Bio:

Dr. M.K. Balasubramanya (Bala) has interests in mathematical physics, classical and quantum mechanics, and Hamilton-Jacobi theory. He is currently serving as the university’s principle investigator for a collaborative research and development project on designing and building a Stirling Hybrid Vehicle (SHV) in partnership with Quantum Industrial Development Corporation (QIDC), a San Antonio based company. The Stirling engine is more energy efficient than the internal combustion engine, besides being less polluting. NASA had produced several direct drive Stirling automotive engines and successfully tested them in vehicles that had collectively logged over 10,000 miles. The SHV project uses this engine in series with an electrical generator - a technology appropriate for automobiles, light trucks, delivery vans, long haul trucks, and buses - using any fuel, including natural gas and biofuel. The project has received support from NASA. The university and QIDC have signed a Collaborative Research Agreement with the Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, MD to collaboratively work on improving this technology. The collaborators have filed 14 patents on this technology so far.