SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “physics education”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 433 records · Page 24

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2004

Design and Evaluation of Modifications to the NASA Langley Flow Impedance Tube

The need to minimize fan noise radiation from commercial aircraft engine nacelles continues to provide an impetus for developing new acoustic liner concepts. If the full value of such concepts is to be attained, an understanding of grazing flow effects is crucial. Because of this need for improved understanding of grazing flow effects, the NASA Langley Research Center Liner Physics Group has invested a large effort over the past decade into the development of a 2-D finite element method that characterizes wave propagation through a lined duct. The original test section in the Langley Grazing IncidenceTube was used to acquire data needed for implementation of this finite element method. This test section employed a stepper motor-driven axial-traversing bar, embedded in the wall opposite the test liner, to position a flush-mounted microphone at pre-selected locations. Complex acoustic pressure data acquired with this traversing microphone were used to educe the acoustic impedance of test liners using this 2-D finite element method and a local optimization technique. Results acquired in this facility have been extensively reported, and were compared with corresponding results from various U.S. aeroacoustics laboratories in the late 1990 s. Impedance data comparisons acquired from this multi-laboratory study suggested that it would be valuable to incorporate more realistic 3-D aeroacoustic effects into the impedance eduction methodology. This paper provides a description of modifications that have been implemented to facilitate studies of 3-D effects. The two key features of the modified test section are (1) the replacement of the traversing bar and its flush-mounted microphone with an array of 95 fixed-location microphones that are flush-mounted in all four walls of the duct, and (2) the inclusion of a suction device to modify the boundary layer upstream of the lined portion of the duct. The initial results achieved with the modified test section are provided in this report, and a comparison of these results with those achieved using the original test section is used to demonstrate that the data acquisition and analysis with the new test section can be confidently used for impedance eduction.

Jones, Michael G.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Kristian Birkeland - The man and the scientist

A review is presented of Birkeland's outstanding contributions to auroral theory and, in particular, to the foundation of modern magnetospheric physics. Birkeland's first years in research, after a study of mathematics and theoretical physics at the university, were concerned with Maxwell's theory, the investigation of electromagnetic waves in conductors, wave propagation in space, an energy transfer by means of electromagnetic waves, and a general expression for the Poynting vector. Experiments with cathode rays near a magnet in 1895, led Birkeland to the development of an auroral theory. This theory represented the first detailed, realistic explanation of the creation of an aurora. Attention is given to experiments conducted to verify the theory, the discovery of the polar elementary storm, and the deduction of auroral electric currents. Birkeland's background and education is also considered along with his personality.

Egeland, A.↗

NASA NTRS2017

DART Core/Combustor-Noise Initial Test Results

Contributions from the combustor to the overall propulsion noise of civilian transport aircraft are starting to become important due to turbofan design trends and advances in mitigation of other noise sources. Future propulsion systems for ultra-efficient commercial air vehicles are projected to be of increasingly higher bypass ratio from larger fans combined with much smaller cores, with ultra-clean burning fuel-flexible combustors. Unless effective noise-reduction strategies are developed, combustor noise is likely to become a prominent contributor to overall airport community noise in the future. The new NASA DGEN Aero0propulsion Research Turbofan (DART) is a cost-efficient testbed for the study of core-noise physics and mitigation. This presentation gives a brief description of the recently completed DART core combustor-noise baseline test in the NASA GRC Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL). Acoustic data was simultaneously acquired using the AAPL overhead microphone array in the engine aft quadrant far field, a single midfield microphone, and two semi-infinite-tube unsteady pressure sensors at the core-nozzle exit. An initial assessment shows that the data is of high quality and compares well with results from a quick 2014 feasibility test. Combustor noise components of measured total-noise signatures were educed using a two-signal source-separation method an dare found to occur in the expected frequency range. The research described herein is aligned with the NASA Ultra-Efficient Commercial Transport strategic thrust and is supported by the NASA Advanced Air Vehicle Program, Advanced Air Transport Technology Project, under the Aircraft Noise Reduction Subproject.

Aeroacoustics↗

DOE OSTI2025

Low-energy calibration of SuperCDMS HVeV cryogenic silicon calorimeters using Compton steps

Cryogenic calorimeters for low-mass dark matter searches have achieved sub-eV energy resolutions, driving advances in both low-energy calibration techniques and our understanding of detector physics. The energy deposition spectrum of gamma rays scattering off target materials exhibits step-like features, known as Compton steps, near the binding energies of atomic electrons. Here, we demonstrate a successful use of Compton steps for sub-keV calibration of cryogenic silicon calorimeters, utilizing four SuperCDMS High-Voltage eV-resolution detectors operated with 0 V bias across the crystal. This new calibration at 0 V is compared with the established high-voltage calibration using optical photons. The comparison indicates that the detector response at 0 V is about 30% weaker than expected, highlighting challenges in detector response modeling for low-mass dark matter searches.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Introducing Quantum Entanglement and Superposition to Secondary School Students Using Portable, Hands-on Exhibits

Historically, the teaching of quantum mechanics has been reserved for advanced undergraduate physics courses, mostly due to how far removed from classical intuition the subject is. Extensive mathematical background is usually a prerequisite for college-level introductory quantum mechanics courses. However, several ways to introduce quantum mechanics at the secondary school level have been suggested and developed. Unlike most other topics in physics, it is difficult to find intuitive examples of quantum phenomena outside of a specialized laboratory; additionally, straightforward hands-on demonstrations, activities, and experiments are somewhat limited.

Educational aids↗

DOE OSTI2020

Software-defined network for end-to-end networked science at the exascale

Domain science applications and workflow processes are currently forced to view the network as an opaque infrastructure into which they inject data and hope that it emerges at the destination with an acceptable Quality of Experience. There is little ability for applications to interact with the network to exchange information, negotiate performance parameters, discover expected performance metrics, or receive status/troubleshooting information in real time. The work presented here is motivated by a vision for a new smart network and smart application ecosystem that will provide a more deterministic and interactive environment for domain science workflows. The Software-Defined Network for End-to-end Networked Science at Exascale (SENSE) system includes a model-based architecture, implementation, and deployment which enables automated end- to-end network service instantiation across administrative domains. An intent based interface allows applications to express their high-level service requirements, an intelligent orchestrator and resource control systems allow for custom tailoring of scalability and real-time responsiveness based on individual application and infrastructure operator requirements. This allows the science applications to manage the network as a first-class schedulable resource as is the current practice for instruments, compute, and storage systems. Deployment and experiments on production networks and testbeds have validated SENSE functions and performance. Emulation based testing verified the scalability needed to support research and education infrastructures. Key contributions of this work include an architecture definition, reference implementation, and deployment. This provides the basis for further innovation of smart network services to accelerate scientific discovery in the era of big data, cloud computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS1981

University/industry collaboration in remote sensing education

A graduate level course covering the development and structure of geographical information systems and the acquisition and processing of LANDSAT data for input to these systems is described. A portion of the course was devoted to hands-on classification of LANDSAT digital tapes utilizing both university and private industry processing systems. This industry/university collaboration was extremely successful and resulted in a high quality course. It gave the students an excellent experience in working in a real-world client/consultant relationship undertaken to accomplish a specific task. There were two key factors in the success of the collaboration. First, there was a very careful product definition and advance meetings between the University faculty and the company personnel to be involved. Second, the students were not taken into the industrial facility until late in the course, after they had a reasonable knowledge of the physical bases of remote sensing, the concept of spectral signatures, and the fundamentals of pattern analysis.

Ragan, R. M.↗

DOE OSTI2026

The Next Stage for Smart Cities: Metrics to Spur an Evolution from Technology for Efficiency to Technology for People's Needs

The Smart Cities movement is about a decade old, energized by the USDOT Smart Cities grant that sparked cities to dream big. Now, 10 years later, and multitudes of conferences and papers later, the biggest question regarding Smart Cities is whether any progress has been made? Smart Cities forums are typically led by the technology sector, either telecommunications, internet access, or most recently artificial intelligence (AI) concerns. Each of these areas have grown and found new applications in the context of Smart Cities, however, these technology applications are just tools toward ends. Do digital communications and assistance enable or foster improved access to real, tactile, non-virtual goods and services such as transportation, food, housing, trash removal, health care, education, social interaction? These and other topics are not 'big tech', but are each critical to quality of life outcomes and are day-to-day necessities, comprising many of the touch points through which citizens interact with municipal agencies. Regarding Smart Cities, relationships have not been fully refined as to how best to merge the emerging generation of technology and related trends with more mundane but essential requirements of tactile services. How should municipal managers and operators bring the range of new technology tools (e.g. on-demand transit, automated vehicles, digital connectivity) to bear to improve functions serving real- physical- non-virtual needs? How do we make cities more efficient in providing access to services and opportunities for improved quality of life? This paper examines the current Smart City movement, emerging trends, and the need to put metrics with respect to the delivery, access, and provision of real-life needs. Using a few case studies of past, present, and projected future scenarios, this paper attempts to bring Smart Cities into the real cities domain, perhaps pushing the moniker away from 'Smart' to 'Efficient' - something that can be measured, counted, and assessed. Through the consideration of the next stage of the evolution of cities from 'Smart' to 'Efficient', the combined efforts and experience of multiple researchers at the NREL and their network of collaborators highlights the need for updates metrics that can be used to start guiding efforts toward productive initiatives to improve quality of life.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2020

SEE LANL: Student Educational Experience at LANL [PowerPoint]

SEE LANL is designed to provide university students a hands-on nuclear safeguards training course based on the courses given to all IAEA inspectors. It aims to encourage networking and collaborations between university students/professors and laboratory staff, introduce students to the variety of safeguards-related technical work at LANL and provides early-career technical staff an opportunity to teach. Further details on the program are provided.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of the Inaugural Space Health Impacts for the NASA Experience (SHINE) Training Program – Virtual Space Radiation Curriculum

The Space Radiation Element part of NASA Human Research Program initiated a virtual, annual space radiation curriculum. The SHINE space radiation curriculum aims to educate participants not only in the scientific aspects of space radiation but also in the agency’s risk management strategies. SHINE combines weekly seminars by speakers from NASA, other government agencies, academia, and industry, with networking sessions designed to foster collaboration between participants and interactions with NASA scientists. A total of 59 applications were received from which 25 participants were selected. The 25 participants, with citizenship from a total of 8 countries, are composed of 5 graduate students, 4 postdocs, 11 scientists and 5 professors/medical doctors. Participants have a wide range of expertise including molecular and cellular biology, microbiology, botany, physiology, engineering, physics, aerospace medicine, planetary science, biostatistics, and modeling. The inaugural course ran weekly from February 2023 to August 2023 and was comprised of lectures, less formal coffee hours and office hours. The topics covered ranged from space environments to health effects to granting opportunities. The second annual SHINE training program is scheduled from February to August 2024. In addition, a separate competitive practicum session, to allow participants to gain hands-on radiation experience, will be held Fall 2024 at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL).

Janice A. Zawask↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Overview of The Inaugural Space Health Impacts for the NASA Experience (SHINE) Training Program - Virtual Space Radiation Curriculum

SHINE↗

DOE OSTI2021

EHS Health Assessment & Health Action Plan Report (CY 2020)

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Employee Health Services (EHS) program believes that good health is essential to getting the most out of life, which is why we offer a variety of worksite wellness programs that put employees in control of their own health. These programs are based on current research and strategies that are proven to minimize risk and decrease the impact of illness through early detection and treatment. Services includes Health Assessments, the Virgin Pulse (VP) online wellness platform, and Health Action Plans (HAP) which include one-on-one education, organizational health initiatives, a video library, an events calendar, onsite fitness facilities, and group fitness classes. Participation in these programs help employees and their spouses earn funding for their Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs). The EHS Health Action Plan (HAP) initiative targets the key health risks identified through the 8-15-80 model by engaging employees to change their own healthcare story. EHS identified the most prevalent of the health risks amongst our population through Health Risk Assessment (HRA) and used that data to build Health Action Plans (HAPs). The 2020 Health Action Plans addressed improving upon inadequate sleep, lack of energy, stress, weight, physical inactivity, cardiometabolic issues (hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes), low back pain, allergies, asthma, digestive health, tobacco use, and living well to maintaining low risk for those individuals who do not have a chronic condition to manage. These plans connect employees with our onsite registered dietitians, fitness professionals, health coaches, physical therapists, and physicians as appropriate. In addition to addressing the physical aspects of health, the plans also emphasized pre/post-assessments to encourage building behavioral and emotional skills that promote health and facilitate lifestyle changes over a minimum of three months. Just one risk reduction or behavior change can make an impact on the health of the participant’s Division as well as Sandia’s overall risk levels and ultimately its healthcare costs. Sandia employees achieved an Overall Wellness Score of 69 based on the WellSource Health Assessment (the same as last year). A score of 70-100 is considered “Doing Well”, and a score of 40-69 is in the “Caution” category. Overall in CY 2019, Sandia saw a 34% participation rate in Health Action Plan (HAP) programs (up from 33% in CY 2019) with an 89% completion rate (4% lower than CY 2019). Overall, 5,039 (347 more than CY 2019) individuals participated in 8,329 HAPs, which is 1,005 more than the last calendar year (7,324).

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Plasma Science: Enabling Technology, Sustainability, Security, and Exploration

The Plasma2020 decadal report took a forward-looking, interagency perspective on how the different elements that constitute plasma science provide a broad interdisciplinary driver for capitalizing on future opportunities in the scientific community. Goals of the study were to (1) provide a retrospective survey of the field of plasma science; (2) illustrate the vibrant connections that unify the field of plasma science; (3) offer a vision for future developments in plasma science, such as those related to organizational structure, program balance, and funding; (4) provide an assessment of the demographic characteristics and human resource development of the field, such as those related to workforce, educational, and other societal needs; and (5) make recommendations to balance the objectives of the field in a sustainable and healthy manner over the long term. The resulting report was composed in a style accessible to the non-scientist reader. With this approach, a broad audience can understand the importance of plasma science and what researchers in the field want to learn in the coming decades.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2011

Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program, Version 5.0-Educational

The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) is a finite-volume based general-purpose computer program for analyzing steady state and time-dependent flow rates, pressures, temperatures, and concentrations in a complex flow network. The program is capable of modeling real fluids with phase changes, compressibility, mixture thermodynamics, conjugate heat transfer between solid and fluid, fluid transients, pumps, compressors and external body forces such as gravity and centrifugal. The thermofluid system to be analyzed is discretized into nodes, branches, and conductors. The scalar properties such as pressure, temperature, and concentrations are calculated at nodes. Mass flow rates and heat transfer rates are computed in branches and conductors. The graphical user interface allows users to build their models using the point, drag and click method; the users can also run their models and post-process the results in the same environment. The integrated fluid library supplies thermodynamic and thermo-physical properties of 36 fluids and 21 different resistance/source options are provided for modeling momentum sources or sinks in the branches. This Technical Memorandum illustrates the application and verification of the code through 12 demonstrated example problems.

Majumdar, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS2016

An Interdisciplinary Method for the Visualization of Novel High-Resolution Precision Photography and Micro-XCT Data Sets of NASA's Apollo Lunar Samples and Antarctic Meteorite Samples to Create Combined Research-Grade 3D Virtual Samples for the Benefit of Astromaterials Collections Conservation, Curation, Scientific Research and Education

New technologies make possible the advancement of documentation and visualization practices that can enhance conservation and curation protocols for NASA's Astromaterials Collections. With increasing demands for accessibility to updated comprehensive data, and with new sample return missions on the horizon, it is of primary importance to develop new standards for contemporary documentation and visualization methodologies. Our interdisciplinary team has expertise in the fields of heritage conservation practices, professional photography, photogrammetry, imaging science, application engineering, data curation, geoscience, and astromaterials curation. Our objective is to create virtual 3D reconstructions of Apollo Lunar and Antarctic Meteorite samples that are a fusion of two state-of-the-art data sets: the interior view of the sample by collecting Micro-XCT data and the exterior view of the sample by collecting high-resolution precision photography data. These new data provide researchers an information-rich visualization of both compositional and textural information prior to any physical sub-sampling. Since January 2013 we have developed a process that resulted in the successful creation of the first image-based 3D reconstruction of an Apollo Lunar Sample correlated to a 3D reconstruction of the same sample's Micro- XCT data, illustrating that this technique is both operationally possible and functionally beneficial. In May of 2016 we began a 3-year research period during which we aim to produce Virtual Astromaterials Samples for 60 high-priority Apollo Lunar and Antarctic Meteorite samples and serve them on NASA's Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation website. Our research demonstrates that research-grade Virtual Astromaterials Samples are beneficial in preserving for posterity a precise 3D reconstruction of the sample prior to sub-sampling, which greatly improves documentation practices, provides unique and novel visualization of the sample's interior and exterior features, offers scientists a preliminary research tool for targeted sub-sample requests, and additionally is a visually engaging interactive tool for bringing astromaterials science to the public.

Blumenfeld, E. H.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Optimization of X-ray event screening using ground and in-orbit data for the Resolve instrument onboard the XRISM satellite

The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) satellite was successfully launched and put into a low-Earth orbit on September 6, 2023 (UT). The Resolve instrument onboard XRISM hosts an X-ray microcalorimeter detector, which was designed to achieve a high-resolution ( ≤ 7 eV FWHM at 6 keV), high-throughput, and non-dispersive spectroscopy over a wide energy range. It also excels in a low background with a requirement of < 2 × 10 -3 s -1 keV -1 (0.3 to 12.0 keV), which is equivalent to only one background event per spectral bin per 100-ks exposure. Event screening to discriminate X-ray events from background is a key to meeting the requirement. We present the result of the Resolve event screening using data sets recorded on the ground and in orbit based on the heritage of the preceding X-ray microcalorimeter missions, in particular, the Soft X-ray Spectrometer onboard ASTRO-H. We optimize and evaluate 19 screening items of three types based on (1) the event pulse shape, (2) relative arrival times among multiple events, and (3) good time intervals. We show that the initial screening, which is applied for science data products in the performance verification phase, reduces the background rate to 1.8 × 10 -3 s -1 keV -1 meeting the requirement. We further evaluate the additional screening utilizing the correlation among some pulse shape properties of X-ray events and show that it further reduces the background rate, particularly in the < 2 keV band. Over 0.3 to 12 keV, the background rate becomes 1.0 × 10 -3 s -1 keV -1 .

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

NASA NTRS2002

Enhancing Science Teacher Training Using Water Resources and GLOBE

Heritage College, located on the Yakama Indian Reservation in south central Washington state, serves a multicultural, underserved, rural population and trains teachers to staff the disadvantaged school districts on and surrounding the reservation. In-service teachers and pre-service teachers in the area show strength in biology but have weak backgrounds in chemistry and mathematics. We are addressing this problem by providing a 2-year core of courses for 3 groups of 25 students (15 pre-service and 10 in-service teachers) using GLOBE to teach integrated physical science and mathematics. At the conclusion of the program, the students will qualify for science certification by Washington State. Water resources are the focal point of the curriculum because it is central to life in our desert area. The lack or excess of water, its uses, quality and distribution is being studied by using GIS, remote sensing and historical records. Students are learning the methodology to incorporate scientific protocols and data into all aspects of their future teaching curriculum. In addition, in each of the three years of the project, pre-service teachers attended a seminar series during the fall semester with presentations by collaborators from industry, agriculture, education and government agencies. Students used NASA educational materials in the presentations that they gave at the conclusion of the seminar series. All pre- and in-service teachers continue to have support via a local web site for Heritage College GLOBE participants.

Falco, James W.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program, Version 5.0-Educational. Supplemental Information for NASA/TM-2011-216470

Majumdar, A. K.↗