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����ɫ�� aerospace engineering senior Andy Huynh had never presented a conference paper before, and didn’t know what to expect. But what he really didn’t expect was receiving the conference’s Best Student Paper Award.

“I was shocked at first, but I soon became beyond elated that my hard work paid off,” said Huynh, who has been working with Assistant Professor Joseph Kalman in his Solid Propulsion and Combustion Lab since May 2019.

Huynh presented his paper, “Computational Study of Ethane-Heated Air Counterflow Diffusion Flames,” at the virtual Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force (JANNAF) meeting on Dec. 11. JANNAF provides a forum for discussion of propulsion issues, challenges, and opportunities across military departments, defense agencies, and NASA.

Kalman said he was impressed that Huynh was able to do graduate-level research while still an undergraduate.

“Andy has been able to design and use new scientific equipment and codes in the lab, as well as dig into the details of combustion chemistry, in the work he presented at JANNAF,” said Kalman. “From the outside, it may not seem like a big challenge, but it involves learning concepts well beyond the undergraduate curriculum and a lot of dedication. These accomplishments are what one would expect out of a good graduate student.”

Huynh, a member of the ����ɫ�� chapters of AIAA and Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), said he’s appreciated gaining research experience at ����ɫ��. “Through Dr. Kalman, I learned to look for answers to a problem in a new light and to critically investigate outside of textbook common knowledge. In writing the conference paper, I learned to communicate my ideas effectively.”

Because his research is computational and done on a personal computer, it hasn’t been affected by the pandemic.

After he graduates this month, Huynh said he’ll continue his research work in Dr. Kalman’s lab while applying to Ph.D. programs in aerospace engineering. Ultimately, he’d like to work as a propulsion engineer with the Department of Defense or one of the space companies.