Marisa Petrusky

Marisa Petrusky

PhD Candidate and NSF GRFP Fellow, Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences

2026 Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities

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I was honored to be a Graduate Leader at the 2026 Conference for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Denver Colorado, hosted by the American Physical Society! I volunteered to moderate several sessions and gave a joint seminar with peers on Applying to Summer Research Internships. Having attended this conference as an undergraduate myself, it is wonderful to give back and help others find their paths in STEM!

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Paper Published: Discrete-Velocity Simulation of a One-Dimensional Hypersonic Stagnation Streamline.

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Our paper, titled “Discrete-Velocity Simulation of a One-Dimensional Hypersonic Stagnation Streamline”, has just been published with the Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer. We apply the theoretical framework of a DSMC stagnation streamline model to develop a novel version for discrete-velocity solvers. Results are benchmarked with DSMC for a variety of hypersonic flow cases. A study of velocity distribution functions around the shock is also performed, revealing features unique to a hypersonic shock in the presence of a reflecting boundary. You can check out our work here.

National Academy of Engineering Regional Meeting & Symposium: Quantum & Space, the Next Frontier

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I enjoyed attending the National Academy of Engineering Regional Meeting & Symposium on Quantum & Space, the Next Frontier. It was fascinating to learn how quantum technology development can enable space exploration goals, especially for satellite Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and guidance systems. On the aerospace side, we can prioritize enabling quantum experiments in space and developing robust vehicles that can stably house quantum equipment!

Paper Published: Evaluation of the Ambipolar Diffusion Approximation Using an Eulerian Boltzmann-Poisson-BGK Solver

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The conference proceedings from the 33rd International Symposium of Rarefied Gas Dynamics (2024) have just been published! The entire book is open access, which you can check out here. Our paper is titled, “Evaluation of the Ambipolar Diffusion Approximation Using an Eulerian Boltzmann-Poisson-BGK Solver.” We conduct a thorough investigation of one of the most ubiquitous plasma modeling assumptions in rarefied gas dynamics and propose an improved set of criteria for evaluating its validity. You can check out our paper here.

APS DPP 2025: Incorporation of Dialogic Learning in STEM Classrooms

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I gave a talk during the Education, Public Engagement, and Workforce Development session at APS DPP 2025 in Long Beach, California, titled “Incorporation of Dialogic Learning in STEM Classrooms”. You can download a copy of the slides here.