Five Embry-Riddle Eagles Head to National Labs to Conduct High-Tech Energy Research

Five Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Mechanical Engineering students were chosen for nationally competitive internships conducting research at world-class U.S. Department of Energy laboratories.

Isabel Melendez (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Isabel Melendez)“With AI data centers and electrification driving demand for expertise in energy efficiency, these experiences strengthen technical skills and prepare students for industry, graduate research, or careers at DOE labs,” said Dr. Sandra Boetcher, a professor of Mechanical Engineering and co-director of the Thermal Science Laboratory.

One Ph.D. student and four undergraduates on the Thermal Science Laboratory/Energy Systems track were chosen for internships at top DOE sites, including Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

“National laboratories give our students hands-on experience with world-class facilities,” said Boetcher, who recently was awarded the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) E.K. Campbell Award of Merit. “These internships complement the guidance students receive from their professors by pairing them with mentors at the national laboratories to tackle real energy challenges.”

Isabel Melendez, who is pursuing her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, said her internship at Sandia National Laboratories allowed her to broaden her skills and exposure to new projects and work on challenging problems of national importance.

“Sandia’s scale and resources were really impressive, and it was exciting to have access to tools that aren’t available in a typical university setting,” said Melendez, who also earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle.

Diego Prado (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Diego Prado)She gained hands-on experience using Sandia’s in-house software for developing modeling and high-performance simulations related to her research.

“I worked on developing computer models to spot defects and study material properties at the nanoscale,” said Melendez, who also recently received a $10,000 ASHRAE Graduate Student Grant-in-Aid scholarship. “These kinds of experiments are of special interest for improving the reliability of advanced electronics in the defense sector.”

Additionally, she had the opportunity to present her work and represent her Sandia research group at the 2025 ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, held in Colorado.

“The internship showed me what it’s like to contribute to a team tackling complex scientific problems and gave me confidence in my ability to do so,” said Melendez.

Senior Connor Troxler was chosen for a DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) this summer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

“At NREL, I worked on making heat pump water heaters smaller, more affordable, and more efficient,” he said. “A big part of my project was testing new blends of heat storage materials to see how well they transferred heat.”

Troxler said he gained valuable hands-on experience in setting up experiments, running tests and analyzing results while learning from seasoned researchers in his field.

Olivia Wilson (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Olivia Wilson)“The experience confirmed for me that I want to go to graduate school in mechanical engineering and keep focusing on energy systems,” he said. “Long term, I’d like to work in research and development, helping create technologies that make sustainable energy more practical and accessible.”

Jacob Owen, who graduated in May, also interned at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory this summer.

“I helped design and optimize a thermal energy storage heat exchanger device that used phase change materials for residential water heaters,” said Owen, who is currently a mechanical engineer with Affiliated Engineers Inc. in Tampa.

Owen, along with fellow students Olivia Wilson and Diego Prado, recently collaborated with Boetcher and Dr. Rafael Rodriguez, professor of Mechanical Engineering, to design a retrofit aimed at improving the efficiency of heat pump water heaters for the DOE’s 2024-2025 JUMP into STEM Competition.

Wilson and Prado both landed internships at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“Through my internship at Oak Ridge, I learned more about coding languages like Python and Engineering Equation Solver,” said Prado, a recent graduate. “Plus, I was also able to network with many professionals who had decades of experience in research and industry.”

Wilson, a junior, said she learned about different home retrofits to lower energy consumption and was exposed to the lab’s various types of cutting-edge equipment.

“The national labs serve as hubs of knowledge focused on solving the country’s biggest challenges,” she said. “My internship opened my eyes to the many different avenues available in the energy systems field and inspired me to continue pursuing projects at Embry-Riddle.”