Adam Grasch from Kentucky in the US will join the University’s Department of Aerospace Engineering as a Research Collaborator later this month, where he will be working to quantify the control characteristics and aeroelastic phenomena of deformed or morphing wing shapes. His work will contribute towards a research project on the design and build of aircraft whose wings can change shape and configuration mid-flight, making possible tremendous gains in fuel efficiency and performance.
Adam was selected from a record number of applications to receive the US-UK Fulbright Commission award, which is offered to a US citizen for the first year of a postgraduate degree or research programme at the University of Bristol.
Fulbright Scholarships are awarded to people from any area of scholarship or research who are or have the potential to become leaders in their field. Fulbright scholars represent a broad range of geographic regions, institutions in the US and UK, fields of study and backgrounds and make vital contributions to today’s global challenges, such as the economic crisis, HIV/AIDS and global warming.
Adam graduated with distinction from Duke University in 2010 with a BSE in Mechanical Engineering, where he performed research under Dr Earl Dowell on the aeroelasticity of extremely high aspect-ratio wings as a Pratt Undergraduate Research Fellow and NAE Grand Challenge Scholar. Adam has also worked on forklift, military helicopter and inflatable aircraft design and has had an avid interest in the pursuit of aerospace engineering and aircraft design since he was a small child.
Adam’s other primary interests include lacrosse, literature and philanthropy – while at Duke he captained the men’s club lacrosse team and helped establish and lead Duke’s largest anti-AIDS charity.
Adam said: “I feel that Bristol University’s Department of Aerospace Engineering is among the best in the world to support the pursuit of this project and I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to undertake research here.”
Dr Mark Lowenberg, Head of Aerospace Engineering at the University, said: "Adam is to be warmly congratulated on being awarded the Fulbright Commission Scholarship, he is ideally suited to the planned research on analysis and design of morphing aircraft and I very much look forward to working with him."