Bio
Dr. Jonathan (Jono) McConnell graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2018 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation, he joined the Hybrid Sustainable Energy Systems Laboratory at UCF studying under Dr. Tuhin Das. In 2019, Dr. McConnell graduated with an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering defending a thesis on first-principles, lumped modeling of a heat recovery steam generator. This research was funded by Siemens Energy, Inc. In his doctoral research, Dr. McConnell lead an NSF funded effort to model the dynamics of a tethered autogyro for energy efficient surveillance flight and high-altitude power generation. This work culminated in his dissertation in 2022 as well as multiple journal and conference articles which explore the dynamics of a tethered autogyro as well as a single-winged autorotating samara. In the summer of 2022, Dr. McConnell was selected for the NOMAD Internship program at Sandia National Labs where he participated in an eight-week research effort to model the effects of high velocity impact from shrapnel of varying orientation.