At the end of August, Caitlyn Clark, graduate student in mechanical engineering, will travel to Aalborg University in Denmark for ten months to conduct research and represent the United States through the Fulbright Program. 

“I’ll be researching risk and reliability in co-located wind-wave energy systems,” Clark says. “That is, I will explore how risk and failure can propagate through a system that involves both offshore wind turbines and wave energy converters in the same leased ocean space, and potentially how to mitigate those failures.” 

“Caity is a brilliant and dedicated researcher and I’ve been so impressed by her drive,” says Bryony DuPont, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and Clark’s advisor. “This award is truly a testament to her motivation to solve marine energy problems, and I’m very proud of what’s she accomplished so far.”

By quantifying and communicating the risk and uncertainty inherent in these novel offshore energy systems, Clark hopes to provide information that can help stakeholders make informed decisions about design of and investment in these systems. 

“The researchers I will be working with are trailblazers in risk and reliability in offshore renewable energy systems, so I’m ecstatic to have the chance to learn from them, and to start to develop a relationship between them and the Northwest National Renewable Energy Center at Oregon State,” she says. “This is a fabulous opportunity for growth not only for me, but also for MIME and Oregon State University.”