Interdisciplinary Advanced Air Mobility Research Site Concludes Second Year
This May, nine undergraduate students came to Rocky Top for the Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Advanced Air Mobility for Undergraduates (IREAAMU), an intensive 10-week research program on the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus.
The students hailed from various majors, including aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, chemistry, and astrophysics. They were united by a desire to conduct research in advanced air mobility (AAM), or the development of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and their supporting infrastructure to create a safe, cost-effective, and sustainable air transportation system.
“No one can be an expert on all aspects of AAM,” said Devina Sanjaya, an assistant professor in UT’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and the principal investigator (professor) leading IREAAMU. “To turn AAM from concept to reality, we need domain experts to come together. That’s how we form innovative ideas.”
Last year, Sanjaya and her co-investigator, MAE Associate Professor Zhenbo Wang, were awarded support by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create a three-year Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site dedicated to AAM research.
This summer’s IREAAMU students contributed to eight interdisciplinary AAM research projects at UT, hosted by faculty members specializing in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and social work.
The 2025 IREAAMU was augmented by tours to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) facilities and networking events with ultra-quiet propulsion company Whisper Aero and next-generation battery technology company Safire Technology Group, Inc.
Knoxville is an Ideal Place for AAM
With state-of-the-art facilities, a strong commitment to undergraduate research, and a unique geographical landscape of urban, rural, and remote environments, Knoxville offers an ideal setting to explore the future of air mobility.
IREAAMU students experience the full scientific process while taking advantage of this ideal environment for AAM. Working closely with their host faculty and graduate students, these visiting undergraduates formulated research questions, conducted the research, gathered data, and analyzed their results. At the end of the program, all students presented their findings at both the UTK Summer Research Scholars Symposium and the NSF-REU Poster Symposium.
The IREAAMU cohort also enjoyed numerous professional development opportunities outside their host laboratories, including workshops offered by Sanjaya and by UT’s office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships.
Eduardo Alvarez, an aeronautical research and development engineer at Whisper Aero, demonstrated a Whisper quiet leaf blower as a side application of the company’s ultra-quiet propulsion technology. This unexpected use case captured students’ attention, inspiring them to think creatively about how to apply their technical knowledge across a broad range of industries. Zhijia Du, a director of battery development at Safire, highlighted the critical role of advanced resilient energy system in supporting AAM. He emphasized the importance of maximizing battery efficiency while also enhancing safety features, such as preventing battery explosion during crash landings.
ORNL researcher Peter Fuhr hosted the students on both a general tour of the national laboratory and specialized tours of the Advanced Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and the National Transportation Research Center, ORNL’s state-of-the-art facilities dedicated to advancing manufacturing and transportation technologies that improve energy efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
Several ORNL researchers—including Justin Weinmeister, one of Sanjaya’s current doctoral students—helped students understand how to prepare for and apply to graduate school, what to expect when attending a graduate program in engineering, and how graduate degrees open up various career pathways.
The students also enjoyed social events in Knoxville and its surrounding areas, including a visit to RiverView Family Farm and Market, a working cattle farm owned by two generations of UT alumni.
“An REU is more than just undergraduate research. It’s a long-term investment,” Sanjaya explained. “We’re planting the seed that encourages students to explore graduate school and research careers. We also want to help them learn to maintain a good work-life balance in a demanding research environment.”
Research with Multiple Impacts
The main purpose of hosting IREAAMU at UT is, of course, the high caliber of research that undergraduates can perform.
This summer, among other accomplishments, a computer science student used machine learning to optimize a truck-drone last-mile delivery system that would accelerate deliveries by 48 percent; an aerospace engineering student built an image perturbation library to improve drones’ detection of cars, trucks, and buses; and a team of mechanical engineering and astrophysics undergraduates designed, 3D-printed, flight-tested, and simulated air flows around modular cargo casings attached to a lightweight drone for use in emergency healthcare.
This year, many IREAAMU students produced research outcomes that meet the standards of peer-reviewed publications. Notably, the first of these works will be presented at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech Forum in January 2026.
In addition to the support IREAAMU students received from their mentors, Sanjaya has released many educational materials on the program’s website, including guides to technical communication, graduate applications, and resume writing. Sanjaya encourages any students interested in research and graduate schools to use these resources, whether or not they are IREAAMU alumni.
“Our greatest success is sending students off with the confidence to independently solve problems and the drive to keep improving,” Sanjaya said. “It’s amazing how much they can learn and grow in such a short time.”
Contact
Izzie Gall ([email protected])
Photo Gallery
