Meet the team

Principal Investigator

Sarah Beetham, PhD

Dr. Beetham is an assistant professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Oakland University. Her research focuses on understanding and modeling complex, 'messy' fluid flows, particularly those with societal importance. She obtained her PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Scientific Computing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2021.

Prior to completing her PhD, Dr. Beetham was a safety & restraints design engineering at Nissan Technical Center and a small gas engine calibration engineer at General Motors, Milford Proving Ground. She also holds an MFA in Creative writing and has a passion for effectively communicating science to people of all technical background and abilities.

EDUCATION
PhD in Mechanical Engineering & Scientific Computing
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (July 2021)

MFA in Creative Writing
University of Southampton, UK (2010-2011)

BSE in Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2006-2010)

PhD students

Emily Foster, PhD Candidate
Emily Foster holds a BSE (2018) and MSE degree (2019) in mechanical engineering from Lawrence Technological University. She currently works for Ford Motor Company as a research and advancement engineer. Her research interests are fluid mechanics, controls, and modeling & simulation.

Project: Simulation and modeling of pyroclastic density currents

(Joined: Winter 2022)

Lee Rosenberg, MSE in Mechanical Engineering student

Lee Rosenberg holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado Denver with a focus in Numerical Analysis and Numerical Linear Algebra. He is a mechatronic software engineer at Continental Automotive Group working on electronic brake systems with a focus on hydraulic actuation and active safety monitoring. He is currently pursuing a MSE in Mechanical Engineering at Oakland University with a targeted research focus of CFD simulation of multiphase flows. He is also a technical SCUBA diver and enjoys exploring shipwrecks in the great lakes and underwater cave systems.

Thesis title: Simulation and modeling of bubble induced turbulence, Graduated Winter 2024

Former undergraduate student researchers

Lauren Merrill, REU student
Lauren Merrill attends Belmont University where she is pursuing a degree in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology and Biodiversity and minors in Environmental Science and Economics. She is interested in sustainability research, especially energy. In her free time she enjoys exploring nature.

Project: Hydrodynamic scaling of micro algae growth for biodiesel production

(summer 2022)

Noah Lemmons, REU student

Noah Lemmons was a Mechanical Engineering student at Oakland University. Graduated with BSE in Mechanical Engineering Fall 2023.

Project: Hydrodynamic scaling of micro algae growth for biodiesel production

(summer 2022)

Reese Ford, AlgaePrize team member

Reese Ford is a Mechanical Engineering student at Oakland University (BSE Fall 2024).

Former high school student researchers

Mallory Carr, AlgaePrize team member

Mallory Carr is a Mechanical Engineering student at Oakland University (BSE Fall 2024).

Mason Knaup, current undergraduate at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Mason Knaup worked in the CFMG while a senior at Stoney Creek High School. In the future, he aspires to have a STEM-based career. He is interested in computer science, mathematics, and engineering. Mason was given an opportunity to create software that aids researchers with cell counting at Oakland University. He has worked on this project alongside his twin brother Eli Knaup.

Project: Using computer vision to quantify microalgae growth (summer 2023)

Group and action photos

Madhumita Chilakalapudi, PhD pre-candidate
Madhumita Chilakalapudi holds a Bachelor of Technology (2015) from GITAM University in India and a Master of Science (2018) degree from Staffordshire University in the U. K. She has experience with biogas combustor designing in micro gas turbine gensets and she also has expertise in FEA, airframe designing, material structual simulation and modelling. Her major research interests are biofuel production from organic wastes, renewable energy, bio energy, simulation and modelling.

Project: Heat transfer in wall-bounded, gas-solid flows

(Member: Fall 2022—Winter 2024)

Ian Smith, Mechanical Engineering, BSE Fall 2023

Eli Knaup, undergraduate researcher, current undergraduate at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Eli worked in the CFMG while a senior at Stoney Creek High School. He aspires to pursue a career in engineering and computer science. His interests include mathematics, engineering design, and programming. His passion for STEM catalyzed his involvement in research at Oakland University. Here Eli has collaborated with his twin brother Mason Knaup to create an automated cell counter for future researchers.

Project: Using computer vision to quantify microalgae growth (summer 2023)

(right) Emily presenting her work at MSGC Fall 2023 Conference in Kalamazoo, MI.

(right) Eli and Mason presenting their work at the 2023 MidSURE conference @ MSU

(right) Noah and Lauren presenting their work at the 2022 Mid-SURE conference @ MSU

Former MS students

Madison Butchko
Madison Butchko is a senior at Yale University, where she is pursuing a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in East Asian Studies. Her research experience spans multiple areas, including energy systems and computational modeling. This semester Madison Butchko worked on writing scientific articles and developing PINNs. In her free time, she worked as an AP Physics teaching instructor. With a passion for discovery, teaching, and sharing knowledge, Madison Butchko aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Physics.

Project: Developing a PINN (Physics-informed neural network) to model a pendulum forcing problem

(Fall 2024)

Former undergraduate senior project students

Low-cost, energy efficient algae cultivation system for cold-weather climates (Summer 2024)

Dane VonAllman, AlgaePrize team member

Dane VonAllman is a Mechanical Engineering student at Oakland University (BSE Fall 2024).

Lee Rosenberg, PhD pre-candidate
Lee Rosenberg holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado Denver with a focus in Numerical Analysis and Numerical Linear Algebra and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Oakland University. He is a mechatronic software engineer at Continental Automotive Group working on electronic brake systems with a focus on hydraulic actuation and active safety monitoring. He is currently pursuing a MSE in Mechanical Engineering at Oakland University with a targeted research focus of CFD simulation of multiphase flows. He is also a technical SCUBA diver and enjoys exploring shipwrecks in the great lakes and underwater cave systems.

Projects: Simulation and modeling of bubble induced turbulence & heat transfer in strongly coupled, wall-bounded flows.