Engineering thermodynamics research often focuses on methods of improving the efficiency of gasoline engines. Two students have recently investigated engineering thermodynamics.

Mike Devenuto (2007) investigated acoustical resonance in a turbo jet. He inserted a butterfly valve, which restricted the flow of air to only one direction. The flow produced a thrust that depended on the air/fuel mixture.

Ryan McCullough (2007) performed a thermodynamic analysis of an Otto cycle powered by alcohol. He obtained a graph of pressure versus cylinder volume for the cycle. He also determined the relation of revolutions per minute on the engine's torque.