Christopher Depcik - Undergraduate Research Mentor

Bio:

Name: Christopher Depcik

Department: Mechanical Engineering

Describe your research/creative scholarship in a few sentences that we can all understand:

Our research focuses on creating sustainable energy and transportation systems by analyzing fuels from production to emissions. This includes developing models for fuel combustion, catalytic converters, electric vehicles, and waste heat recovery systems to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Recently, I have applied my expertise in thermodynamics to simulate the aging process of whisk(e)y and other spirits, compressing years of maturation into minutes using a 3-D computer model.

Questions:

Q: How did you first get interested in doing research or creative work?

A: During my undergraduate experience, I took a co-operative educational job at a power plant, during which I worked as a regular engineer for three semesters. Additionally, for my undergraduate senior design (capstone) course, I wrote a computer program that analyzed an Organic Rankine Cycle operating on solar energy using ammonia as the working fluid. Both experiences helped me realize that I wanted to pursue graduate school and explore my discipline in greater detail through research.

Q: What do students in your discipline learn by doing research that they wouldn’t learn by just taking classes?

A: Often, I find that students want to reinvent the wheel and overdesign for the outcomes. In classes, they are taught what they can do, but not necessarily what they should do. Research helps them understand what has been done before and take a more direct route toward outcomes by building on past knowledge to streamline their designs. As a result, their designs become simpler (Occam’s Razor), less expensive, and often come together more quickly. Additionally, by working to publish their findings, they learn how to document their work rigorously so that others can benefit from their efforts—an invaluable skill for their careers or if they pursue graduate school.

Q: What do you find to be the most exciting part of doing research or creative work? What makes this line of work meaningful and interesting to you?

A: I learn something new every single day, and there’s nothing like having a job that constantly challenges me to expand my knowledge. Without that challenge, I would be bored. 

My concern for the environment dates back to high school, and the work my graduate students and I do can contribute to preserving it. Additionally, I find immeasurable fulfillment in knowing the impact I can have on my students’ lives. Receiving an unsolicited email from a former student thanking me for pushing them to learn means more to me than any award or recognition. Ultimately, I want to look back on my time here and feel that it truly mattered, beyond professional achievements.

Q: What advice do you have for undergraduates interested in doing research in your field?

A: Go to graduate school. My field has been around for over 100 years. You will only get a small taste of what can be accomplished by doing undergraduate research. To become an expert, you will need to attend graduate school and spend years researching a single topic. While the last thing that undergraduates might want to hear is “spend more time in school”, graduate school was the best time of my life. You can spend every single day improving yourself in a fantastic environment. Moreover, the best jobs in Research and Development usually require an advanced degree nowadays.

Q: For many students, doing research or a larger creative project is the first time they have done work that routinely involves setbacks and the need to troubleshoot problems. Can you tell us about a time that your research didn’t go as expected?  Or about any tricks or habits that you’ve developed to help you stay resilient in the face of obstacles?

A: I remember spending a year just trying to understand the Method of Characteristics better in Computational Fluid Dynamics. For some reason, I just could not get it. It seems like every day, I would wake up, have some brilliant inspiration, go into school, try it, realize I did not know what the heck I was doing, and go home defeated. What I did not understand at the time is that I learned more through this failure. It forced me to do extra research and spend added time writing out my thoughts, subsequently increasing my overall comprehension of the subject. As a result, now I meticulously document nearly everything I study (even typing up all equations) when I delve into it. I know I will forget what I learned, or I may stumble upon something that will actually be important later. By spending a little more time recording my ideas and research, any setbacks actually turn into successes later. 

Q: How do you spend your time outside of work?

A: You can find me nearly every morning at Crunch Fitness, in the immortal words of The Rock, “clanging and banging” at 5:00 am. My mental and physical health is the most important thing to me. This is my alone time that helps reduce my stress and anxiety. Without it, I would be overwhelmed. Besides that, I spend it with my lovely wife just relaxing and enjoying life with no agenda.