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Assistant Professor Joshua Gess studies the fundamental science of heat transfer and thermal management systems. Combining his knowledge of heat transfer with novel experimental methods, such as two-phase cooling using di-electric coolant and high-speed image capture, Gess, a co-principal investigator at the Enhanced Heat Transfer Laboratory, seeks to develop methods that ensure reliable and efficient thermal management solutions for cooling high-performance electronics systems. The demand for smaller electronic technology has driven the need for more robust and effective cooling systems. \u201cTwo-phase cooling is uniquely equipped to address that challenge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gess joined Oregon State in 2015. After earning his B.E. in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2005, he worked as a mechanical engineer at SSOE Group, which included an engineering consulting assignment for Johns Manville. He moved on to Northrop Grumman in 2008, where he worked on mobile communication equipment for the military. His next stop was Auburn University in 2012 to pursue advanced degrees. He received his M.S. in mechanical engineering in 2012 and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 2015.<\/p>\n
To illustrate the potential impact of his work, Gess points to the enormous energy consumption and resulting heat created by the world\u2019s massive data centers that serve \u201ccloud\u201d computing. \u201cThe amount of energy they use is astounding, and if we could make those systems just a little bit more efficient with better cooling systems, we could save an enormous amount of energy and put it back onto the grid,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
In one study, Gess is investigating the boiling heat transfer efficiency on the surface of electronic components that are immersed in non-conductive di-electric coolant fluid. The coolant removes heat from the surfaces as it boils. He likens the process to waves repeatedly washing onto a beach to cool the sand underneath \u2014 but which happens at 30 times per second. Using successive camera images, Gess is measuring how quickly the coolant moves back in to fill the void created by bubbles that form on the surface of electronic chips during the boiling process. \u201cWe want a system that uses as little coolant or generates as little vapor as possible. Maximizing the convective heat transfer occurring during bubble formation versus the latent energy removed by vapor generation is the key to increasing the surface\u2019s efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other research, Gess visualizes how liquid coolant departs from the main flow to reach the surface of electronic components and determines the efficiency of that mechanism to quench the boiling process. \u201cEvery bit of liquid that comes out of the flow to reach the surface of what it\u2019s meant to cool needs energy to get there,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to look at what kinds of surfaces optimize that process.\u201d<\/p>\n
He attributes his childhood interest in engineering to the movie Robocop and the TV series MacGyver. \u201cWhen I asked my grandfather how I could be like MacGyver, he said \u2018become and engineer,\u2019\u201d said Gess. He finds the reality of the work just as gratifying as he\u2019d imagined. \u201cIt\u2019s challenging from day to day and I never know what new things will arise. My students ask me questions about things I\u2019ve never even thought about. Everything is so open ended, and I love that part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gess also relishes the moments of enlightenment when his graduate students \u201cget it,\u201d and watching them grow with each new accomplishment. \u201cThe work is difficult, and I want to be there for them when they need me,\u201d he said. \u201cThe decision to get a Ph.D. shouldn\u2019t be taken lightly, but once they\u2019re here, we should provide all the support we can to help students succeed.\u201d To undergraduates, he emphasizes that their studies will have practical use on the job. \u201cSometimes, students feel they\u2019ll never use what they\u2019re learning, but I\u2019ve been out there and I assure them absolutely they will draw on many of the of the principles we deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among Gess\u2019 longer-term goals is to establish a more robust support system for people with disabilities at Oregon State. \u201cAs a person with a disability, being able to return to school to get advanced degrees was a blessing, and I want to extend that blessing to others who may be intimidated by the thought of being on a big college campus where they worry about fitting in,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s build an infrastructure so that anyone can come in and feel welcome.\u201d Gess is working with the School of Public Health to start an adaptive sports program. \u201cI\u2019d like to get to the point where OSU can accommodate anyone who wants to get an advanced degree. I think adaptive sports is an excellent place to start.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Steve Frandzel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Assistant Professor Joshua Gess studies the fundamental science of heat transfer and thermal management systems. Combining his knowledge of heat transfer with novel experimental methods, such as two-phase cooling using di-electric coolant and high-speed image capture, Gess, a co-principal investigator at the Enhanced Heat Transfer Laboratory, seeks to develop methods that ensure reliable and efficient […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8354,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1135205],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-facultyspotlight"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb5IIW-3r","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8354"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":238,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions\/238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/mimenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}