Elizabeth (Lizzy) Matthews

I graduated from West Virginia University in 2021, with dual degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a minor in German. Since graduating, I have worked as a Research Engineer at Arctura, Inc in Rhode Island. This is also where I interned my last year of university. At Arctura, I have worked on different grant funded projects. These projects include a lightning protection coating for wind turbines, active lift control for wind turbines, and a green nitric acid production method.

Experience

Research Engineer - Arctura Inc

Collaborates on research funded by DOE SBIR, NSF STTR, and DOE ARPA-E grants.

  • Lightning Protection Coating for Wind Turbines: Supported validation tests in a high voltage test facility. Helped plan out pilot studies on wind farms. Helped set up lightning triggered cameras to capture strikes hitting coated turbines.
  • Active Lift Control for Wind Turbine Blades: Developed and tested methods for active lift control using plasma actuators. Tested small scale actuators in an in office lab using high voltage systems and monitoring devices. Built a small scale wind tunnel to visualize actuators with flow.
  • Decarbonizing Nitric Acid: Researches and develops ways to produce NOx using plasma in a lab environment. Works with a spectrometer and NOx analyzer to measure efficiency of the process. Works on report writing and proposal work.

Education

West Virginia University

Graduated in 2021 with a B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a minor in German.

  • Final GPA: 3.96
  • Activities and societies: Presented at AIAA 2022 Region I Student Conference, Honors College, German Club and National Honor Society, SWE, URC, Study Abroad at Kapito Sprachschule, OSTEM

Skills

  • Languages: Python, MATLAB
  • Software: SolidWorks, Fusion 360, ANSYS Fluent, XFLR5, Microsoft Office Suite
  • Other: Plasma Physics, High Voltage Systems, Wind Turbine Technology