Highlights from the 13th U.S. National Combustion Meeting

Jun 20, 2023

The 13th U.S. National Combustion Meeting was held from 19-22 March 2023 on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Hosted by the Central States Section of The Combustion Institute and organized locally by the Texas A&M Turbo Lab staff, under the direction of Dr. Eric Petersen and Dr. Waruna Kulatilaka, the meeting was attended by nearly 400 attendees. Dr. Petersen and his staff graciously provided tours of various on-campus laboratories and the Turbomachinery Laboratory to all interested participants.

Program Co-Chairs, Dr. Kalyan Srinivasan and Dr. Steven Son, put together a program that consisted of 278 presentations and 62 posters, contributed by over 1,000 authors and co-authors. Plenary presentations were delivered by an exciting array of speakers, including Dr. Kelly Senecal, Convergent Science; Dr. Stanislav Stoliarov, University of Maryland; and the 2023 U.S. Early Career Combustion Investigator Awardee, Dr. Derek Splitter, Oak Ridge National Laboratories.

Among the highlights of the event were the various awards given to our members, including:

  • The Undergraduate Research Competition Presentations Award:
    • Dominic Curtis, Yale University
    • Jacob Klein, Wayne State University
    • James Ringsby, Cornell University
  • The CSSCI Art Competition Technical Merit Award:
    • “Spring Blossom”
      • Xiaoyu Ju, University of California, Berkeley; Yuji Nakamura, Toyohashi University of Technology; and Michael J. Gollner, University of California, Berkeley
    • The CSSCI Art Competition Artistic Merit Award:
      • “Phoenix” by Qinghui Meng, University of Michigan

In addition to the engaging technical program, attendees were also treated to a performance by the world-renowned Aggie Wranglers during the banquet, held at the impressive Ford Hall of Champions, located in Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. The rest of the social program was also well-attended, with the Career Development and Mentoring Mixer boasting 100 attendees, while the Women in Combustion Luncheon attracted 45 attendees.

Thank you to the organizers for their dedication and contributions to the combustion science community, as well as to the attendees for helping to make this event a success.