O’Connor Named Head Of New Center For Gas Turbine Research

Jacqueline O’Connor, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, will lead the school’s newly created Center for Gas Turbine Research, Education, and Outreach.

The goal of the new center is to facilitate collaborations among various units across the university, including mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, engineering science and mechanics, industrial and manufacturing engineering and the Graduate Program in Acoustics, all housed within the College of Engineering, and energy and mineral engineering and materials science and engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and the Applied Research Laboratory.

In 2007, Penn State was designated as a Center of Excellence for Pratt and Whitney, an aircraft engine manufacturer. The institutional strength of this research was further bolstered by Solar Turbines Inc., an industrial engine manufacturer, who also named Penn State as their first Center of Excellence in the field.

he creation of the Center for Gas Turbine Research, Education, and Outreach provides an enhanced pathway for visibility and collaboration. For example, one of the center’s first major activities will be hosting the Advanced Instrumentation, Diagnostics and Controls for Applications in Turbomachinery (AIDCAT) conference at University Park in May.