Professor Venstrom ’07 continues research in Germany

When Luke Venstrom ’07, Ph.D., started his undergraduate education at Valparaiso University, he had no idea he would later become an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at his alma mater. In fact, he never saw himself returning to academia at all.

Professor Venstrom completed both his master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. He was a teaching assistant during his time at Minnesota, and that was his first experience in teaching and working closely with students.

“When I was at Minnesota, my research lab had an undergraduate student join, and while I was working closely with him, I realized how much fun I was having,” Professor Venstrom says. “So, I was really looking for something that Valpo offered when I was looking for a teaching position: focused teaching with high-quality research woven into it.”

While teaching at Valpo, Professor Venstrom has been instrumental with solar energy research, more specifically with the James S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility, which houses the only solar furnace at an undergraduate institution in the United States. His research is predominately in the area of solar energy fuels production, which he  continues to explore during his sabbatical in Germany.

Sabbaticals include a semester break from the University in order to explore whatever opportunities a professor would like. Prior to his sabbatical, Professor Venstrom decided he would also apply for another opportunity Valpo, the University Research Professorship. He combined them for a full year leave of absence in order to explore his research at the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, Germany.

“Everyone at Valpo was very supportive of this leave, and I was so appreciative of their support,” Professor Venstrom says. “My family came with me, so this has been such an enjoyable experience to take in the culture with my family, especially for my son who is attending a German school this year.”

The German Aerospace Center has an active solar energy group doing the same type of research as Professor Venstrom. Since his mid-July arrival in Cologne, they have been studying a way to produce fuels with a combination of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

Professor Venstrom says it’s been a great experience for him to continue his work from Valpo with new and different equipment he does not have on campus and to learn from the other scientists he’s met. He also hopes that he can create an opportunity for an undergraduate Valpo student to come to Cologne next summer and to develop an opportunity for another German partnership with Valpo.

“It’s also been an opportunity to support Valpo’s international engineering program,” Professor Venstrom says. “Those students are able to pursue an undergraduate degree in engineering and a language. I really have wanted to engage with these students, and now I can, especially on the German side. When I come back, I can talk about my experiences in Germany, and I’ve been developing my language skills as well. So now I am able to support that program in addition to the research I have been doing.”