2017 NAU AZ/NASA Space Grant Intern Collin Krawczyk is currently interning with the Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Office at NASA Ames Research Center. His team is designing an unmanned aerial vehicle to assist in transporting food that would otherwise be thrown out, from retail stores or restaurants, to food banks. This project will increase the amount of edible food available to people in need.

The Aeromechanics Office at NASA Ames Research Center is responsible for aeromechanics research activities that directly support the civil competitiveness of the U.S. helicopter industry and the Department of Defense. Branch programs address all aspects of the rotorcraft which directly influence the vehicle's performance, structural, and dynamic response, external acoustics, vibration, and aeroelastic stability. The programs are both theoretical and experimental in nature. Advanced computational methodology research using computational fluid dynamics and multidisciplinary comprehensive analyses seeks to understand the complete rotorcraft's operating environment and to develop analytical models to predict rotorcraft aerodynamic, aeroacoustic, and dynamic behavior. Experimental research seeks to obtain accurate data to validate these analyses, investigate phenomena currently beyond predictive capability, and to achieve rapid solutions to flight vehicle problems.