Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Dirk Martin Luchtenburg and Professor and Chair of Physics, Philip Yecko have been awarded fellowships to participate in the prestigious Summer Desert Research Retreat (DARE) at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel. 

The DARE program offers an immersive research experience in the heart of the Negev desert, bringing together international scholars and BGU’s distinguished faculty for interdisciplinary collaboration in a uniquely flexible and supportive setting. The fellowship allows participants to pursue their individual research agendas while fostering connections across fields and institutions. 

Professor Yecko plans to work with colleagues in BGU’s departments of physics and engineering on fluid dynamics problems, while also advancing his interdisciplinary research on early rabbinic reasoning about fluid flows. “This project involves analysis of ancient texts in collaboration with BGU’s department of Jewish thought,” Yecko noted. 

Professor Luchtenburg will focus on fluid dynamics and control problems in partnership with BGU’s department of mechanical engineering. He also plans to use the opportunity to prepare for his upcoming sabbatical. 

“Israeli universities, including BGU, are among the best and most innovative in the world, especially in engineering, medicine, and technology,” the professors said. “We would love to see more collaborative activity between Cooper Union and BGU students and faculty. We hope to help make this happen while we are there.”