Dennis Nikitaev received his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and then proceeded to finish his Master’s Degree in Aerospace Systems Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. His master’s thesis looked at analytically determining the viability of using hydrogen seeded with argon as a propellant for a nuclear thermal propulsion engine under the guidance of Dr. Dale Thomas. Now, he is a first year PhD student looking to experimentally test his analytical calculations and will be presenting his experimental approaches today.