Growing up in southern West Virginia, Kristyn Johnson May, a mechanical engineer at NETL who recently won an exciting science communication competition, learned early about the importance of poise, confidence and other skills for effective public speaking.

“My mother was involved in community economic development and public speaking was a part of her job. She stressed speaking clearly and effectively,” Johnson May said. “As a girl, I remember reciting poems and practicing them over and over to make sure my delivery was just right.”

Those hours of practice paid off when Johnson May was named the winner of the recent 2024 SLAM contest at NETL, a competition for early-career researchers in which they explain complex topics in engaging, non-technical language.

As NETL’s winner, Johnson May advances to the national SLAM contest to be held this spring in Washington, D.C. She will compete against other up-and-coming researchers who won SLAM competitions at their U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national labs.

“I am honored to be chosen as the NETL winner and excited to represent NETL in the national competition,” Johnson May said.

“Congratulations to Kristyn and our other NETL presenters. Everyone did an excellent job explaining their topics, which made for a tremendous competition and a great opportunity to learn about NETL’s innovative research projects,” said Acting NETL Principal Deputy Director Sean Plasynski.

In SLAM, presentations are limited to three minutes and speakers may use only one PowerPoint slide to highlight their topics.

Johnson May discussed “Speeding Up Innovation: AI in Combustion Research.” A member of NETL’s Thermal Sciences Team, Johnson May is developing rotating detonation engines (RDEs) for gas turbines as a technology for greener energy production. 

RDEs operate by creating continuous detonation waves that rotate inside a modified gas turbine combustion chamber. This allows them to avoid pressure loss and resulting decrease in efficiency that occurs with conventional gas turbine engines.

The rotating detonation process also allows more of the fuel’s energy to be captured and utilized, resulting in higher output, less fuel being consumed, a smaller industrial footprint and reduced environmental impact.

Johnson May explained how her research involves using artificial intelligence (AI) and compared AI to something all are familiar with — a shopping cart.

“We’re developing a new type of combustion engine with a simple goal in mind — to generate electricity with zero carbon emissions. However, as we work toward this goal, we find ourselves drowning in data, much like a shopper struggling with an armful of groceries. We need something to help us move faster, to carry our mountain of information while boosting our efficiency. For us, that shopping cart is artificial intelligence,” Johnson May said.

In addition, Johnson May noted how she and her colleagues capture millions of high-speed images of detonation waves, which travel at more than 3,000 mph, and use machine learning, a type of AI, to analyze them in real time to improve combustion efficiency.

Even small gains may bring huge benefits. A 1% increase in the thermal efficiency of gas turbines used to generate electricity is the equivalent of adding more than 17,000 wind turbines to the electric grid.

“Faster results lead to faster innovation. AI is our shopping cart carrying the weight of our complex data as we sprint toward a greener future,” Johnson May said.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers solutions for a clean and secure energy future. By leveraging its highly skilled innovators and state-of-the-art research facilities, NETL is advancing carbon management and resource sustainability technologies to enable environmental sustainability for all Americans.