IRES Students

Nicholas Lopes is a first-year Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He earned his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Embry-Riddle in 2020 and 2023, respectively. Under the advisement of Dr. Sandra Boetcher and Dr. Mark Ricklick, Nicholas studies the thermophysical phenomena of supercritical fluids and their application to refrigeration and power generations systems. In his free time, Nicholas enjoys disc golf, long-distance running, reading and hanging with friends. He is very excited for the opportunity to apply his knowledge of heat transfer and aerodynamics to optimize combustor film cooling techniques for jet engines at DLR in Germany this summer.

Nikolas Hulliger is a first-year graduate student at the University of Central Florda (UCF), studying aerospace engineering. He received his undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering at UCF in 2023. Nikolas is currently conducting research at the High-Pressure Extended Range Shock Tube for Advanced Research (HiPER-STAR) facility under the advisement of Dr. Subith Vasu. His research specializes in chemical kinetic analysis, and laser and photonics diagnostics during combustion events. Nikolas has contributed work towards two journal publications and several conference papers, while also being the lead author on his own conference paper. When Nikolas is not at the lab, he enjoys spending time at the beach, playing soccer and racing go-karts.

Justin Astacio is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. He is part of the research project (NASA Human Lander Challenge) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University looking to mitigate lunar damage on the undercarriage of a lander using different types of coating. He specializes in Lotus leaf coating and its potential benefits for future space missions. He is also a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and has attended two national conventions. In his free time, Justin Likes to read, draw and play soccer.

Grayson Hayes is a second-year student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University majoring in Aerospace Engineering. Currently, he is involved in the Modal Analysis and Control of High-speed (MACH) Flow Lab. In the MACH Flow Lab, Grayson is designing ERAU’s new supersonic wind tunnel and also serves as the student PI for a project analyzing flow regimes for contoured nozzles in over-expanded conditions. Following the completion of his bachelor's degree, Grayson will pursue a graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle focusing on aerodynamics.

Perla Latorre is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. Perla has been researching the positive and negative impacts of the lunar regolith, and designing wear-resistant coating to protect the structures from lunar exploration at the Raghavan Research Group for three years. She was part of the L.E.A.R.N. program at the University of Central Florida and a fellow at the X-Force and UCF-MSTAR programs, where she gained engineering and research experience. She is interested in continuing to develop materials that can improve space components. Perla will continue her education by pursuing a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. In her spare time, Perla enjoys running, playing soccer and spending time with her family.

Michael Pierro is a current Aerospace Engineering doctorate student at the University of Central Florida, where he received his Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering bachelor’s degrees in 2020. He performs combustion diagnostic research at the High-Pressure Extended Range Shock Tube for Advanced Research laboratory (HiPER-STAR) under the advisement of Subith Vasu, Ph.D. He is a member of the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER), and his work investigates next-generation fuel blends for gas turbine engines. He has also performed research on liquid methane (LCH4) oxidation at rocket engine thrust chamber conditions and has been a contributing author on four journal publications as well as the lead author of five conference papers. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, watching Formula One and cooking.

Rosa Olivera is currently an undergraduate student pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with an interest in combustion research. Before transferring to the University of Central Florida (UCF), she was President of the Florida Engineering Society and an involved member of the IEEE organization at Miami Dade College. At UCF, she became an active member of AIAA, where she participated in remote-controlled aircraft competitions and took part as an Event Coordinator. Since 2021, Rosa has been conducting research at Vasu Lab in conjunction with the IRES program to research the byproducts of sustainable aviation fuel through gas turbine combustor simulation. More recently, Rosa received her Level 1 High Power Rocketry Certification and is applying a cluster motor model to her Senior Design Project. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, traveling and listening to podcasts. She joined the lab in 2021.

Benjamin Latrobe completed his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from UCF in Fall 2021 and will begin his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in Fall 2022. In his undergraduate years, he completed an Honors Undergraduate Thesis, and submitted a publication for review in the Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science Journal, from his work in the Experimental Fluid Mechanics lab at UCF under the advisory of Dr. Samik Bhattacharya. He joined IRES in 2021 and is collaborating with Dr. Daniel Schanz from DLR.

Brendon Cavainolo is a graduate student and just finished his first year in the UCF Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. program. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering in Spring 2021 and also completed an Honors Undergraduate Thesis. Brendon has been a contributing author on several conference papers and is awaiting the publication of a couple of others. Brendon has worked in the Computational Fluids and Aerodynamics Laboratory under Dr. Michael Kinzel since Spring 2019, tackling several multiphase problems using computational fluid dynamics. This is Brendon’s first year in the IRES program and, he is working under Dr. Ravisankar Naraparaju at the DLR facility in Cologne, Germany.

Vanessa D’Esposito is an undergraduate honors student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering and minors in Computer Science, Mathematics and Music. She joined the Raghavan Research Group in Summer 2020 and works on high temperature coatings. She’s a member of SEDS-UCF and ASME-UCF, a student leader in ELI2, and a sousaphone (tuba) player in Marching and Jammin’ Knights. In the past, she has worked at SimBlocks.io as a software development intern and at PeakActivity as an Innovation Intern. She currently works as a CWEP at Lockheed Martin under Infrared Search and Track, specializing in algorithm development. Her hobbies include programming, sports, keeping up with space-related news, video games, practicing and composing music, and painting.

Jillian Gloria is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. She works at Exolith Lab manufacturing high-fidelity Lunar, Martian and Asteroid regolith simulants for research purposes. In the past, she’s held internships in the Private Space Industry with a focus on Lunar Robotic Technologies at the Earthrise Space Foundation, Inc., and in the Energy Sector analyzing technical risks for new and existing Gas Turbines at Siemens Energy. Jillian has also conducted NASA-funded Surface-Science research on Model-Silicates used to simulate regolith with the goal of better understanding the effects of Space-Weathering on the surface of airless bodies in space (e.g. the Moon, Mars and near-Earth asteroids). In her free time, she focuses on inspiring the next generation of STEM through both local and global endeavors! Her ultimate goal is to aid in the advancement of humankind’s sustainable footprint in space.

Benjamin Latrobe is an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Computer Science. He is currently working towards an Honors Undergraduate Thesis, with research on the Flow over Cylinders and the effect of Plasma Actuation, in the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research Lab at the University of Central Florida (UCF) under the advisory of Dr. Bhattacharya. He is also a teaching assistant for the Intro to Engineering courses, EGS1006 and EGN1007. In his free time, Benjamin enjoys making music on a marimba and playing video games.

Max Fortin is currently an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student. He joined the Propulsion and Energy Research Lab, headed by Dr. Kareem Ahmed, in late 2018. He primarily performs combustion and fluid dynamics research focusing on energy and aerospace applications. In his free time, Max likes to ride bikes, read and hike.

Rosa Olivera is currently an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with an interest in combustion research. Transferring from Miami Dade College, where she was President of the Florida Engineering society, she now serves as the Event Coordinator for AIAA at UCF. In her free time, she spends a great deal of her time designing and cultivating new ideas for projects such as RC planes and Arduino-related projects. Her hobbies include reading fiction, playing video games, hiking and heavy lifting. She joined the lab in Spring 2021.

Samantha DeNicola is an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering working on both her bachelor's and master’s degree. She is a member of Tau Beta Pi and SWE. Formerly, she was an operations intern at Shaw Development and is currently a CWEP at Lockheed Martin in Reliability and Sustainment Engineering. In Spring 2020, she travelled to Embraer in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to understand contemporary design challenges and synthesis solutions in the aerospace manufacturing industry. She joined the IRES team in Spring 2021. In her free time, she enjoys fitness and traveling.

Michael Tonarely is currently a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace along with a minor in Mathematics in 2020. For several years, Michael has been working at the Propulsion and Energy Research Laboratory at UCF, with a focus on combustion and liquid fuel injection. During this time, he completed his Honors Undergraduate Thesis on the stabilization of bluff body flames with aviation fuels. As a member of UCF AIAA, he took part in several projects designing both rockets and aircraft for club competitions. In his free time, Michael enjoys reading, chess and playing video games.

Drew Vigne is an undergraduate student majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in mathematics. He is working on his Honors in Major thesis for CFAL, where he researches computational fluids and aerodynamics. Currently, he is developing a method to reduce the computational cost of bicycle wheel CFD via Blade Element Momentum techniques. Another research interest of his is composites, a topic he explores within his role as the ergonomics lead for Knights Racing FSAE by building composite race car components like the pedal box, steering wheel, aerodynamic wings and wheels. When he is not being an engineer, he is probably out racing on his road bike for the Cycling Knights or the Sarasota Cycling Club.