HIDDEN FIGURES 

As part of her Schreyer Honors College undergraduate thesis last year, Tyagi tackled a century-old math problem: optimizing the power of wind turbines. She spent a couple of months refining calculus variations, erasing work on her iPad before trying again. “There were a lot of iterations to get to the final equations,” says Tyagi ’24 Eng Hon, who is working toward a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. Thanks to her, the problem is now simplified to three exact solutions.

ACADEMIC RIGOR      

Tyagi is an alumna of Downingtown STEM Academy, where she bolstered her strengths in math and science. At Penn State, she has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her undergraduate and graduate studies, graduated last year summa cum laude, and was recognized as a Leonhard Scholar in the College of Engineering.  

ENERGY APPLICATIONS         

Tyagi’s addendum, which was published in Wind Energy Science, accounts for the stresses that turbines endure, such as thrust forces and bending moments on rotor blades. “These are important parameters in wind turbine aerodynamics,” she says. This updated method could shape future designs of wind turbines, making them more efficient, durable, and cost-effective.

HELICOPTER HELP         

She’s also part of Navy-funded research, simulating the airflow around helicopters taking off or landing on ship decks so that it’s a safer process. “Airflow past the ship deck is very turbulent, especially coupled with the atmospheric effects,” she says. Improved training as a result of these simulations, however, could help pilots better navigate the dynamic airwake. 

 

FLIGHT PATH     

“I’ve always had a fascination with airplanes,” Tyagi says. After she finishes her master’s degree next May, she’d like to work in aerodynamics, possibly designing and modeling commercial airplanes.