Sanders receives NSF Award

Scott Sanders, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering who is affiliated with the Engine Research Center, has received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his work on laser-based sensors. Funding of $409,400 over five years will support his project, which aims to develop laser-based sensors for monitoring gas and liquid.

The project will enhance the use of laser sensors as a diagnostic tool. Most sensors measure either continuous data (a single-shot image of gas temperature, for example) or spatially resolved data (such as a time history of temperature at a certain point). Sanders says his project will combine these two approaches. In addition, the project will lead to a graduate-level course in optical techniques and provide research opportunities for undergraduate students.