Army Research Laboratory wins DOD grants for summer interns

By David McNally, ARL Public AffairsMarch 14, 2016

Army Research Laboratory wins DOD grants for summer interns
Dr. Anindya Ghoshal (left) and Dr. Luis Bravo will receive funding from the DOD High Performance Computing Internship Program to mentor two summer interns at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory Vehicle Technology Directorate based on their research pro... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (March 14, 2016) -- The Department of Defense announced winners for its High Performance Computing Internship Program, or HIP, Feb 18, 2016.

The HIP program provides interns with "the computational skills and experience necessary to support the DOD's future warfighter needs," according to the announcement.

The Air Force won grants for 11 interns and the Navy and Army won 10 each. Of the Army interns, six will work at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at APG.

Drs. Luis Bravo and Anindya Ghoshal, from the ARL Vehicle Technology Directorate, will receive funding to mentor two interns based on their research proposal, "High Fidelity Simulation of Engine Jet Combustion and Application to Turbomachinery."

"The interns will conduct novel research in turbulent reacting jet flow modeling at diesel conditions to evaluate and enhance existing capabilities; as well engine rotor blade optimization flow modeling with actuation within a rotorcraft engine operating under a degraded environment," Bravo said.

Drs. Matthew Floros and Hao Kang, also from ARL-VTD, will receive funding for one intern based on their research proposal, "Tiltrotor Whirl Flutter Analysis with Computational Fluid Dynamics and Computational Structural Dynamics Coupling."

"This will enable us fund a summer intern for research in rotorcraft modeling and simulation," Floros said. "The student will work on high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics research of tiltrotor aircraft stability. A tiltrotor vehicle concept is one of the configurations selected for the Army's Joint Multirole Technology Demonstrator program."

Dr. James Larentzos, from the ARL Weapons and Materials Research Directorate will mentor an intern based on his research proposal, "Molecular simulation of thermal transport in mechanically-stressed energetic materials under pressure: Polycrystalline nitromethane with complex interfaces."

Larentzos said the grant develops the skills of future computational scientists and provides an opportunity for a prospective DOD employee to experience defense-related research and development.

"Our computational research program in energetic materials benefits tremendously through all the computational resources, support staff and funding provided by the DOD High Performance Computing Modernization Program," Larentzos said. "We are extremely grateful to the HPCMP for the opportunity to mentor a student. We are excited to take part in a challenging and rewarding HPC project that will further support the DOD's future warfighter needs."

Drs. Mark Tschopp and Shawn Coleman, ARL-WMRD, also submitted a winning proposal, "Atomistic Understanding of the Role of Grain Boundary Structure in Lightweight Armor Systems," and garnered funding for two interns.

"ARL-WMRD has a clear need for lightweight materials that are used for both vehicle and Soldier protection while making sure that these materials retain the appropriate ballistic and blast response under the extreme dynamic environment," Tschopp said. "It is expected that the internship will introduce graduate students to both developing and utilizing DOD HPCMP resources in support of ARL's mission while exposing them to what a career as a computational materials scientist at ARL is like."

Deborah Schwartz, associate director for Workforce Development, DOD High Performance Computing Modernization Program, congratulated the teams on winning the funding.

"It is my expectation that all of the FY16 HIP interns will find their experience challenging and rewarding, and it is my sincere hope that they will become a part of our DOD workforce and HPCMP community upon graduation," she wrote.

HIP is one of several programs that the High Performance Computing Modernization Office provides to promote state-of-the-art computational research within the DOD, she said.

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The U.S. Army Research Laboratory is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Related Links:

Army Technology Live

U.S. Army Research Laboratory

U.S. Army Materiel Command

Army.mil: Science and Technology News

U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command

DOD High Performance Computing Modernization Program