Education and Outreach

Teaching

ME 314-Introduction to Heat Transfer

ME 314 serves to introduce students to the many different processes by which heat may be transferred. In covering this material, there should be three overriding objectives: 1. The student should appreciate the physical origins of the various heat transport mechanisms. 2. When confronted with a particular problem, the student should be able to identify the relevant transport processes, and know when, and of what nature, simplifying approximations may be made. 3. The student should be able to perform engineering calculations for heat transfer problems.
Offered: Fall 2016 (enrollment: 44) and Spring 2017 (enrollment: 125).

ME 414/614-Intermediate Heat Transfer

This is a more advanced version of ME 314. In ME 414/614, we focus on deriving the essential equations and relations used in ME 314. Thus, please be prepared to deal with extensive math and numerical methods in this class.

Note: Currently, the lab part (ME 414L) is taught and managed separately by a different instructor. Please send your inquiries regarding ME 414L to the corresponding instructor. Of course, I am still happy to answer any heat transfer related questions.

Offered: Fall 2017 (enrollment: 49), Fall 2018 (enrollment: 28), Fall 2019 (enrollment: 36), and Fall 2020 (enrollment: 37).

ME 758-Thermal and Mechanical Analysis of Nanomaterials

This is a new course developed by Dr. Wang in Spring 2018, aimed at introducing the basic theories and computational methods for investigating thermal transport, energy conversion, and mechanical deformation (dislocations and phase transformation) processes at the nanoscale. Hands-on training is provided in the fundamentals and applications of these theories and methods to key engineering problems, with a focus on thermal transport and solid mechanics.

Offered: Spring 2018 (enrollment: 9) and Spring 2019 (enrollment: 11).

ME 714-Advanced Heat Transfer

This is a new course developed by Dr. Wang and first taught in Fall 2019. We aim at introducing the advanced mathematical, analytical, and computational approaches for complex heat conduction, convection, and radiation problems occurring in engineering and science applications. Nanoscale heat transfer will also be a significant part of the course.

Offered: Fall 2019 (enrollment: 3).

K-12 Outreach

Photo: Dr. Wang demonstrating and explaining the properties of liquid nitrogen, phase change, and heat transfer to students.

Engineer's Day

Engineer's Day is a one-day event where approximately 500 middle school and high school students visit engineering labs from throughout the region (Northern Nevada and California). Our group is committed to providing well-designed educations to K-12 students. Dr. Wang and his graduate students have developed interesting education kits and projects for this event.

Capstone Senior Design

Photo: Dr. Wang with the Capstone group, Latent Power Corp., at the 2018 Senior Capstone Innovation Day. The design won the 4th-place award among more than 100 teams!

The Capstone group, Latent Power Corp., designed a portable thermoelectric generator utilizing both a fresnel lens and a phase change material to generate and store energy. Heat is conducted by the thermoelectric module from the phase change material to produce usable power. The solidification process of the phase change material releases heat allowing the thermoelectric module to continue to generate electricity at night. The devices have the ability to power or charge general electronics such as mobile devices and are designed for outdoor applications. The generator is suitable for outdoor use due to its durable design and has an ergonomic handle that allows for easy and worry-free transportation in any environment. More details about this project can be found here.

Photo: Dr. Wang with the Electric Magma team at the 2017 Senior Capstone Innovation Day. From left to right: Yan Wang, Teren Salinas, Zach Ballen, Kevin Whitehouse, and Mitch Warden. (Andrew Sheets not in the photo.)

The team worked on developing a solar-thermoelectric energy converter to transform the abundant solar energy in Nevada to usable electricity. They used fresnel lenses to focus direct sunlight onto thermoelectric modules, which will then convert the heat produced from the focused sunlight into usable electricity. At present, the design is planned to be relatively small and modular, allowing for easy transportation. However, this research and technology could be the starting point for a new source of power within the renewable energy market, and could potentially be scaled up for larger applications. Team Electric Magma firmly believes thermoelectric technology holds the key to the future of renewable energy and will transform the way man harnesses the power of the sun. More details about this project can be found here.