University of New Orleans doctoral student Lei Zhao has been awarded the Young Engineer Travel Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI). Zhao is a student in the UNO College of Engineering.
He will receive his award at the IGTI’s 2011 Turbo Expo held in Vancouver, British Columbia, June 6-10. The event is recognized as the world’s leading conference on all aspects of gas turbine technology, as well as related topics in wind, steam, solar, and fans and blowers. Approximately 4,000 people attend the annual conference.
Zhao, who will be awarded a check for $1,920, will present three papers related to technologies to cool gas turbine hot sections at the conference. He was selected from a group of 60 applicants. The IGTI Young Engineer Travel Award provides selected students or young engineers with travel expenses to attend the Turbo Expo and present a paper they have authored.
Zhao is a research associate at UNO’s Energy Conversion and Conservation Center, which promotes clean energy research and education to enhance regional economic growth, and to develop energy programs that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. The Center is directed by Ting Wang, UNO professor of mechanical engineering.
Additionally, Jobaidur Khan, UNO research associate, received the award for best paper for the paper that he and Ting Wang coauthored and presented at last year's Turbo Expo in Glascow, Scotland. Khan will be presented with his award in June in Vancouver.