ESP Biography



HEMANT CHAURASIA, MIT grad student in Aerospace Engineering



Major: Aero-Astro

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: G

Picture of Hemant Chaurasia

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I was born in India, brought up in Melbourne (Australia), came to MIT to study aerospace engineering, and hope to change the world some day!

I love everything about space and things that fly, and I especially love sharing my interests with great people like you! Some of my other favourite things include travelling the world, experiencing new cultures, and making computers do cool things.

At MIT I am a PhD student in the Aerospace Computational Design Lab, within the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics. With my advisor Prof Jaime Peraire, I work on building detailed simulations of flapping wings so we can better understand how animals like bats have become such masters of flight. Hopefully this work will help people who are trying to design and build futuristic robotic birds for reconnaissance and disaster relief missions (e.g. here's a recent prototype built by Festos: http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/25/festos-smartbird-robot-takes-off-with-elegance-doesnt-fight-s/). Yep, robo-spy-birds!

Over the past 6 years since 2005 I've taught aeronautics, physics, maths & science at elementary school, middle school, high school and college freshman & sophomore levels. I've also taught for Spark & HSSP several times since 2009, plus many other middle school outreach programs like this one: http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/news/enews/july10/index.html#rocketeers . It's always been great fun, and I look forward to much more in the future!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S5178: The Search for Alien Life in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
What do you think: are we alone in the Universe? Today we are closer than ever before to answering that question, with an exciting array of space missions making tantalizing new discoveries about other worlds and the possibility of alien life. The Kepler mission is discovering hundreds of alien planets; NASA rovers are discovering that Mars was once warm and wet like the Earth; and this is only the beginning! Come and learn all about the search for alien life -- the missions, the science, and the insights we can gain by understanding our own cosmic origins. Are we alone? Join us so that we can find out together!


E4834: Rocket Science for Middle Schoolers in ESPrinkler Summer 2011 (Jul. 10 - Aug. 21, 2011)
3...2...1....and LIFT-OFF! Join us as we learn the science of how rockets work, including Newton’s Laws of Motion and the anatomy of a real NASA space rocket. Then in our space engineering challenge, you’ll get a chance to design, build, and LAUNCH your very own Alka-Seltzer powered rocket! Did you know that somebody your age today will one day be the first to walk on Mars? Maybe it will be.... you! Join us as we take "one small step" towards humanity's future in space!


S4835: From the Big Bang to Exoplanets: Our Cosmic Origins and the Search for Alien Life in ESPrinkler Summer 2011 (Jul. 10 - Aug. 21, 2011)
Did you know that our Sun is just one of the 100 billion stars in our galaxy, and our galaxy is just one among billions in the known Universe? Join us on a whirlwind tour of the Cosmos as we chart the 13.7-billion-year history of Everything, from the Big Bang through to the formation of atoms, stars, galaxies, planets and eventually iPads! We'll also learn about the latest exciting new discoveries of exoplanets (planets around other stars), and we'll use the famous Drake equation to search for an answer to the question "Are we alone in the Universe?" At the end of the class you will even get your very own star map (planisphere) to help you spot stars and planets in the night sky!


E4836: The Sky's the Limit: Aeronautical Engineering for Middle Schoolers in ESPrinkler Summer 2011 (Jul. 10 - Aug. 21, 2011)
Take to the skies and learn the science and technology of flight! You'll learn the fundamental principles of how aircraft fly, and the most important components that make an aircraft work. You'll build your own foam model glider (to keep!) and do your very own flight tests. You'll also learn about the special design features of jets and supersonic aircraft, and see cool examples like the Airbus A380, F-22 Raptor, SR-71 Blackbird and the Space Shuttle. And finally, we'll see a real remote-controlled aircraft and launch it on a demo flight outside! (Weather & availability permitting.) Join us for some high-flying fun and get your first taste of aeronautical engineering, where the sky's the limit!


E3380: ASTRONAUT SCHOOL for Middle Schoolers in HSSP Spring 2010 (Apr. 17, 2010)
Did you know that the first human that will walk on Mars is probably a middle-schooler today? Maybe it's... you! The Astronaut Corps needs you and there's a lot to learn: rocket science, aeronautics, space history, a grand tour of the Universe, space systems engineering, astronaut survival skills, and even the prospect of alien life on other worlds! Astronauts are multi-talented people: physicists, engineers, biologists, communicators, astronomers, pilots, poets and pioneers all rolled into one. As a trainee in my class you'll learn science, math, engineering and communication skills that form the foundation of cutting edge real-world Space Exploration. Not to mention, there'll be a whole lot of fun, inspiring and just plain cool stuff along the way! To cap it all off, in the final class you’ll get to meet a real NASA astronaut, Professor Jeffrey Hoffman, who flew in space 5 times on the Space Shuttle and helped save the Hubble Space Telescope! So come and make your first small step towards your future "one giant leap": sign up for ASTRONAUT SCHOOL!


E2186: ASTRONAUT SCHOOL for Middle Schoolers in HSSP Spring 2009 (Mar. 14, 2009)
Did you know that the first human that will walk on Mars is most likely a middle-schooler today? Maybe it's... you! The Astronaut Corps needs you and there's a lot to learn: rocket science, the Solar System, a grand tour of the Universe, spacecraft design, the history and social impacts of spaceflight, space survival skills, using space technology to improve life on Earth, and even the prospect of alien life on other worlds! Astronauts are multi-talented people: physicists, engineers, biologists, astronomers, doctors, pilots, poets and pioneers all rolled into one. As a trainee in my class you'll learn basics of all of these disciplines and how to use them in the real world at the cutting edge of Space Exploration. Not to mention, there'll be a whole lot of fun and really cool stuff along the way! (If we're lucky, we may even meet a real Space Shuttle astronaut!) So come and make your first small step towards your future "one giant leap": sign up for ASTRONAUT SCHOOL!


E2180: Rocket Science for Middle Schoolers: ASTRONAUT SCHOOL Day 1 in Spark! Spring 2009 (Mar. 07, 2009)
Want to design, build and launch your very own model rocket? Want to learn all about how rockets work, the engineering and physics behind their design, and the amazing places they can take us? Then join me for a practical class in Rocket Science for Middle Schoolers! We'll cover: - The physics of rocket flight - Rocket design ("Space Systems Engineering") - Applications in space exploration - A practical demonstration of a model rocket -- that YOU are going to build and launch! If you like the sound of all that, consider signing up for my 9-week HSSP course "ASTRONAUT SCHOOL for Middle Schoolers": you'll learn all about space survival skills, building moonbases and journeying to Mars, the history and future of spaceflight, and even discovering alien life on other planets!