Leslie A. Smith

Leslie is a 2009-2013 Self Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. She received a B.S. in aerospace engineering (2009) from the University of Kansas. As an undergraduate Leslie performed research on hyper-maneuverable wings in ground effect vehicles, the findings of which were presented at the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics Region V paper competition and were published in the conference proceedings. She has also performed research on lightning strikes on composite aircraft and the applications of piezoelectric actuators to aerospace challenges. She has interned during summer months at Learjet in Wichita, KS, in the stability and control department, and also at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, in the department of applied aerodynamics and advanced concepts. Leslie's research at KU will focus on scramjet engines. Efficient scramjet powered airliners could drastically reduce overseas travel time (L.A. to Tokyo in two hours). They also could become an efficient propulsion system for space launch vehicles, as the scramjet powered craft would be considerable more fuel efficient than a rocket engine. In the future, Leslie hopes to work at a national or private research laboratory.

Mentor: Saeed Farokhi, Professor, Aerospace Engineering