Relevant Coursework

The description under each course is taken from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's course catalog found here.

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

AE 201 - Aerospace Flight Vehicles

Instructor: Dr. Anish Prasad

History of atmospheric and exo-atmospheric flight, aircraft and spacecraft anatomy, fundamental aerodynamic properties, hydrostatics, properties of the atmosphere, fluid conservation equations, concepts of internal and external fluid flows, dimensional analysis, airfoil shapes, introduction to viscous flows, aerodynamic forces and moments, experimental results of airfoil and wing behavior, vehicle propulsion including reciprocating engines and gas turbines, airplane and rocket vehicle performance, summary of supersonic and hypersonic flight. 

AE 307 - Incompressible Aerodynamics

Instructor: PhD Candidate Devon Hardy

Conservation equations and fundamental fluid dynamic principles, elementary solutions of inviscid incompressible flows, methods of predicting flows around airfoils and wings including thin airfoil theory, panel methods, lifting line theory, viscous flows and turbulence, Navier-Stokes equations, laminar and turbulent boundary layers. 

AE 308 - Compressible Aerodynamics

Instructor: Dr. Anastasios Lyrintzis

Review of thermodynamics, compressibility, governing equations for compressible flow, normal shock waves, one-dimensional flow with heat addition and friction. Raleigh Fanno curves, oblique shock waves and expansion waves, compressible flow through nozzles, diffusers and wind tunnels, subsonic and supersonic flow around airfoils, including linear theories, elements of hypersonic flow, conical flow, method of characteristics, and unsteady one-dimensional flow. 

AE 313 - Space Mechanics

Instructor: Dr. Thomas Lovell

Vector-based solution of the two-body problem and the solution for the position and time problem, Kepler's equations, used to analyze orbits, ground tracks, orbit transfer, interplanetary trajectories, and interception and rendezvous. 

AE 314 - Experimental Aerodynamics

Instructor: Dr. Surabhi Singh

Wind tunnel design, instrumentation, scaling effects, data acquisition, and data reduction as well as good experimental practices.  

AE 426 - Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics

Instructor: Dr. David Canales-Garcia

Fundamentals of spacecraft attitude dynamics including attitude parameterization, determination, disturbances in space, stability analysis, numerical simulations to predict the attitude change under the influence of disturbance torques, and methods to control the spacecraft attitude for space missions. 

AE 427 - Spacecraft Preliminary Design

Instructor: Dr. Thomas Lovell

Application of spacecraft preliminary design principles to meet mission objectives. Design of a complete space-related system to meet industry preliminary design standards, resulting in a design package consisting of objectives, requirements, specifications, calculations, CAD drawings, weight and various other system and subsystem budgets, a series of trade studies, and design reviews and reports. 

AE 445 - Spacecraft Detail Design

Instructor: Dr. Thomas Lovell

Principles of spacecraft detail and subsystem design, analysis, modeling, manufacture, and test are covered and incorporated into projects to give actual experience in the detail design and integration of space-related subsystems and systems. Integration of multiple subsystems into a single functional model is a key component of the course. 

ES 305 - Thermodynamics

Instructor: Dr. Gaetano Sterlacci

Concepts of the heat and work and their transformation as governed by the first and second laws of thermodynamics in both closed and open systems. Evaluating properties of pure substances. Ideal gas behavior and relationships. Efficiencies and diagrams of thermodynamic cycles. Entropy and its relation to the second law. 

GRADUATE COURSES

AE 504 - Advanced Compressible Flows

Instructor: Dr. Surabhi Singh

Classification and solution of compressible flow problems, basic conservation laws, and fundamental theorems of compressible flows. Wave phenomena: normal and oblique shocks. Method of characteristics and wave interactions. Perturbation theories and similarity rules. Linearized supersonic flow, axisymmetric flow wing theory, and wave drag. Nonlinear theories of transonic and supersonic flows. 

AE 507 - Design, Build, and Test

Instructor: Dr. Mark Ricklick

Introduction to the complete design cycle from idea conception through implementation and testing. Design, build and test an experiment/system. Exposure to design, building and testing tools and practices. Undergo critical design review process, background search, and periodic status reports. Final comprehensive report and presentation documenting entire design process. 

AE 508 - Intermediate Heat Transfer

Instructor: Dr. Mark Ricklick

Analytical and Numerical Methods in conduction, convection, radiation, and combined-mode heat transfer. One-, two-, and three- dimensional problems. Steady-state and transient solutions. Boundary conditions. Energy balances. 

AE 516 - Computational Aeronautical Fluid Dynamics

Instructor: Dr. William Engblom

Fundamental theory and application of modern computational fluid dynamics for aerodynamics. Governing and model equations, mathematical nature of PDEs, finite-difference approximation, stability analysis, explicit and implicit solver techniques, and finite-volume approximation. Coding exercises. Strategies and best practices in CFD grid generation and modeling for aerospace applications. 

AE 516 - Viscous Flow

Instructor: Dr. Ebenezer Gnanamanickam

Navier-Stokes equations for laminar and turbulent flows. Boundary layers. Jets, wakes, elementary turbulence modeling. Skin friction, separation, drag, and aerodynamic heating. Approximate and exact finite-difference solutions including the effect of suction and blowing. Solutions of turbulent boundary layer equations. 

AE 528 - Advanced Incompressible Aerodynamics

Instructor: Dr. J. Gordon Leishman

Kinematics and dynamics, thin airfoil theory, finite wing theory, bluff body flow, the Panel Method, numerical techniques, unsteady loads, vortex flows. 

AE 550 - Thermodynamics : Classic and Modern Examples

Instructor: Dr. Scott Martin

Develop classical thermodynamics from a set of postulates to develop macroscopic thermodynamics and thermodynamic properties. Kinetic theory will be covered to develop classical thermodynamic relations using Maxwells velocity distribution. Introduction to chemical thermodynamics, equilibrium and kinetics. Develop modern thermodynamics from a microscopic perspective using quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. Develop the tools needed to analyze very high temperature flows such as hypersonic applications. 

AE 640 - Turbine Engine Propulsion Systems

Instructor: Dr. Reda Mankbadi

Advanced theory of turbojet, multispool fan jet, variable cycle engines, and bypass air-breathing propulsion systems. Design and off-design performance analysis, theory and design of inlets, compressors, burners, and turbines. Component matching, cooling, regenerative systems, test methods, and corrections. Engine post-stall behavior. 

EP 501 - Numerical Methods

Instructor: Dr. Mark Anthony Reynolds

Numerical methods for the solution of engineering physics problems; systems of linear equations, ordinary differential equations including one-dimensional initial value problems and boundary value problems; partial differential equations (PDEs) including elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic PDEs; finite difference method. Application to problems such as diffusion, transport, remote sensing, inversion, and plasma waves. Emphasis will be on computer implementation of numerical solutions. Knowledge of at least one programming language is required, with MATLAB strongly recommended.