Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Annual Report Annual Report 2016 | Page 12

EES The EES Thrust Area's focus is to understand, develop, and apply the basic principles of science and engineering to the very broad field of energy. We use these principles to develop technologies for the efficient and sustainable use and conversion of energy with the goal of meeting the challenges posed by dwindling resources, rising prices, and environmental impacts. Teaching and research include the following disciplines: equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics, hea t transfer, fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, materials, and combustion and fire dynamics. Energy Engineering and Science Professor Michael von Spakovsky EES Coordinator Applications at all scales from the microscopic to the macroscopic include: energy storage (e.g., batteries, metal hydrides, pump storage, super-capacitors, etc.), fuel cells, propulsion, turbo-machinery, renewable energy, thermoelectric and solar energy harvesting, multi-disciplinary design analysis and optimization of grid/micro-grid and high performance aircraft and stationary systems, etc. Numerous multi- and cross-disciplinary collaborations between faculty and students exist within the EES Thrust Area and across thrust areas and new ones are always being encouraged due to the pervasiveness of energy and its impact on all mechanical engineering disciplines and applications. Without a doubt, ENERGY is the future and through innovation, we will help to invent it.