 Gail D. Jefferson |
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Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, 2005 Gail D. Jefferson joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of South Alabama as an assistant professor in August 2008. She earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and her B.S. in Mathematics with Honors from Spelman College 1997. During this time, she interned at NASA Glenn research Center at Lewis Field. While completing her M.S. degree (2003) in Biomedical Engineering at The Ohio State University, she performed research at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She then completed her doctoral work at FAMU studying the structure and properties relationships of materials. Experimental results suggested general classes of microstructure images can be reconstructed as calculated from statistical mechanics determined via microscopy or SAXS. Additionally, empirical forms of two-point probability functions for two phase composites were investigated and alternate forms were introduced which can incorporate both periodicity and randomness. The results show the potential of these functions in the evaluation of microstructures and in acquiring higher order details not available previously. After finishing her Ph.D. in 2005, her postdoctoral studies at the National Institute of Aerospace focused on mechanical testing, micro-structural characterization and studying temperature/environmental aging on advanced composite systems. As a result, she was able to characterize and model failure in these novel material systems. Dr. Jefferson’s current research interests focus on analysis and experimental research with an emphasis on developing models and test methods that examine the behavior of advanced non-metallic, nanostructured material systems involving material characterization and variable fidelity modeling tools. Material performance associated with load, temperature and environment interaction of these composite systems over varying lengths of time, the basic morphology of fiber/polymer interface, etc. were investigated to aid in the determination of reproducible mechanisms, indicator properties and specific aging mechanisms. Additionally, she served as a PANELIST for NSF REU. Currently, Dr. Jefferson is a member of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Processing Engineering (SAMPE), American Institute of Aeronautic and Astronautics (AIAA), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). |