Nuclear program hosts two visiting scholars from Brazil

Through a research collaboration with Rio de Janeiro State University, the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering hosted two visiting scholars from Brazil, Lisa Susana Enomoto and Alan Souza da Silva, during spring semester.

Susana Enomoto and Souza da Silva are being hosted by Richard Vasques, an assistant professor in the Nuclear Engineering Graduate Program. Vasques is co-coordinating this research collaboration with Rio de Janeiro State University’s professor Ricardo Carvalho de Barros with the goal of studying non-classical particle transport.

This research collaboration is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education through the CAPES-Print program, aiming to stimulate the international cooperation with Brazilian Universities. The goal of the study is to create accurate and efficient computer simulations of non-classical transport using Vasques’ non-classical generalized linear Boltzmann equation as the mathematical model.

This research will have a significant impact in several applications in the areas of nuclear engineering, atmospheric sciences, and computer-generated imagery (CGI), to name a few.

“On top of important technical and scientific advancements in deterministic computational modeling of particle transport applications, this collaboration strengthens the ties of internationalization and cooperation between The Ohio State University and Rio de Janeiro State University,” Vasques said. “We are paving the road to building a fruitful partnership for years to come, which will be beneficial to both institutions by increasing their international visibility and their impact in the global scientific community.”

Susana Enomoto and Souza da Silva both found out about this opportunity from their advisor Prof. Barros while working on his Deterministic Computational Neutronics (DCN) research team at Rio de Janeiro State University.

The pairs semester spent at Ohio State was a time to grow and learn for both of them filled with opportunity.

“It was an amazing experience being a visiting scholar at Ohio State, I could work on my research supervised by Prof. Vasques, present a seminar about my PhD research to my lab colleagues at OSU, and have scholar and cultural interaction with researchers at the OSU Graduate Program in Nuclear Engineering,” Susana Enomoto said. “The international experience made me improve my English skills and it made me return to Brazil with a broader view.”

Souza da Silva echoed this sentiment.

“I have really appreciated this great experience as a visiting scholar,” he said. “This was an excellent opportunity to develop my research, learn about different cultures and speak a new language. All these things are helping me to improve my skills as a young researcher.”

Both Susana Enomoto and Souza da Silva also commented on the wonderful facilities at Ohio State, the city of Columbus, the people they met and their appreciation of getting to work with Vasques.

For the future, Susana Enomoto and Souza da Silva each expressed their interest in continuing research and hopefully becoming a professor someday.

“Working with Lisa and Alan was a real treat! They are both very intelligent and driven students, and they made sure to take advantage of all the opportunities available at OSU, both scientific and cultural,” Vasques said. “Moreover, they brought their own experiences and expertise to our research team, which is always a healthy and welcome contribution to any scientific group. I will continue to co-advise them from a distance and collaborate with them in their doctoral projects, and I am looking forward to many future interactions.”