ROCKLEDGE, FL – March 27, 2008 – The Lawrence R. Grzyll Engineering Award was recently presented by Mainstream Engineering Corporation, Rockledge, Fla., to four Brevard students for their excellence in engineering research. Erin McCaskey, from Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Merritt Island, Fla., compared five types of biodiesel fuels and E85 to typical diesel and gasoline. Collin Irwin, from Hoover Middle School, Indialantic, Fla., designed an attachment for cooling kits that helps when “overclocking” computer processors. Adam Walter, from Satellite High, Satellite, Fla., investigated and tried to optimize the process used to create biochemically engineered cement. Adam Klett, from West Shore Junior/Senior High, Melbourne, Fla., sought to determine what would make the best catalyst for alternative fuel cell applications. Klett and Walter were selected to receive $1,000 savings bonds while Irwin and McCaskey were selected to receive $500 savings bonds.
The Lawrence R. Grzyll Engineering Award was created to honor the accomplishments of the late Director of Engineering at Mainstream Engineering Corporation. Mr. Grzyll spent more than 24 years in engineering research and development, working to develop fuel sources from biomass, finding safer solvents and working fluids, developing environmentally safe fire suppressants, and developing advanced thermal storage technologies for military and NASA applications. His successful innovations included the development of nontoxic two-phase heat transport fluids for manned spacecraft habitats, high-temperature heat pipe fluids for Air Force applications and the development of the first oil-less refrigeration compressor to fly in space. Mr. Grzyll taught undergraduate students at Florida Institute of Technology, authored or co-authored over 60 publications, reports, and conference papers and has more than 15 U.S. patents.