Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Fulbright Alumnus Receives Best Paper Award at AIAA Aviation 2019 Meeting
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) awarded Dr. Ciprian Dumitrache with the “Best Paper Award” at the AIAA Aviation 2019 meeting. The article, co-authored with his collaborators from Colorado State University (CSU), is a study of laser ignition using a resonant ionization scheme for oxygen molecules to achieve gas pre-ionization inside the combustible mixture. The novelty of this work consists in the significant reduction of the energy required for ignition compared to previous approaches, while additionally offering more control over the parameters of the ignition plasma. If implemented on real engines, this method could reduce emissions and increase engine efficiency.
Ciprian Dumitrache’s contribution to the study was developing the 2+1 REMPI preionization scheme during his last few months of the postdoc program in the U.S. and co-mentoring the first author together with prof. Azer P. Yalin (his former PhD advisor at CSU).
As a Fulbright Student grantee, Ciprian Dumitrache received a Master’s degree in the field of Aerospace Propulsion Systems at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2011. Following his Fulbright experience, he continued with a doctoral program in mechanical engineering at Colorado State University which awarded him a PhD degree.
The AIAA is the largest aerospace professional society in the world, boasting 35,000 members from 80 different countries. The abovementioned prize is awarded for the best paper within the Plasma Dynamics and Lasers section of the flagship events: “Aviation” and “Scitech”.