Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine Lab was founded in 2012 in the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Lab (DOE-NETL) and Pratt & Whitney. The turbine testing facility was designed to perform turbine heat transfer studies, along with instrumentation development and integration of additive manufacturing to increase the speed in advancing turbine research. A $26 million commitment from Pratt & Whitney, the Federal Aviation Administration the DOE-NETL and Penn State will support the expansion of the START Lab and the creation of START+. START Lab Director and Penn State Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering Karen Thole answered a few questions about gas turbine technologies, the START Lab and the upcoming expansion.