UCLA Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department graduate student Louis Tse was selected to receive a 2012 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship. Tse's selection was based on his "outstanding abilities and accomplishments," as well as his "potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality of the US science and engineering enterprise."

Tse's research focuses on developing a new method of solar thermal energy storage. Currently, solar power plants store energy in tanks containing molten salt, to allow energy collected during the day to be dispatched at night. However, market penetration has yet to grow large enough to replace fossil fuels mainly due to high costs. Instead, Tse's research aims to replace expensive molten salts with readily available fluids operating at supercritical temperature and pressure, which takes advantage of latent heat, as well as sensible heat. This project has gained the attention of the Department of Energy, and obtained funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), which focuses on "creative, out-of-the-box transformational energy research… where success would provide dramatic benefits for the nation."

Tse completed his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University with Summa Cum Laude honors, and is the first in his family to pursue a graduate degree. Since moving here in 2011, he has quickly become involved at UCLA, serving as a board member for the UCLA Engineering Graduate Student Association (EGSA), Project Leader for the UCLA Volunteer Center, and regular donor at the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center.

Source Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department | April 10, 2012