There are many ways to get involved with research activities at the Sloan Automotive Laboratory. In addition to cutting edge research, Sloan Automotive Lab personnel are involved in seminars, teaching and community outreach.
Events
Sloan Automotive Lab Seminar Series
Seminar on topics related to engines, fuels, vehicle behavior, broader transportation energy questions presented by graduate students, faculty, researchers, and special guest speakers of the Sloan Automotive Laboratory.
The Spring Seminar Series starts February 9, 2017, every Thursday through May 18, 2017.
Fundamentals of how the design and operation of internal combustion engines affect their performance, efficiency, fuel requirements, and environmental impact. Study of fluid flow, thermodynamics, combustion, heat transfer and friction phenomena, and fuel properties, relevant to engine power, efficiency, and emissions. Examination of design features and operating characteristics of different types of internal combustion engines: spark-ignition, diesel, stratified-charge, and mixed-cycle engines. Engine Laboratory project. For graduate and senior undergraduate students.
This course is available through MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW): 2.61 on MIT OCW.
2.65S The Future of Vehicular Transportation: Propulsion, Fuels, and Emissions
Our transportation systems face many challenging issues as we look ahead. Critical among these are the fuels and energy sources that will drive our vehicles, and the air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions that result as we attempt to reduce our petroleum consumption. There are several promising options: improving mainstream internal combustion engines and the gasoline and diesel fuels they utilize; propulsion system electrification using hybrid internal combustion engine, battery, and electric motor, combinations in charge-sustaining and plug-in versions that draw electricity from the power grid; pure battery/motor electric drive systems; natural gas fueled vehicles; and fuel-cell powered vehicles operating on hydrogen. For all of these, vehicle weight and tire and aerodynamic friction can be significantly reduced.
This course will examine the performance and emissions characteristics of these options, addressing the engineering basics of how these various propulsion systems with their associated fuels perform, and their future development potential. It will also explore the impacts that deploying these propulsion technologies in vehicles, in use, would have on future petroleum consumption, other energy streams, and emissions. It will also discuss the factors that govern the market attractiveness and constraints that affect the deployment of these more efficient propulsion system technologies, and the fuels and energy sources they would need.
As a working lab we do not offer regular tours. Special arrangements can occassionally be made for school groups, prospective students, etc. Contact Janet Maslow to inquire.
Research Openings
Coming soon. Information on applying for graduate studies can be found here.
UROP
The Sloan Automotive Laboratory is actively recruiting UROP students. Current projects include:
EECS or electronics-savvy students in other departments:
Data acquisition configuration. The objective is to build a specialized signal generator to help setup and troubleshoot DAQ equipment in the lab.
RPM measurement from quadrature encoder. The goal is to build a device to provide real time RPM data from a quadrature encoder.
Aside from these specific projects, we are always looking for motivated and interested students to help setup equipment, run experiments and analyze data. If you would like to work in the lab, take the time to browse our people page and find a student or PI whose research interests. Send them a resume and brief statement of your interest and hands-on experience.
