Greg O'Neill: "Aviation and Environment"

Speaker Bio: Greg O’Neill is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Bucknell University. His research focuses on sustainable aviation. He completed his SM and PhD in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at MIT, working on research projects spanning both space systems and aircraft design. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT to further his research on aviation and the environment. Before teaching at Bucknell, he was an engineering design consultant, specializing in the design and analysis of aerospace and mechanical systems. At Bucknell, Greg teaches mechanical and aerospace courses, including an AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition class and a fundamentals of aircraft design class.

Abstract: The environment is becoming an increasingly important consideration for the design of aerospace systems. Aircraft produce significant amounts of harmful emissions, and this research provides potential solutions to reduce them. This research consists of four projects, all of which focus on aviation and the environment. Projects are the design of a fuel-efficient vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) jet engine; the replacement of petrol aircraft with electric aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS); morphing aircraft to reduce aircraft fuel consumption; and energy recovery methods for harnessing wasted energy from an aircraft and using it to increase the performance of aircraft.