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Findings is the Office of Research’s newsletter, which began in October 2017. It delivers monthly updates to faculty, staff, students, and community partners about impactful research, initiatives, partnerships, events, and opportunities at the University of Cincinnati. To view current and previous issues of the newsletter, go to the Findings page.

Six students selected as newest UC Space Research Institute Fellows

Six students selected as newest UC Space Research Institute Fellows

Findings Staff Report | June 24, 2022

Every day, the University of Cincinnati Space Research Institute for Discovery and Exploration (SRIDE) is building upon Ohio’s rich history in aviation and spaceflight. One important way is by investing in UC students whose interests are aligned with the myriad activities related to space exploration and aerospace systems.

SRIDE is delighted to announce its next class of student fellows; one undergraduate selected to receive a $3,000 Discovery Fellowship for the Fall 2022 semester and five graduate students selected for a full-year $24,000 Exploration Fellowship. Each fellow will embark on a research project aligned with the mission of SRIDE beginning this August.

“The Space Research Institute understands the importance of investing in our future thinkers, doers and makers,” says Vice President for Research Pat Limbach. “These students epitomize the creativity of our student researchers. It is critical that the University of Cincinnati ensure Ohio and our nation remain at the forefront of space exploration. These awards are one example of how we seek to create and train the workforce required to maintain space leadership.” 

The Space Research Institute, which officially launched in 2020, has participated in the Ohio Space Forum and organized and hosted a virtual forum on the Future of Aeronautics with the NASA Glenn Research Center.

This class of fellows are all from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, says SRIDE Director Charles Doarn, but he strongly encourages applicants from all colleges and disciplines around UC as space is a multidisciplinary frontier.

“Space exploration and discovery are not merely engineering constructs,” Doarn says. “We’re talking about human beings living in other parts of the universe, so there are many human factors that are important to study.” For example, one past recipient—a graduate student in political science—conducted a study on the reporting about space exploration by the U.S. mass media.

Without further ado, our Fall 2022 fellows:

SRIDE Fellowship for Exploration

(Open to graduate students.)

Shraddha Barawkar

College of Engineering & Applied Science, Mechanical Engineering

Project: NASA's Ingenuity on a leash!

$24,000

 

Andrew Barth

College of Engineering & Applied Science, Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Project: Cooperative Spacecraft Control for Close Proximity Operation

$24,000

 

Piero Paialunga

College of Engineering & Applied Science, Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Project: Surrogate Modelling for Structural Health Monitoring of Aerospace Assets

$24,000

 

Elizabeth Rochford

College of Engineering & Applied Science, Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Project: Systems Engineering for Refueling Satellites using AI Technology

$24,000

 

Matthew Verbryke

College of Engineering & Applied Science, Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Project: Towards Resilient Operations for Humanoid Space Robots

$24,000

 

SRIDE Fellowship for Discovery

(Open to undergraduate students.)

Rebecca Gilligan

Mechanical Engineering

College of Engineering & Applied Science

Project: Collaborative Multimodal System for Long-Distance Planetary Exploration 

$3,000

SRIDE accepts applications for the undergraduate Discovery Fellowship every fall and spring semester and applications for the graduate Exploration Fellowships each spring. For additional information visit our Funding Opportunities webpage.

For more information on SRIDE, visit our homepage.