Christopher Roper of Lawrenceville places third in national competition

2017 Apr 28

Christopher Roper, a mechanical engineering and physics major, recently earned third place at the National Society of Black Engineers Technical Research Exhibition in Kansas City, Missouri.

The annual showcase poster competition highlights undergraduate and graduate research from around the country. Roper was honored for his aerospace engineering research, particularly in the area of propulsion and combustion for turbofan engines.

"I wanted to determine the best flight conditions for this specific engine," Roper said. His research explored variables such as environmental temperatures, altitude, fuel needs and freestream velocity. "When we know these best values, and by doing experimental and computational demonstrations, we can determine how efficient the engine aircraft will travel."

A senior from Lawrenceville, Ga., Roper also earned first place in the STEM Innovators Conference in Savannah earlier this year. He is among the more than 50 Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholars at Kennesaw State who conduct cutting-edge research with top engineers and scientists.