Byron Erath Headshot

Byron Erath

Department Head

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
bdeeme@rit.edu
585-475-2542
Office Hours
By appointment
Office Location
GLE-2107

Byron Erath

Department Head

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering

Education

B.S., Brigham Young University; M.S., Ph.D., Purdue University

Bio

Dr. Erath is a Professor, and Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at RIT, and is the director of the Fluid-Acoustic-STructures (FAST) laboratory.

Dr. Erath's research interests encompass the field of fluid mechanics with an emphasis on complex fluid-structure-acoustic interactions. The FAST lab utilizes experimental techniques such as particle image velocimetry, laser Doppler anemometry, high-speed imagery etc. to capture and explore the fundamental fluid dynamics of compelling engineering and personal health problems.

The FAST lab has three main research thrusts:

  1. Laryngeal aerodynamics of voiced speech production. A more complete undertanding of this nonlinear problem is critical for accurate diagnosis and treatment of vocal pathologies that disrupt the normal speech process.
  2. Vortex ring impingement on concave cavities. Coherent vortical structures abound in engineering and biological flows. Elucidating the fundamental mechanics that arise when vortex rings interact with solid, concave surfaces provides key insights that inform a variety of flow scenarios; from jellyfish locomotion to replacement speech production to enhanced heat transfer.
  3. Production and transport of airborne bioaerosols during speech. Airborne transport of infectious diseases remains an existential threat as the physiological parameters that determine the rate of aerosol production, and expiration, during speech remain largely uknown. Elucidating the physics of this interaction is critical for informing and mitigating common behaviors that can influence infection risks.
bdeeme@rit.edu
585-475-2542

Select Scholarship

Erath, B. D., Fite, K. B., and Kuxhaus, L. (2024). Catalyzing Clinically Driven Undergraduate Design Projects at the Nexus of Engineering, Medicine, and Business. ASME Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. 146(5), 054701. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4064717

Rawat, M. S., Agirsoy, M., Senarathna, D., Erath, B. D., Ahmed, T., Mondal, S., & Ferro, A. R. (2023). Comparing Respiratory Aerosol Emissions Between Children and Adults During Sustained Phonation. Aerosol Science and Technology, 57(12), 1186–1204. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2023.2261715

Deng, J. J., Erath, B. D., Zañartu, M., Peterson, S. D. (2023) The Effect of Swelling on Vocal Fold Kinematics and Dynamics. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology. 22, 1873–1889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10237-023-01740-3

Mofakham, A. A., Helenbrook, B. T.,  Erath, B. D., Ferro, A. R., Ahmed, T., Brown, D. M., Ahmadi, G. (2023) Influence of Two-Dimensional Expiratory Airflow Variations on Respiratory Particle Propagation During Pronunciation of the Fricative [f],
Journal of Aerosol Science. 173,106179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2023.106179.

Ahmed T, Erath B. D. (2023) Experimental Study of Vortex Ring Impingement on Concave Hemispherical Cavities. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 967, A38. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2023.501

Motie-Shirazi, M., Zanartu, M., Peterson, S. D., Mehta, D. D., Hillman, R. E., Erath, B. D. (2023) "Effect of Nodule Size and Stiffness on Phonation Threshold and Collision Pressures in a Synthetic Hemilaryngeal Vocal Fold Model. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 153, 654-664.

Currently Teaching

MECE-499
Cooperative Education
0 Credits
Nominally three months of full-time, paid employment in the mechanical engineering field.
MECE-585
Mentored Research
1 - 3 Credits
The goal of this course is to introduce students to research methods in an immersive research environment. Students complete independent research under the supervision of faculty and PhD mentors in the mechanical engineering department. Research projects span the range of all engineering disciplines, as well as non-engineering majors such as medical illustration, public policy, business, math and science. Projects are directly related to and supportive of activities important to the faculty member’s overall research goals. Students may wish to create a multi-year experience by taking one credit at a time each semester for several years. Student projects then grow and expand as the research and the student’s skill set evolves. This course is ideally suited for any student interested in learning about the exciting research taking place at RIT, students considering a master’s or PhD, and students in the honors program wanting to earn research credits towards their honors degree. Mechanical engineering dual degree and graduate students may wish to take this course to explore research topics prior to making the decision between project with paper and thesis. Project descriptions are updated regularly and made available on-line and through the mechanical engineering office. Interested students should contact the faculty listed for each project of interest. After meeting with the faculty, projects may be re-scoped to match the student’s background, preparation and key interest areas. There may be a limited number of seats available.
MECE-599
Undergraduate Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
An independent student project course encompassing one of (a) an analytical investigation, (b) an experimental investigation or (c) a major design project. All independent student projects require a formal written report.
MECE-685
Mentored Research
1 - 3 Credits
The goal of this course is to introduce students to research methods in an immersive research environment. Students complete independent research under the supervision of faculty and PhD mentors in the mechanical engineering department. Research projects span the range of all engineering disciplines, as well as non-engineering majors such as medical illustration, public policy, business, math and science. Projects are directly related to and supportive of activities important to the faculty member’s overall research goals. Students may wish to create a multi-year experience by taking one credit at a time each semester for several years. Student projects then grow and expand as the research and the student’s skill set evolves. This course is ideally suited for any student interested in learning about the exciting research taking place at RIT, students considering a master’s or PhD, and students in the honors program wanting to earn research credits towards their honors degree. Mechanical engineering dual degree and graduate students may wish to take this course to explore research topics prior to making the decision between project with paper and thesis. Project descriptions are updated regularly and made available on-line and through the mechanical engineering office. Interested students should contact the faculty listed for each project of interest. After meeting with the faculty, projects may be re-scoped to match the student’s background, preparation and key interest areas. There may be a limited number of seats available.

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