Principal Investigator
Namiko Yamamoto
Email: nuy12 (at) psu.edu
Phone: (814) 867-5775
Office: 232A Hammond
Namiko Yamamoto is an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Penn State University. She received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. After the post-doc experiences in Caltech and NASA JPL, she started her faculty appointment in July 2014. She is also an adjunct researcher at Research Institute for Automotive New Materials and Production Technology at Waseda University (June 2019-Present). Yamamoto also organizes activities for the AeroWomen group, together with Dr. Susan Stewart.
Assistant Research Professor
Vishnu Saseendran, PhD
Email: vms5575 (at) psu.edu
Phone: (814) 867-5777
Office: 210 Engr Unit C
Vishnu Saseendran is a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State. He received Ph.D. from the Technical University of Denmark in 2017. His Thesis focused on development of fracture mechanics based methodologies to study damage in sandwich composites used in aircraft control surfaces. He also earned a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands in 2014. Vishnu moved to Wichita in 2018 as a Research Engineer at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), Wichita State University, where he researched on damage and fracture mechanics-based problems associated with composite materials. He collaborates extensively with the ASTM D30 sub-committee, Composites Materials Handbook (CMH-17) content development and he is also part of the FAA led sandwich disbond working group.
Graduate Students
Ricardo Braga Nogueira Branco
Email: rbb5221 (at) psu.edu
Phone: (814) 867-5777
Office: 210 Engr Unit C
Ricardo Branco is a MS student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. He has been interested in nanotechnology and its various applications, especially in aerospace designs, for a long time. He is also interested in space systems and advanced propulsion systems. Ricardo was born in Brazil and came to the U.S. for university studies. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, spending time with friends, and occasionally go snowboarding.
Undergraduate Students
Thomas Barkauskas
Thomas Barkauskas is a third-year undergraduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. A Schreyer Honors College scholar, he has a passion for Space Vehicles and exploration with a particular interest in composites and their future applications. Thomas is currently a member of SEDS as well as the Men’s Club Lacrosse Team. In his free time, Thomas loves to work out, spend time with family and friends, and cook.
Claire DiPerna
Claire DiPerna is an undergraduate student in the department of Aerospace Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. She has a passion for implementing methods of sustainability in Advanced Air Mobility as well as designing habitable structures to colonize the Moon and Mars. During her time at Penn State, she has gotten involved with the NASA Space Grant Consortium and the Society of Women in Engineering THON. In her free time, she enjoys travel, running, designing clothing, and reading her favorite science fiction novels.
Jordan Sprague
Jordan Sprague is a third-year undergraduate student studying aerospace engineering at Penn State University. She is passionate about pushing the boundaries of space exploration and spacecraft/aircraft design. She is interested in aerodynamics and aircraft structures. Jordan is currently a part of SEDS, Society of Women Engineers, and Engineers Without Borders. In her free time, she likes to read, spend time with her family, and take her dog paddle boarding.
Miles Taylor
Miles Taylor is a third-year student studying aerospace engineering at Penn State University. He wants to develop efficient and reliable air-breathing hypersonic engine technology. He is interested in aerodynamics and orbital mechanics. In his time at Penn State, Miles has worked as a tutor for the Office of Veterans Programs, and is currently working in a joint research lab with the Applied Research Laboratory. In his free time, Miles is especially passionate about fishing, camping, and exploring.
Lab Alum
- Samantha Krakovsky (Summer REU 2023), currently an undergrad student in U Maryland.
- Chloé Zarader (MS in Aug 2023), currently a PhD student at UIUC
- Grace Mu (BS in May 2023), currently at Boeing.
- Cole Pawlak (BS in May 2023), currently a grad student at UIUC.
- Kohei Oyama (MS in May 2022)
- Arya Roessler (MS in May 2022), currently at Blue Origin (FL)
- Yagmur Atescan (PhD in December 2021), currently a research fellow at Cranfield University (UK)
- Charis Lin (PhD in December 2021), currently at UES, Inc. (Dayton OH).
- Jung Eun Park (BS in May 2021), graduate school at Stanford (Pal Alto, CA).
- Jingyao Dai (PhD in December 2020), currently a postdoc at MIT Wardle’s group (Cambridge MA).
- Mychal P. Spencer (PhD in August 2019), currently at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Richland, WA)
- Melissa Rudolph (BS in May 2019), currently at Lockheed Martin (King of Prussia, PA)
- Shreya Trivedi (MS in May 2018), currently at Lockheed Martin (CT).
- Steven Ceneviva (BS in May 2017), currently at the US government (Washington DC).
- David Gao (BS in May 2017), currently in the Air Force training program (FL).
- Jatin Haibat (MS in Aug 2016), currently at Tesla (Pal Alto, CA).