at Creare, Creare’s flexible hours allow me to take advantage of the area’s beautiful natural surroundings.

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