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Oral History Interview with Marco Carvalho
No full textProfessor Marco Carvalho\u27s career at Florida Tech is a story of ascending from a research background into crisis-era administration, followed by a planned, but delayed, return to faculty. Originally from Brazil, he joined Florida Tech in 2010 after a successful career that included service in the Brazilian Navy, a master\u27s in mechanical engineering, software entrepreneurship in the US, and a decade as a principal investigator at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC). He quickly moved into leadership roles, serving as Dean of the College of Engineering and Science—a merger driven by financial necessity—before becoming Provost and Executive Vice President in 2020. In this role, he was central to the difficult and ultimately successful decision to keep the university open during the early, uncertain days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a choice he credits with the university\u27s survival and subsequent growth. This period also saw the painful necessity of staff and faculty reductions, and the eventual cutting of the football program for financial stability.
The sudden resignation of President McCay in 2022 led to Professor Carvalho serving as Acting President. This experience, while affirming his skill for operational leadership, confirmed his preference for research over the public-facing demands of the presidency. His subsequent plan to return to faculty was immediately postponed to establish FTRI (Florida Tech Research Institute), a separate entity needed to manage the university\u27s classified research after the new president declined the role of Senior Management Official (SMO). Looking forward, Professor Carvalho is highly optimistic about Florida Tech\u27s future, provided the institution maintains its strength in applied research and embraces a culture of administrative rotation and external hiring to ensure a constant influx of fresh perspectives and avoid repeating past mistakes
Impact of Climate Parameters on the Performance of Different Types of Refrigeration Systems
No full textThe research examines how climate change affects vapor-compression refrigeration system performance through evaluations of R-410A and R-32 and R-1234yf refrigerants. The research evaluates how future climate temperature projections affect the Coefficient of Performance (COP) and total efficiency of single-stage and two-stage standard and two-stage cascade cycles. The research used climate data from the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to study fifteen U.S. cities across different ASHRAE climate zones during three time periods from 1995 to 2004 and 2045 to 2054 and 2085 to 2094. The system behavior under different condenser temperatures was modeled through MATLAB simulations which used CoolProp to determine thermodynamic properties. The research shows that system efficiency decreases in all system configurations throughout different locations when future climate temperatures rise.
The efficiency of Miami and Tampa hot-humid regions decreases at the highest rate but Port Angeles and Tacoma experience minimal performance degradation because of their cool and marine climate conditions. R-32 produced the highest average COP because of its excellent thermophysical characteristics followed by R-410A but R1234yf produced the lowest COP while having a lower Global Warming Potential of 4.
The two-stage cascade cycle configuration demonstrated superior efficiency and climate resistance in all studied conditions by delivering 10-15% better performance than the single-stage system.
The research demonstrates that refrigerant choice together with system design configuration determine how well a system will adapt to projected climate changes. The research establishes numerical guidelines for building climate-resistant refrigeration systems which unite operational excellence with environmental responsibility
Three-Dimensional Boundary Value Problem for Linear Hyperbolic System
No full textTitle: Three-Dimensional Boundary Value Problems for Linear Hyperbolic Systems Author: Najma Alarbi Major Advisor: Dr. Tariel Kiguradze Initial–boundary value problems in a rectangular box Ω = [0, ω1] × [0, ω2] × [0, ω1] for linear hyperbolic systems are considered. For initial–boundary value problems with one–dimensional nonlocal conditions there are established: (i) Necessary and sufficient conditions of well–posedness; (ii) Necessary conditions of solvability; (iii) Effective sufficient conditions of solvability of two–point initial–boundary value problems; (iv) Effective sufficient conditions of solvability of initial–periodic problems; (v) Necessary and sufficient conditions of solvability of ill–posed initial–periodic problems. For initial–boundary value problems with two–dimensional nonlocal conditions there are established: (i) Necessary and sufficient conditions of well–posedness; (ii) Necessary conditions of solvability; (iii) Effective sufficient conditions of solvability of problems with Nicoletti type boundary conditions; (iv) Effective sufficient conditions of solvability of problems with doubly– periodic conditions; (v) Necessary and sufficient conditions of solvability of ill–posed problems with doubly–periodic conditions
The Effects of Aviation Environmental Knowledge and Ticket Price Increase on Willingness To Pay
Full text linkThere was no significant effect of aviation environmental knowledge on willingness to pay (WTP; p = .20); however, there was a significant effect on WTP by ticket price increases (p = .02) between 0 and 15%. This suggests that price is a stronger driver than awareness of environmental impact when paying for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
Supersonic Shock Tube
Full text linkImportance: Shock Tubes are an alternative way to cut the cost of flight testing in supersonic and hypersonic flight regimes by creating shock waves that can be studied on the ground in a safer manner. Motivation: Build a supersonic shock tube with an accessible test section to better understand and study supersonic flows, experimentation & data analysis, and shock wave visualization techniques
Observational Testing of Stochastic Heating in Solar Wind
Full text linkSolar Wind -Streams of plasma that travel from the sun’s corona. -Expansion in vacuum would imply adiabatic cooling. -Measurement of the plasma shows cooling is slower than adiabatic. -Suggests a heating mechanism in the solar wind. Stochastic Heating -Alfvén wave dissipation causes turbulent fluctuations in the plasma. -Fluctuations near particle gyration radius disrupt particle motion. -Random motions lead to increased particle kinetic energy, causing heating
Luminosity Fluctuations of Objects Within M87
Full text linkM87 is a large elliptical galaxy located in the Virgo cluster with an active galactic nucleus (AGN) that exhibits jet activity. The combination of the galaxy’s proximity to the Milky Way, its brightness, and the mass of its AGN (6.5*10^9 solar masses) makes it a prime target for AGN research. These jets and other AGN activities can cause fluctuations in the luminosity of the galaxy, which is especially noticeable in X-ray bands. The M87’s jet contains several knots that can fluctuate. The Chandra X-ray telescope, deployed in 1999, can detect X-ray emissions with an energy range of 0.1 to 10 keV. Different detectors can create observations from images to spectra. The imaging telescope system has a 1-degree diameter field of view and a focal length of 10 meters
Little Hearts
Full text linkCongenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of birth defects. Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a critical CHD that requires timely intervention. Fetal echocardiography, a key screening tool for CHD, is not performed until the 20 week mark in the second trimester, limiting early detection. Our team aims to enable CHD detection as early as the first trimester
PantherFIT
Full text linkPantherFIT is a mobile-first fitness app designed to enhance the Clemente Center’s gym experience for users. Gym-goers can access personalized workout plans, track progress, view equipment tutorials, and monitor real-time gym traffic using Google location API. PantherFit aims to address common gym challenges like overcrowding, lack of guidance, and difficulty tracking progress. It creates a smarter, more supportive gym environment tailored to individual needs