A student team from NC State University’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) placed third in the team category at the 2025 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Region II Student Conference, held April 4 at NC State. The university’s AIAA student chapter also earned national recognition as the Best Chapter Award winner.
The award-winning team, Liquid Rocketry Lab Advanced Projects (LRL AP), is a collaboration between NC State’s Liquid Rocketry Lab and BEFAST, an MAE-led initiative under Dr. James Braun. The team is developing an axial turbine generator designed to extract power from the unsteady exhaust of a small-scale rotating detonation engine (RDE). Their goal is to generate 400 watts of power in just 0.35 seconds by attaching the system to the end of BEFAST’s RDE.
“Working alongside this team has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time as a student,” said Lucas Nicol, project manager and aerospace engineering major. “Everyone’s dedication and unique talents made it possible to take on something this ambitious – and actually make it real.”
In addition to Nicol, the LRL AP team includes:
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Corey Thunes, manufacturing lead (aerospace engineering)
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Donovan Ngum, systems lead (aerospace engineering)
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Ellie Murray, safety and instrumentation lead (aerospace engineering)
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Jose Barbeito, data acquisition lead (chemical engineering)
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Rodrigo Dacosta, structures lead (aerospace engineering)
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Trevor Larsen, aerodynamics lead (aerospace engineering)
“This project expanded my knowledge of turbomachinery and allowed me to tackle a complex challenge for the benefit of turbine research,” said Larsen. “I am glad to have been a part of this project, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”
The team’s work features custom-designed rotor blades manufactured by CAMAL and a metal 3D-printed stator produced by an outside vendor. All geometries were designed in-house, and all components—except the rotor, stator, and instrumentation—were built by Thunes.
The team’s full paper is available at: AIAA Region II Manuscript 99367
The AIAA Student Conference is an annual event where students from across the southeastern United States present research in aerospace engineering and compete in technical paper sessions. NC State’s dual success in the team category and chapter excellence highlights the depth of innovation and student leadership emerging from the university’s MAE department.
For more information about the Liquid Rocketry Lab and BEFAST, visit MAE at NC State.