In
2004 Rowan University was awarded an NSF Major Research Instrumentation Award
to develop a new 1.1-second drop tower apparatus and associated instrumentation
that will enable researchers from Rowan and neighboring institutions to perform
fundamental studies in combustion and fluid dynamics. The apparatus will be
designed, built and maintained by a team of faculty members at Rowan University
who have substantial experience in performing microgravity combustion and
fluid dynamics experiments. Development of a drop tower apparatus at Rowan
University will enable the principal investigators to expand their research
programs in flame spread, polymer combustion, droplet combustion, thermal
diffusion and boiling heat transfer. Moreover, the facility will be made available
to researchers at Princeton, Drexel, Rutgers, NJIT, University of Delaware
and others. The commitment to build this facility at Rowan University, which
currently houses a high-quality engineering program that emphasizes project-based
learning at the undergraduate level, will further strengthen the relationship
between graduate research institutions and undergraduate engineering institutions
in the region.
