Adam Lawrence

Bio

Welcome!

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University and a Master Sergeant in the Air National Guard. My research area is in combustion, specifically with energetic materials such as propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics. I also enjoy teaching and mentoring students, as future researchers and engineers.

My research focuses on control and enhancement of energetic material combustion using microwaves. My latest projects have involved the development of “smart thermites,” which can be ignited and controlled using microwaves, the use of smart energetics to control explosive performance and safety, and microwave enhancement of boron particle and boron propellant combustion as a method for increasing vehicle speed and range. I use a variety of diagnostics to characterize these materials and evaluate their performance including DSC, TGA, MS, FTIR, spectroscopy, laser diagnostics, high-speed imaging, and various modeling, coding, and video analysis tools. Upcoming research projects will include the development of microwave reactive composites, a comprehensive synthesis of microwave properties for energetic materials, and fundamental research on the mechanisms behind microwave enhancement of energetic material combustion.

As an instructor, I have experience teaching at all levels. I am a writing consultant for graduate students, focusing on helping them build communication skills for academic writing, and I have also designed and taught my own course for Honors students. I have been a teaching assistant for lab courses including Fluid Dynamics, Heat Transfer, and Instrumentation. During that time, I managed all of the TAs, grading, and the reorganization of course materials for Fluid Dynamics and led the transition team to take our Heat Transfer labs to online learning during COVID-19 closures. I have guest lectured and developed course materials for intro-level engineering courses and senior-level Heat Transfer. I am a passionate teacher, seeking every opportunity to improve my own teaching techniques, and I enjoy helping students grow, learn, and become better scientists and engineers.

Outside of research and teaching, I enjoy serving others in a variety of ways. I am a Master Sergeant in the Air National Guard, working as a crew chief (mechanic) on F-16s and a sensor operator on MQ-9s. I combine my love of fitness and teaching as a L1 Crossfit Coach, helping athletes improve their health and fitness. I have also served with a variety of committees and organizations. I served as the president of the department’s graduate student organization, the learning community coordinator responsible for onboarding new graduate students, a graduate student senator, and as the graduate student liaison for our CELT advisory board and the CELT DEI board.

In my free time, I enjoy working out, reading or listening to a good book, taking my dog on an outdoor adventure in the kayak or on a new trail, and having game nights with friends.