Vanessa joined the Vessel Dynamics Lab as a PhD student in Spring 2022. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from George Mason University, where she loved the environment so much she decided to stay for graduate school. Her research interests include autonomous systems, dynamics and controls, and machine learning. She is currently working on accessible control of an ROV using an eye tracker. Outside the lab, Vanessa enjoys cooking, solving jigsaw puzzles, and playing with her dogs.
Author Archives: Leigh
Understanding Quantum Technologies
The latest episode of The Mason Mechanical Engineer podcast is out, featuring a conversation with Pilgyu Kang and Patrick Vora talking about quantum science, engineering, and computing. Check it out on your podcast platform of choice or at: https://anchor.fm/mason-meche/episodes/You-are-not-an-atom-e1cs41f.
WAM-V
We are fielding a team for the 2022 RobotX challenge! So very excited after the first assembly of our WAM-V a few weeks ago. Exciting things on the horizon in maritime robotics at Mason!
The Mason Mechanical Engineer
My department has launched a podcast! The first few episodes are out, with the latest including interviews with a very inspirational Mason alum Jazzmin Robinson as well as NAWCAD’s Director of Engineering Education and Research Partnerships Theresa Shafer. Search for the “Mason Mechanical Engineer” on your preferred podcast platform or click here.
Mason PEP Team Takes 2nd Place in Unmanned Category of Electric Boat Competition
Congratulations to the Mason PEP team on their 2nd place finish in the “unmanned” category of ASNE’s Promoting Electric Propulsion competition held at the 2021 Multi-Agency Craft Conference (MACC). This represented the culmination of three senior design team’s efforts – a hull team and propulsion team in the 2019-2020 academic year, and a holistic team to pull it all together in the 2020-2021 academic year. Despite pandemic, these students’ hard work paid off the minute their boat entered the water. Proud of y’all. Well done!
Undergrad researcher Cheryl Blanchard wraps up commercial fishing sleep monitoring device prototyping effort
Cheryl did great work during the Spring term of 2021 looking at developing a purpose-built device to measure sleep aboard a fishing vessel, taking into consideration constraints we’ve seen with commercial off the shelf devices. Check out her presentation at: https://celebration.oscar.gmu.edu/development-of-a-prototype-sleep-monitoring-device-for-use-in-the-commercial-fishing-environment/.
A Low-Fidelity Stochastic Model of Viral Spread in Aircraft to Assess Risk Mitigation Strategies
McCue, L, “A Low-Fidelity Stochastic Model of Viral Spread in Aircraft to Assess Risk Mitigation Strategies,” ASME. ASME J. Risk Uncertainty Part B. Available online February 4, 2021.
Team Leviathan – Open Water Testing
Mason’s Team Leviathan had a successful first day of open water testing in advance of the 2021 Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) competition!
Vessel Dynamics Lab Growing – Now Seeking Post-Doc
The Vessel Dynamics Laboratory is looking to add a post-doctoral researcher to the team. The ideal candidate would have expertise in agent based modeling and/or smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), past work experience with human subjects, and an enthusiasm for occupational safety research. If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact Leigh!
Low cost unmanned surface vehicle swarm formation control using a potential field
Bhanderi, D. and McCue, L., “Low cost unmanned surface vehicle swarm formation control using a potential field,” Global OCEANS 2020: Singapore-U.S. Gulf Coast, October 2020.
CDR Brook Sherman becomes Commanding Officer USCG Base Elizabeth City
Congratulations to Vessel Dynamics lab alum Brook Sherman – USCG Base Elizabeth City is in good hands!
A coupled SPH-FEM Solver for Modeling Surface Effect Ship (SES) Bow Seal Dynamics
Gilbert, J. and McCue, L., “A coupled SPH-FEM Solver for Modeling Surface Effect Ship (SES) Bow Seal Dynamics,” Virtual 39th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore & Arctic Engineering (OMAE) 2020, June 28-July 3, 2020.
The Portia Hypothesis: Mechanical Engineering Student Perceptions of Qualifications
McCue, L., “The Portia Hypothesis: Mechanical Engineering Student Perceptions of Qualifications,” Virtual American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference, June 2020.
Farmworker housing simulator website live
Interested in understanding how COVID-19 can spread on farms? Check out the farmworker housing simulator!
And thank you to the Volgenau School of Engineering News for this nice writeup: https://volgenau.gmu.edu/news/584946
Vessel Dynamics Lab Alum Rosa Avalos-Warren in the News
Vessel Dynamics Lab alum Rosa Avalos-Warren is making news for her support of the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch. Check out NASA Goddard’s website to read the full story! So proud of you Rosa!
Dhawal Bhanderi 3d printing PPE
Check out this great article about Dhawal Bhanderi’s work to help supply Hampton Roads hospitals with PPE: https://volgenau.gmu.edu/news/584831
Autonomous running of the Vessel Dynamics Lab’s Mako
This is an RC to autonomous conversion done by undergraduate researcher Dhawal Bhanderi. In this video, at 4x speed, it starts off running autonomously, Dhawal takes control as it goes under the dock, then returns it to autonomous waypoint tracking. Check out the video:
Design Trends in Unmanned Systems
McCue, L., “Design Trends in Unmanned Systems,” SNAME/IBEX 2019, Tampa, FL, September 30, 2019.
Team Barracuda begins propulsion design work for PEP competition
Mason is fielding two teams of students for the 2020 ASNE Promoting Electric Propulsion (PEP) competition, one team focused on hull design and the other on the propulsion system. The propulsion team, Barracuda, has produced this handy flier outlining how they are starting down their design path!
Maiden voyage of the Pro Boat Veles 29
Moises Angulo joins research team!
Moises is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University. He is currently working on doing high speed planing hull simulations to represent the Generic Prismatic Planing Hull (GPPH). After graduation, he plans on going to grad school to pursue a PhD in Aerospace Engineering. Outside of academia you can find him reading fiction novels, playing super smash bros, and working out.
Welcome Dhawal Bhanderi!
Dhawal Bhanderi is a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at George Mason University. He is currently working on developing a fleet of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) capable of waypoint following. Outside of academia he enjoys video games, powerlifting, and basketball.
Vessel Dynamics Laboratory
As we get ready to kick off the 2019-2020 academic year, I’m thrilled to be settling into new lab space at GMU’s Potomac Science Center. While furniture is still on order, computing power has arrived along with enough SeaPerch and SeaGlide kits to last us through some kickoff STEM outreach activities. If you’re in the neighborhood, come by and visit: 1203 Potomac Science Center, 650 Mason Ferry Ave, Woodbridge VA!
Fishing Vessel Safety Apps – what’s that all about
This video gives a short overview on the history and thought process behind the fishing vessel safety apps SCraMP and FVdrills. App Store links for the apps are:
- SCraMP: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scramp/id456343416
- FVdrills: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fvdrills/id597745204
To purchase a copy of Beating the Odds on Northern Waters by Jensen and Dzugan, visit: https://www.amsea.org/booksandcurricula
Utilization of KNN Algorithms on AIS data for Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness
McCue, L., “Utilization of KNN Algorithms on AIS data for Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness,” Technology, Systems and Ships, Washington, DC, June 18-20, 2019.
Implementing and Integrating an engineering video game into a variety of educational contexts
Briscoe, M., McCue, L., and Lumme, D., “Implementing and Integrating an engineering video game into a variety of educational contexts,” 2019 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Tampa, Florida, June, 2019.
Gamifying Engineering: Initial data and results from implementing a naval engineering video game
Briscoe, M., McCue, L., Kring, D., and Craig, M., “Gamifying Engineering: Initial data and results from implementing a naval engineering video game (work in progress),” 2019 ASEE Southeastern Section Conference, Rayleigh, NC, March 10-12, 2019.
SCraMP Video Tutorial
I get asked from time to time for a video how-to for using SCraMP. So, here you go!
Design of a Controller for Autonomous Vessel Recovery Utilizing the Prediction of Host Vessel Motions
Cooper, M. and McCue, L., “Design of a Controller for Autonomous Vessel Recovery Utilizing the Prediction of Host Vessel Motions,” Naval Engineers Journal, Volume 129, Number 1, 1 March 2017, pp. 117-131(15).
Non-intrusive Polynomial Chaos for Efficient Uncertainty Analysis in Parametric Roll Simulations
Cooper, M., Wu, W., and McCue, L., “Non-intrusive Polynomial Chaos for Efficient Uncertainty Analysis in Parametric Roll Simulations,” Journal of Marine Science and Technology, Volume 21, Issue 2, pp. 282-296, June 2016.
Underwater Vehicle Depth and Attitude Regulation in Plane Progressive Waves
Battista, T., Woolsey, C., McCue, L., Paterson, E., and Valentinis, F., “Underwater Vehicle Depth and Attitude Regulation in Plane Progressive Waves,” 54th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Osaka, Japan, 2015.
Evan Lee receives job promotion!
Evan has been selected as a project lead in the newly formed Research and Development Execution Branch at Combatant Craft Division.
David Hansch, MS
Davy Hansch completed an interesting study on the influence of water depth on roll damping and roll period. Read it online here.
Lauren Hanyok, MS
Lauren Hanyok’s fascinating master’s thesis studied motion induced interruptions for a space capsule at splash down.
W. Robert Story, MS
Rob Story’s 2009 MS thesis looking at application of Lypaunov exponents to anticipate intact and damaged stability issues won a Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ ETD Master’s Thesis Award in the “Innovative Application of Technology to Scholarship in a Master’s Thesis” category.
Divyanshu Agarwal, MS
Divy Agarwal did a very interesting MS thesis studying how fractional differential equations can be used to model roll damping. His thesis is available online.
Evan Lee, PhD
Evan Lee’s 2014 doctoral dissertation advanced the state of the art of our understanding of the hydrodynamics of stepped planing hulls. Read his thesis online here.
Michele Cooper, PhD
Michele Cooper’s PhD presented a holistic look at numerous challenges related to ship dynamics, from control design, to neural network prediction, to verification and validation. Download her outstanding thesis here.
John Gilbert, PhD
Dr. John Gilbert completed his PhD in June of 2015. His research included development of an accelerated coupled solver for fluid-structure interaction problems. His thesis can be found here, and he is currently research faculty at Virginia Tech.
Stephanie Sherman, MS
Stephanie Sherman completed her excellent MS on “Quantifying the Effects of Uncertainty in a Decentralized Model of the National Airspace System” in 2015. Read it online here.
Hello from GMU’s Volgenau School of Engineering
While this site has been dormant the last few years, it is back live now – I have re-entered academia joining the Mechanical Engineering faculty at George Mason University. Enthusiastic prospective students are encourage to reach out as I am actively recruiting PhD students.
Quantifying the Effects of Uncertainty in a Decentralized National Airspace System
Sherman, Stephanie, McCue, Leigh, and Roberts, Billy, “Quantifying the Effects of Uncertainty in a Decentralized National Airspace System,” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, Volume 2600, Issue 1, pp. 94-101, January 1, 2016.
Exploring the oceans of Europa with biologically-inspired underwater vehicles
Allen, David, Jones, Matthew, McCue, Leigh, Moore, William, Philen, Michael, and Woolsey, Craig, “Exploring the oceans of Europa with biologically-inspired underwater vehicles,” Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, August, 2015.
David Allen, MS
David Allen wrapped a nice bow around the EUROPA project work with his MS thesis defended in October of 2014. His thesis is available online here.
From Science Fiction to Science Fact
Our NASA NIAC project to explore Europa is featured in the newly released NASA 360 video From Science Fiction to Science Fact! The entire video is great, and Europa specifically is discussed at 2:25 in.
Alton Luder
Alton Luder is the newest member of the research team joining us to continue the fine work Pankaj Kumar did related to coupling SPH and OpenFOAM simulations. Alton comes to us as a fellow Michigan alum (Go Blue!).
Tom Battista
Tom Battista is joining the team, co-advised by Prof. Craig Woolsey, working on dynamics and control of submarines in waves (for example, at periscope depth or surfaced). Tom is also campaigning for the best research team member photo.
John Gilbert awarded SMART scholarship
John Gilbert has received a prestigious SMART scholarship for the 2014-2015 academic year to further his PhD research in computational fluids. It is anticipated/hoped that upon graduation he will work for the Hull Response and Protection branch of the Survivability, Structures, and Materials department of Carderock. Way to go John!
STEM-on-Wheels unveiled at FMMS
STEM-on-Wheels is an ongoing project to outfit a mobile STEM trailer with fun, hands-on, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities for schools, after-school clubs, scouts, and other community groups. The new trailer made its first public appearance at the 2014 ASNE Fleet Maintenance and Modernization Symposium in Virginia Beach. To learn more about the program and upcoming schedule, please visit http://www.hampton.eng.vt.edu/stemonwheels.html.
Stephanie Sherman wins Virginia Space Grant Consortium Grant and Airport Cooperative Research Program Graduate Research Award
Update: Stephanie Sherman’s work on air traffic management has won her a Virginia Space Grant Consortium graduate student research grant and an Airport Cooperative Research Program Graduate Research Award! Stephanie is working to develop a computational model of air traffic based upon a smoothed particle hydrodynamics-esque definition of aircraft interactions (like particle interactions in SPH). Through this approach, her tool will be able to model stochastic aircraft characteristics in addition to deterministic characteristics. Fundamentally, she is trying to provide a tool which can help address two important and challenging problems:
- Model aircraft interactions in a decentralized control scheme versus the current centralized control approach (e.g. the bulk of aircraft interactions being governed by instructions from air traffic controllers).
- Model manned and unmanned aircraft interact with non-deterministic factors (e.g. pilot skill, aircraft handling, etc…)
Both of these topics are of interest for study as part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).
To learn more about her excellent work, follow the tag for S_Sherman.