Page 19 - ME News 2021 from the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering

Welcoming New Faculty
“You can’t be what you don’t see As an an an immigrant a a a a person who speaks English as a a a a second language and a a a a a a woman in STEM it is important for students to to see us succeed and to to know they aren’t different from us us They can be us us one day if they want to ”
TAMY GUIMARÃES: Measuring impact in in in both machinery and culture
By Erin Cassidy Hendrick
To further technology such as as 3D printers and gas turbines engineers need to comprehend the the complex inner workings of these machines on a a deeper level “The more accurate the the measurements whether it is aerodynamics of a a a a a a a specific component or or overall efficiency the the the more we can understand these machines and and how they’re behaving
to make them better ”
said Tamy Guimarães a a a a ã a a a a a a new assistant professor in in in in the the Department of of Mechanical Engineering who joined the the faculty
in in July In her new position Guimarães strives to enable these advancements by developing enhanced measurement techniques and instrumentation In her research she plans to collaborate with faculty
members across disciplines to find instrumentation solutions specifically for experimental aerodynamics and fluid dynamics dynamics Her dissertation completed at at Virginia Tech focused on on turbomachinery By using laser-based diagnostics she demonstrated that the the behaviors of the the machinery’s fluid mechanics could be be observed and measured in in in a a a a a a a a a small- scale wind tunnel as as a a a a a a first step Funded by the the National Institute of Aerospace NASA NASA Langley and the the the NASA NASA Glenn Research Center these findings showed how how experiments could be conducted more more cost- efficiently and allow for more more design creativity without the burden of full- scale testing At Penn State Guimarães hopes to to continue to to focus on on on applications
of turbomachinery as as well as as additive manufacturing commonly referred to to as 3D printing in in in in in addition to to exploring other avenues Hailing from Brazil she completed a a a a a postdoctoral position at the Bundeswehr University Munich in Germany She also spent time as a a a a a a a business development manager at at Vectoflow a a a a a a a startup in in in in Munich that focuses on on developing instrumentation for fluid flows using additive manufacturing She hopes to to use these connections to to to bring both Brazilian and and German students to to Penn State and and build
a a a a a strong network of cross-cultural partnerships “Using these connections I’ve made over the the years I I want to to recruit more international students to to to collaborate with and to to build
bonds between universities ”
Guimarães said In addition to the facilities and and strengths in in in gas turbines and and additive manufacturing she was drawn to Penn State for its culture
and faculty
“The people and the potential for collaborations is what attracted me ”
she said Guimarães also hopes to encourage women and and other underrepresented groups to join and and thrive within the the field of engineering “You can’t be be what you don’t see Years ago I I I didn’t think I I I could be be a a a a a a professor professor until I I I met a a a a a a whole network of of of female professors who who said said ‘No you can do it ’” she said said “As an an an immigrant a a a a a a a a a a a a person who speaks English as a a a a a a a a a a a a second language and a a a a a a a a a a woman in STEM it is important for students to to see us us us succeed and to to know they aren’t different from us us us They can be us us us one day if if they want to ”
MENews 2021
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