Meet the Team

Leadership

Wayne Strasser
Before entering academia, Dr. Wayne Strasser provided computational solutions to problems related to fluids, chemical reactions, and phase change for various global industry partners for 25 years, resulting in increased energy utilization and improved product yield valued at tens of millions (USD) annually. The thrusts of his current research include optimization of a transonic self-sustaining pulsatile airblast atomizer and hybrid RANS-LES modeling of primary atomization. He has 37 patents in the US, plus those abroad. He is a registered P.E. in three US states, an ASME Fellow, an Executive Director of Industrial Relations for ASTFE, and operates a private CFD consulting company. He previously chaired the ASME Fluid Applications and Systems Technical Committee, the ASME Honors and Awards Committee, and the ASME Fluid Mechanics Technical Committee. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Fluids Engineering and actively reviews articles for at least a dozen journals. He also enjoys lively philosophical debate on the origin and meaning of life.

Graduate Students

David Capobianco (PhD)
Placeholder
Robert Kacinski (PhD)
Robert Kacinski is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Liberty University. He grew up in Long Island, New York but currently resides in Lynchburg, VA. During his undergraduate studies, he participated in a directed research project with Dr. Wayne Strasser involving CFD and shark skin for boundary layer separation control. This study was instrumental in piquing an interest in the field that is now being pursued in graduate level research. Outside of his studies, playing the piano and golf are two of his favorite pastimes, as they provide a level of mental challenge along with the leisure of the two activities. I am resolute in my faith regarding frequent prayer and a firm belief that God works all things for good.
Reid Prichard (PhD)
Engineering isn’t just my degree - it’s my passion. I love learning new things and breaking new ground, so I have been excited at the broad range of opportunities afforded to me while working toward my PhD at Liberty University. I began my program by presenting a study on supercavitation at ASME’s IMECE conference and winning First Place in their “Young Engineers Paper” contest. After finishing my supercavitation work, I wrote a literature review of studies of fluid flow through the brain, which will be featured as a chapter of an upcoming book on traumatic brain injuries. I closed out my first semester by learning advanced meshing techniques to perform a project for an international nuclear power corporation. I am currently working within the field of biomimetics, specifically investigating the use of shark skin to control boundary layer separation.
Daniel Wilson (PhD)
Daniel Wilson received his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Clemson University. For his masters thesis, he worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a process for hypersonic aircraft conceptual design initialization. During his graduate studies at Clemson, he taught the undergraduate lab on thermal/fluid sciences and data acquisition. To continue his education, he is now pursuing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Liberty University, where the primary thrust of his research is optimizing the atomization of biosludge for energy conversion using CFD. He is passionate about developing his skills as an engineer, progressing as a researcher, and teaching students. During his free time, he enjoys reading, particularly the works of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, and spending time with his wife and son.
Elijah Yoder (PhD)
Elijah Yoder is a Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate student interested in studying God’s creation and using that as inspiration for modern engineering. His F.L.U.I.D. research involves studying the Bombardier Beetle’s volatile spray defense mechanism and utilizing that in a fire extinguisher. He has been a part of Liberty’s Formula SAE team and has had various hands-on engineering experience through internships with PennDOT. In his free time, he enjoys working out, playing sports of various kinds, and catching up on the latest movies.

Undergraduate Students

Isabelle Ambrose
Isabelle Ambrose is a current mechanical engineering student interested in how current renewable energy resources can be improved and applied in aircrafts through engineering. In addition to research, she is on her university’s Formula SAE team working on creating and preforming simulations for the vehicle. In her free time, she loves to work as a tutor, hike, read, and work on her clothing line.
Christian Bernth
Christian Bernth is a 21-year-old Mechanical Engineering student currently attending Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. He is in his 3rd year at Liberty and plans to graduate in May of 2023 with his bachelor’s degree. He currently has worked several internships and plans to increase his skills in the field of engineering as he begins work in the professional field.
Josh Clayton
Josh Clayton was born and raised overseas. Growing up in Central Asia as a missionary gave him the opportunity to learn and appreciate different cultures and people groups. After moving back to the United States in 2012, Josh was homeschooled and spent his free time tinkering with a variety of devices including small engines and computers. In 2018 Josh began his Bachelors at Liberty University in Mechanical Engineering. Josh has always had a passion for airplanes and rockets and hopes to apply what he learns in this research to those areas of his future career.
Hrishav Dey
Hrishav is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering at National Institute of Technology Silchar, India. He shares a love for the subjects of Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer and has been actively working in the fields of Li-ion batteries, Phase Change Materials and Energy Storage Systems. He has joined the FLUID Research Group at Liberty University under Dr. Wayne Strasser as a Research Intern and has been working on the foundation of Fluid-Structure Interaction for modelling the dynamic coupling between Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) and the Human Ventricular System (HVS).
Michael Diaz
Michael was born and raised in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. He has always been passionate about competition, which led him to participate in sports like soccer, basketball, swimming, and cycling. In Puerto Rico, Michael attended three separate schools. Although, unlike traditional American schools where there is a school for elementary, middle, and high school students, in Puerto Rico, all levels are always in one school. The reason for switching schools included seeking for an accredited school that would allow him to receive a high school diploma acceptable in the United States. Through this process, Michael discovered some potential passions that could one day shape him into a professional. It was in his early life where he decided that engineering would be a good fit for his desire to design, create, and analyze. His curiosity for engineering led him to join his school Vex Robotics team in 2012, where he became team captain and competed as a middle schooler in the Vex competitions at high school level. After winning an island-wide championship the same year and seeing great potential in himself, he knew there had to be greater challenges in the engineering world. Years later, during his sophomore year (2019), Michael decided the school where he planned on graduating was not good for his future, so he decided to do Liberty University Online Academy (LUOA) where he took online courses to receive his high school diploma. Through LUOA’s dual enrollment program, Michael graduated and received his high school diploma and an Associate’s in Arts degree. Presently, he is pursuing his passion at Liberty University as a freshman where he studies Mechanical Engineering, and has been working for the university’s swim team as a photographer since his arrival.
Joel Dowdell
Joel Dowdell is an undergraduate mechanical engineering junior at Liberty University. He is working on Reduced Order Modeling with FLUID. Some other topics that interest him are analog computing, engineering applications of origami, and the potential intersection of the two. When time allows, his hobbies include dungeons and dragons, origami, math, and reading.
Kent Gingerich
Kent “Newt” Gingerich is a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate student at Liberty University. He has helped Dr. Strasser create an introductory demonstration of the open source CFD program OpenFOAM and is currently involved in dolphin skin modeling. He plans on writing his honors thesis on modeling an airfoil with a movable flap, like that embedded in shark skin, to reduce stall by controlling the flow over the airfoil. It is only through the grace of God that he is studying at Liberty University, and he is very grateful to be a part of the FLUID group.
Parker Harris
Stephen “Parker” Harris is a Mechanical Engineering major at Liberty University. He was born and raised in North Carolina. His interests include applied mathematics, specifically in the field of differential analysis. Finding solutions PDE’s and understanding the theory of PDE’s and their application to engineering problems is a main focus, In the FLUID group he focuses on numerical methods and finite element analysis.
Emilie Hatton
Emilie Hatton is a current undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student minoring in Creation Studies. Emilie has a great interest in the fields of renewable energy, waste reduction, and environmental sustainability. Along side her studies, Emilie is the President of the LUSE’s Renewable Energy Club where her and her members study ways to fulfill the Creation Mandate through proper resource stewardship. Emilie is also a Resident Assistant on campus where she strives to lead others in a way that reflects the Bible’s outline for servant leadership stated in Philippians 2.
Jacob Mann
I am currently in my senior year of undergrad studying Engineering with an emphasis in Mechanical. Even though I grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, my family moved to Dayton, Tennessee in 2018. I started pursuing my degree at Bryan College in the Fall of 2019. I plan to graduate this spring with an even stronger passion for math and physics than when I first started my undergrad, which is why I want to continue my education. Fluids Engineering and CFD is, in my opinion, the highest level of math and physics that can be found in Engineering. I desire to develop my knowledge in this field as much as I can, and plan to implement Fluids and CFD in my future career.
Matthew Marcinko
Matthew Marcinko is a junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Liberty University. In addition to his core STEM curriculum, Marcinko has a minor in Business to expand his interests and diversify his skills. Matthew is from Piscataway, New Jersey and is the middle of five children. Hobbies include observational astronomy, reading, and sports. To fulfill these, Marcinko works at the Liberty University Astronomical Observatory and is an athlete on the Liberty Men’s Volleyball Team.

In the FLUID research team, Marcinko is studying dolphin skin with the University of Alabama Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering department. He is modeling the flow of water over the surface of the creatures to explain why dolphins can swim with such little drag. Matthew hopes to apply his studies and research initiatives as an aerospace/mechanical engineer in the future.
Clay McClintock
Clay McClintock is a mechanical engineering student at Liberty University. He has participated in COVID 19 Ventilation research, and has obtained his associate’s certification in Solidworks. Clay loves to design and 3D print, and enjoys coming up with different projects to work on creating. In his spare time he enjoys to play disc golf and have fun with friends and girlfriend.
Micah Mutscheller
Micah Mutscheller is a mechanical engineering student in his junior year at Liberty University. Before transferring to Liberty, Micah was an engineering student at Virginia Tech, worked in an internship at McKee Foods, competed in robotics competitions, and earned his CSWA certification in SolidWorks. He now has a special interest in the mechanics of materials and fluids, and he joined FLUID Group to work under Dr. Strasser on modeling fluid flow over dolphin skin.
Brett Natelborg
Brett Natelborg is an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student at Liberty University. Throughout his education, Brett has been a part of Formula SAE’s powertrain subsystem, where he studies transfer of power from the engine to the rear axle of the vehicle. Outside of school, Brett enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and studying theology. One of his favorite Bible verses is Psalm 19:14 because it reminds him that every part of his life should dedicated to and focused on the Lord.
Ethan Newkirk
Ethan Newkirk is currently an undergraduate studying interdisciplinary studies in business leadership and computational science areas of study. He lives in Wake Forest, NC, and grew up in Ft. Myers, FL. He is involved in the F.L.U.I.D. research group with the objective to develop image analysis methods with which to evaluate renderings of fluid movements and generate data on the width of particles over time. He plans to start a business in the future based on some products developed through a background in engineering and computer science. Outside of school, Ethan likes to participate in outdoor activities such as mountain biking and various sports.
Luke Phayre
Luke Phayre is a Sophomore Mechanical Engineering student at Liberty University. He enjoys using CAD software and problem solving with physics and math. Luke joined the FLUID group in hopes of gaining work experience in the field of engineering. In his free time, Luke plays board games and sports.
Ryan Pritzkau
Ryan Pritzkau is a current student at Liberty University studying for his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He currently is involved in the FLUID’s research group at Liberty University studying the additive manufacturing of titanium powder using Electron Beam Melting (EBM), specifically designing a heat transfer analysis of the process. Additionally, he is a member of the Liberty Vanguard Robotics team participating in the University rover Challenge. He has professional experience in manufacturing and assembly, and currently holds a certification in SolidWorks at the professional level. Beyond his professional life, he is also a hobby machinist having operating knowledge of multiple machines generally used in machine shops and woodshops across the country.
Nathan Roberts
Nathan Roberts is currently a junior in the undergraduate mechanical engineering program at Liberty University. He is interested in Creation Science and research which is part of his mission with the FLUID group. With knowledge and research in this area, the hope is to gain more knowledge and experience along with giving insight to others about the nature of creation science and why it is important. High-performance computing and underwater exploration are also areas of interest that Nathan hopes to continue to explore in the future.
Aleck Tilbrook
Aleck Tilbrook was born into a navy family and spent his childhood near the technological achievements of the service branch’s submersibles and surface ships. This period in his life sparked a deep passion for engineering, problem solving and the pursuit of knowledge. During his time as an undergraduate at Liberty University, Tilbrook has followed this passion and engaged in multiple research projects. These projects span the fields of biomedical engineering, structural dynamics, and computation fluid dynamics. Tilbrook has also gained industry experience through his previous internships, preforming efficiency analysis of mechanical systems, material use, and production flow. Tilbrook plans to continue his research pursuits into the future and use the wisdom he has acquired through his time at Liberty University to discover more about creation.
Ben Truxel
Ben Truxel is an undergraduate mechanical engineering student at Liberty University. He is involved in F.L.U.I.D.’s Covid-19 modeling research and in Genesis Helmets’ design and testing teams. Ben has experience with woodshop machinery and agricultural equipment and enjoys hands on design projects.
Tyler Ulmschneider
Tyler Ulmschneider is an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student at Liberty University. He also works on the frame subsystem for Liberty University Formula SAE team. Tyler’s hobbies include hiking, playing soccer, and printing new creations on his 3D printer.
Arianna Verbosky
Arianna Verbosky is currently a mechanical engineering undergraduate at Liberty University. She is involved in the FLUID research group directed by Dr. Wayne Strasser and is also involved in carbon-nanomaterial composite research. Her desire is to glorify God and serve others through using engineering to support the work of missions around the world. In addition to research, she helps with the steering sub-team for the Human Powered Vehicle Competition team and the Engineering Missions and Research Club at Liberty University. In her free time, she enjoys playing the flute and piano, running, and spending time with family and friends.
Liu Bo Wilkins
Liu Bo Wilkins is currently a mechanical engineering undergraduate at Liberty University. She is involved in the FLUID research group directed by Dr. Wayne Strasser. Along with fluids research, she is performing additional research into a carbon based biosensor. Her desire is to glorify God through the avenue of biomedical engineering. She has already worked on a variety of research and CAD modeling projects relating to the medical field. Along with her academic pursuits, she is a member of the women’s ultimate frisbee club sport team. In her free time, she enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and volleyball, reading a variety of books, and having deep conversations with people.
Abraham Wingfield
Abraham Wingfield is currently a Mechanical Engineering student at Liberty University. He is actively involved in the F.L.U.I.D. research group directed by Dr. Wayne Strasser, PhD. His current research objective is to develop an acoustic levitation system that suspends objects with sound waves and generates phase change in a container less environment.

Alumni (Graduate)

Eric Turman (MS)
General Motors

Alumni (Undergraduate)

Eli Best
Sydney Gates
Isaac Liu
Elijah Reeves
Nathan Rogers
Emily Schneidau
Nicholas Veeder
Jacob Walker
Aaron Young
Hayley Yukihiro