Mechanical Engineering Professors Receive DURIP Awards

Department of Mechanical Engineering Professors James Duncan and Ashwani Gupta have been named recipients of 2016 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) funding through the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The funds will support the acquisition of major equipment to augment current or develop new research capabilities to assist the Department of Defense (DoD). The program was established to “support university research infrastructure essential to high-quality Navy research.” Duncan and Gupta represent two of five DURIP winners within the Clark School this year.

Duncan’s award will fund his research of a “measurement system for the impact of a flexible plate on a water surface.” He previously won a DURIP grant in 2009 for his research on the measurement of spray.

Gupta’s award will go towards his research of “advanced diagnostics for high temperature distributed combustion.”

DURIP hopes to fill a critical need of scholars by purchasing state-of-the-art equipment that would otherwise be difficult for scholars to acquire. Academic institutions generally have difficulty purchasing instruments costing $50,000 or more under most research contracts and grants. Typically DURIP awards 180 grants a year and funding ranges from $50,000 to $1.5 million and, averaging approximately $290,000.

Published March 9, 2016