natasha vermaak

ph.d. candidate

university of california santa barbara

materials department
santa barbara, ca 93106-5050
ph. (805) 893.4667
natasha@engineering.ucsb.edu

Education

• Pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science, September 2004 – Present
University of California Santa Barbara Materials Department
Working thesis title: ‘Thermostructural Design Tools for Hypersonic Vehicles.’
December 2006 Advanced to Candidacy.
Advisor: Dr. Anthony G. Evans

• B.A., May 2003
St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland
Double Major: History of Mathematics/Science & Philosophy
Double Minor: Classical Studies & Comparative Literature

Research Interests

• Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) on a variety of scales. Heat transfer, turbulence, and the management of thermally induced stress.

Publications

• L. Valdevit, N. Vermaak, F.W. Zok, A.G. Evans, ‘Actively cooled materials and structures for scramjet systems,’ 2007. Submitted to AIAA Journal
• N. Vermaak, L. Valdevit, F.W. Zok, A.G. Evans, ‘Design and implementation of actively cooled panels for scramjets,’ 2007. Abstract accepted for ASME Conference Nov. 2007
• L.Valdevit, N. Vermaak, F.W. Zok, A.G. Evans, ‘The effect of Mach number on materials selection for hypersonic vehicle design,’ 2007. Abstract accepted for ASME Conference Nov. 2007
• L. Valdevit, N. Vermaak, K. Hsu, F.W. Zok, and A.G. Evans, ‘Design of actively cooled panels for scramjets,’ 14th AIAA/AHI International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, AIAA Paper 2006-8069, Canberra, Australia, Nov 6-9, 2006.
• A.G. Evans, N.A. Fleck, S. Faulhaber, N. Vermaak, M. Maloney, and R. Darolia, Scaling laws governing the erosion and impact resistance of thermal barrier coatings, Acta Materialia, 2005.

Personal Interests

• I am an active member of UCSB's WiSE organization, (Women in Science and Engineering).
I recently attended the UC system-wide conference: Changing the Culture of the Academy: Toward a More Inclusive Practice, and am very interested in issues of diversity and mentorship.

• Winter 2007 Co-ed IM B.L. Basketball champion!
• Check out my current favorite recipe.
• Sewing, hiking, soccer, nate (my betrothed).