IREAAMU Publications

2026 IREAAMU REU Site [Proceeding]

• Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Autonomous Conflict Resolution in Advanced Air Mobility [Poster]

REU Student: Clara Fang | REU Graduate Mentor: Fatma Yamaç Sagırlı | REU Postdoc Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz | Faculty: Prof. Zhenbo Wang

• Drone-Mounted EpiPen Delivery Clips for Rapid Emergency Response [Poster]

REU Student: Nathan A. Seamans | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• An Aerodynamic Cargo Pod for Last-Mile Delivery in Solo and Formation Flights [Poster]

REU Student: Daniel Korol | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Multi-Agent Proximal Policy Optimization for Last-Mile Drone Traffic Management [Poster]

REU Student: Lauren Kneer | REU Postdoc Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz | Faculty: Prof. Zhenbo Wang

• Designing Cargo Pod Geometry for Packing Efficiency and Flight Performance [Poster]

REU Student: Vaibhav Bhoovarahan | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Design and Manufacturing of Thin Metal Flow-Field Plates for Aluminum-Air Batteries Using 3D-Printed Forming Dies [Poster]

REU Student: Jacob A. Smith | Faculty: Prof. Doug Aaron

• Gravimetric and Volumetric Power Density of Flow-Field Plates in Aluminum-Air Batteries [Poster]

REU Student: Berkeley Harsch | Faculty: Prof. Doug Aaron

• Aerodynamic Design of a Cargo Capsule for Drone-Based Medical Emergency Delivery [Poster]

REU Student: Matthew S. Schnese | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Evaluating Public Key Infrastructure Feasibility for Resource-Constrained Drone Platforms [Poster]

REU Student: Joseph Shinkle | REU Graduate Mentor: Jaehwan Park | Faculty: Prof. Doowon Kim

• Rounded-Corner Box-Shaped Cargo Casing for Delivery Drones [Poster]

REU Student: Haripriya Mahapatra | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Boat-Tailed Box-Shaped Cargo Casing for Delivery Drones [Poster]

REU Student: Sanwarya Sajish Mavilaveettil Ponnon | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Pharmacists' Perception of Drone Support in Healthcare in Rural Appalachia [Poster]

REU Student: Salvatore Colao | REU Graduate Mentor: Caitlin Steele | Faculty: Prof. Courtney Cronley

• Aligning Industry, Pedagogy, and Workforce Readiness in an Advanced Air Mobility REU [Interactive Session at the 2026 NSF EEC Grantees Conference]

Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Formation Flight Aerodynamics of Lightweight Cargo Quadrotors in Cruise and Hover [Submitted to the 2027 AIAA SciTech Forum] 

REU Research Lab: Scientific Computing and Fluid Dynamics Lab | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

Collaborators: Kristen Karman-Shoemake

• Aligning Industry, Pedagogy, and Workforce Readiness in an Advanced Air Mobility REU [Submitted to the 2027 AIAA SciTech Forum]

Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Autonomous Drone Delivery Traffic Coordination via Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning [Submitted to the 2027 IEEE Aerospace Conference]

REU Students: Lauren Kneer and Clara Fang | REU Graduate Mentor: Fatma Yamaç Sagırlı | REU Postdoc Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz

REU Research Lab: Autonomous Systems Lab | Faculty: Prof. Zhenbo Wang

• Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Autonomous Conflict Resolution in Advanced Air Mobility [Submitted to the 2027 IEEE Aerospace Conference]

REU Students: Clara Fang and Lauren Kneer | REU Graduate Mentor: Fatma Yamaç Sagırlı | REU Postdoc Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz

REU Research Lab: Autonomous Systems Lab | Faculty: Prof. Zhenbo Wang

2025 IREAAMU REU Site [Proceeding] [UTK Tickle College of Engineering Article]

• Decentralized Multi-Agent Learning for an Optimized Truck-Drone Last-Mile Delivery System [Poster] 

REU Student: Valerie Liang | REU Graduate Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz | Faculty: Prof. Subhadeep Chakraborty

• Sim-to-Real Domain Adaptation for Sensor Robustness in Autonomous Aerial Systems [Poster] 

REU Student: Adam P. Jansen | REU Graduate Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz | Faculty: Prof. Zhenbo Wang

• Rural Appalachian Attitudes Towards Drone-Delivered Healthcare [Poster] 

REU Student: William LaGraves | Faculty: Prof. Courtney Cronley

• Privacy-Preserving and Decentralized Secure Communication for UAVs [Poster] 

REU Student: Esam A. Nesru | REU Graduate Mentor: Jaehwan Park | Faculty: Prof. Doowon Kim

• Modular Cargo Casings for Emergency First-Aid Deliveries to Point-of-Need Locations Using Lightweight Drones [Poster] 

REU Student: Chayapat Bunterngsook | REU Graduate Mentor: Aidan S. Lay | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Modular Cargo Casings Engineered for Secure Medication Delivery via Lightweight Drones [Poster] 

REU Student: Tor B. T. Burwell | REU Graduate Mentor: Aidan S. Lay | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Dynamic Behavior of Bi-Copters with Externally Slung Payloads [Poster] 

REU Student: Christian A. Crumley | Faculty: Prof. Hans DeSmidt

• Design Optimization of Battery-Powered Quadcopters for Maximum Hover Endurance [Poster] 

REU Student: Agnes Walker | Faculty: Prof. Hans DeSmidt

• Analysis of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles as Catalysts for Aluminum-Air Batteries [Poster] 

REU Student: Veronica C. Seipel | REU Graduate Mentor: Garrett A. Fields | Faculty: Prof. Doug Aaron

• Decentralized Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Hybrid Truck-Drone Last-Mile Delivery - [TRB-26-04038 Paper] [Poster]

REU Students: Valerie Liang | REU Graduate Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz | Faculty: Prof. Subhadeep Chakraborty

• Design and Development of Modular Cargo Casings for Lightweight Drones [AIAA Paper 2026-0685] 

REU Students: Tor B.T. Burwell, Chayapat Bunterngsook, and Michael P. Sutton | REU Graduate Mentors: Aidan S. Lay and Trenton S. Henderson

REU Research Lab: Scientific Computing and Fluid Dynamics Lab | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

Collaborators: Kristen Karman-Shoemake, Cristiano Beck, Gustavo L.O. Halila

• Designing an Interdisciplinary REU Site in Advanced Air Mobility Around Student-Centered Learning Outcomes [AIAA Paper 2026-0924]

Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya and Prof. Zhenbo Wang

2024 IREAAMU REU Site

• Improved Versatility of Advanced Air Mobility Vehicles [Poster]

REU Student: Michael P. Sutton | REU Graduate Mentor: Trenton S. Henderson | Undergraduate Collaborator: Aidan S. Lay | Faculty: Prof. Devina Sanjaya

• Exploring the Feasibility and Utility of Drone-Based Delivery for Unhoused or Hard-to-Reach Populations [Poster]

REU Student: James Copp | REU Graduate Mentor: Daniel Wang | Faculty: Prof. Courtney Cronley

• Comparing the Battery Performance Based on the Charging and Discharging Temperatures [Poster]

REU Student: Jennifer Milad | REU Graduate Mentor: Preston Young and Garrett A. Fields | Faculty: Prof. Doug Aaron and Prof. Matthew M. Mench

• Understanding Thermal Runaway Using Distribution of Relaxation Times for Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy [Poster]

REU Student: Danelle E. Henderson | REU Graduate Mentor: Preston Young and Garrett A. Fields | Faculty: Prof. Doug Aaron

• Propeller-Wing Interaction Analysis Using Data Driven Methods [Poster]

REU Student: Michael Graff | Faculty: Prof. Sicheng He

• Making Way: Using Vehicle-Vehicle Communication and A.I. to Clear a Path for an Ambulance Through Heavy Traffic [Poster]

REU Student: Jacob Pickos | REU Graduate Mentor: Zachariah Nelson | Faculty: Prof. Subhadeep Chakraborty

• Modeling Equations for Drones in Hover [Poster]

REU Student: Christian A. Crumley | Faculty: Prof. Hans DeSmidt

• A Data Driven Approach to Traffic Control and Management for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) [Poster]

REU Student: Emily Smyth | REU Graduate Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz | Faculty: Prof. Zhenbo Wang

• Optimizing Autonomous Drone Landing [Poster]

REU Student: Isaiah Brew | REU Graduate Mentor: Sabrullah Deniz | Faculty: Prof. Zhenbo Wang

• Mitigating Vulnerabilities in Linux-Based AAM Software [Poster]

REU Student: Rishika Chode | REU Graduate Mentor: Kyungchan Lim | Faculty: Prof. Doowon Kim

Program Details