FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE WEBINAR
Providing Students with Hands-On Suborbital Technology Testing Experience
Speakers:
- Kostas Sierros, Ph.D., West Virginia University
- Savannah Toney, West Virginia University student
August 3, 2022
Abstract
Flight Opportunities-supported researchers incorporate educational priorities into their work in a variety of ways, offering hands-on experience and building the next generation of space exploration leaders. In this session, Dr. Konstantinos (“Kostas”) Sierros, principal investigator for the 3D printing of hierarchical foams in microgravity demonstration, will highlight how he has leveraged support from NASA’s TechFlights awards to engage undergraduates in the suborbital flight test process. Dr. Sierros will be joined by West Virginia University student Savannah Toney who will share her experience prepping and flying technologies with Flight Opportunities.
Download the slides
Speaker Bios
Dr. Konstantinos (“Kostas”) Sierros is an associate professor with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University (WVU). His current research is focused on multifunctional ink materials and novel additive manufacturing approaches. Applications include energy (e.g., harvesting, storage), sensing, and soft robotics. He is the founder and advisor of WVU’s Human Powered Vehicle Design Team, and he is also interested in design-based teaching approaches. Dr. Sierros received a B.S. (2001) in mechanical engineering from the University of Newcastle (UK) and an M.S. (2002) in polymer engineering and science from the University of Birmingham (UK). He earned his Ph.D. (2006) from the University of Birmingham (UK) in materials science and engineering. When not teaching/researching, Dr. Sierros enjoys long distance running, reading, and coloring.
Savannah Toney is a senior at West Virginia University dual majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Outside of classes, she performs research on the WVU Microgravity Research Team and works for the West Virginia Space Grant Consortium on data entry and STEM outreach coordination. She has interned at NASA’s Ames Research Center twice and performs independent energy-related research funded through the NASA Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program.
