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Turner Marr, a mechanical engineering senior from Buffalo, Minnesota, wanted to become a doctor when he enrolled at �ձ�av��Ƶ in fall 2022.

That lasted all of one semester. The switch from biochemistry premed to mechanical engineering had nothing to do with the sight of blood or the thought of working on a cadaver. He simply wanted a major that required more math while allowing hands-on learning. 

He found that in mechanical engineering and in December 2024 was selected by the college as a Future Innovator of America.

The fellowships were created by the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering to provide unique research opportunities for undergraduate students in the college. Any student is eligible to apply as long as they are attending full time and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Twelve students from seven departments were chosen.

Recipients were awarded $5,000 with $4,500 as a stipend and $500 to cover the cost of lab supplies or travel to disseminate the results of their project. 

Simulates hypersonic engine performance

Marr collaborated with associate professor Jeffrey Doom and the Air Force Research Laboratory on supersonic and hypersonic scramjet engines. Supersonic engines can fly Mach 1 to 5. Mach 1 is the speed of sound, 761 miles per hour. Hypersonic is any speed above Mach 5.

“By employing high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, my work explored critical topics such as optimizing fuel injector locations, studying the effects of cavity shapes and sizes, and evaluating the performance of various fuel types. This research holds significant implications for advancing hypersonic propulsion technology,” Marr said. 

He said he had an interest in aerospace engineering because he has family members who served in the Air Force.

That developed into a passion through taking mechanical engineering courses. He also liked the idea of getting paid to do research. So, Marr sought out Doom, even though he had not taken any of his CFD classes, and Doom suggested the previously described project.

Research work gaining attention

Marr has found success in his new passion.

He presented his findings at �ձ�av��Ƶ’s Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day April 15 and was one of three mechanical engineering majors to earn the Outstanding Poster in Engineering award.

Marr is also a coauthor of an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference paper with Doom and graduate student Delaney Baumberger. This peer-reviewed paper will be presented at the AIAA SciTech Forum in January.

Marr said, “It was really interesting working on real-life applications in aerospace engineering. Right now, they are simulations, but they have the potential to be used in military applications. Hypersonics is definitely something the industry is pursing now. It continues to push the limits on how fast you can go. The only limitations to hypersonics is the people in the aircraft because we can’t handle the Gs.”

Becomes fluent in CFD simulations

He said his biggest challenge associated with the project was learning “all the terminology with scramjet engines and how to present the information. Computational fluid dynamics was “all brand new to me last fall” when he began the project. His first CFD class wasn’t until this fall.  

Computational fluid dynamics uses numerical methods to simulate and analyze fluid flow. This allows engineers to predict the real-world performance of designs and accelerate product development in fields like aerospace, automotive and turbomachinery.  

“I’ve loved it,” Marr said of the subject, adding that the background knowledge he has gained “has definitely helped” him in his CFD classes. 

That includes use of Star CCM, a software used to simulate high-speed flow. “It was all new to me then. Now I’m using in courses that Dr. Doom teaches as well. I got to get a feel of what the software is like before using it in courses.”

Through simulations, Marr experimented with the location of the fuel injector within the engine and simulated the use of both supersonic and subsonic fuel injectors. “By manipulating the mass flow rate, we are able to pump more fuel into the cavity for combustions,” he explained.

Already pursuing master’s degree

While his year as a Future Innovator is expiring, he is continuing the research in preparation for his master’s project. The specifics of that are still to be determined, but he is enrolled in the accelerated master’s program in mechanical engineering with a May 2026 bachelor’s graduation date and a December 2007 master’s completion.

In addition to his Future Innovator project, the 3.92 GPA student chairs the �ձ�av��Ƶ branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is president of the Aerospace Club and vice president of Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honor society, and Tau Beta Pi, the honor society for all engineering fields. 

With that background, it’s not surprising that his favorite Jackrabbits experience is the F35 flyovers at �ձ�av��Ƶ football games on military appreciation days.

Aerospace Club has high aspirations

Turner started the Aerospace Club, which held its first meeting in January and is up to 60 students, including students who take part in the college’s NASA projects. That makes them eligible to apply for funds from the college and Students’ Association, he said.

The club’s focus is to not just learn about aerospace engineering, but also to compete in rocketry contests. The club was not organized in time to compete in a contest last school year, but the students have applied to compete in International Rocket Engineering Competition 2026, the largest rocket competition in the world, Marr said.

All club members have level one certification from the association, and some are pursuing level two or three certification, Marr said.

The club plans to compete in the 10,000-foot, commercial, off-the-shelf category. Off-the-shelf refers to the motor. The club will build the rocket’s fiberglass body. Marr is part of a senior design team building an air brake for the rocket. It will have continually moving flaps to keep the rocket from going beyond the 10,000-foot level.

Raised northwest of the Twin Cities, Marr came to �ձ�av��Ƶ looking for a quieter life. But he finds appeal in the fast life, at least when it comes to engines.