This summer our students got real research experience leading to discoveries beyond the lab.

 

Engineers often don't like to sit still. While others are lounging at the beach, many of our engineering students spent the summer getting real hands-on research exposure at the College of Engineering and beyond. For all, there was a great lab experience, but the real discoveries were about themselves.

 

What have you been doing this summer?

Tanvir Mahmud Saurav, junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering

"I worked this summer with Dr. Liu in his research lab. For this particular research, I modeled a 3D model of a barn owl's skull so that it can be used to measure its directional hearing response. I also assisted the professor with setting up his lab and setting up other electronic systems to conduct experiments.

"In the lab we try to observe and explain how barn owls use their extraordinary directional hearing to locate prey. For a fixed sound source, we measure the response at each individual ear of the bird, and the difference of a sound in each ear based on the location and elevation of the source. This biological sensing system in the owl allows the owl to locate a prey with precision. If we can create a mechanical version of it, automation in everyday life will be far more advanced. Imagine a robot in your home with such a system built in it. It could respond to your calls by locating which room your voice is coming from. We can also create artificial intelligence system that will have voice recognition and mobility features so that it can assist us in our everyday works."

Dongun "Albert" Seo, sophomore majoring in Electrical Engineering

"I was a research assistant with Dr. Chang-Hee Won, focused on aiding the current research team and performing divided tasks. I worked on collecting and analyzing data from research experiments, as well as making CADs in SolidWorks for rapid prototyping. I mainly helped out one of our graduate students with her work."

Stephen Doroba, sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering

"During my internship we were researching soft robotics in Dr. Yin's laboratory. We were using a material called ecoflex, which is a flexible but strong gel, to construct and actuate parts of robots. Using syringes and pumps, we were able to inflate and deflate air chambers within the gel to incite movement. There are other ways to actuate soft robotics, but our primary focus was with inflating and deflating the gel.

So far I designed and constructed a wheel that spins by inflating several gel chambers that form a tire for the wheel. And then we moved to construct a control board that allow for inflating and deflating chambers in sequences using a pump and several valves. I also was working to design a robot that mimics the movement of an inch worm."

Vedha "Nivi" Kanvar, sophomore majoring in Bioengineering

"The goals of this lab is to diagnose Jaundice in a cost efficient way using a cellphone camera, mainly the Nexus 5 or the Nexus S. Using light from the flash, and a filter that we plan to attach to the phone case, it will be possible to diagnose Jaundice in neonatal infants for under $10, compared to the current diagnosis tools being well over $4,000. Our project is funded by the Gates foundation in order to remove the presence of curable disease death in poorer countries.

The focus of my role in Dr. Patel's lab was very dependent on what the graduate students needed. Sometimes I did research and poured over peer reviewed journals, other times created procedures for phantoms needed to stimulate skin tissues."

James Boligitz, senior in Mechanical Engineering

"My role within National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was a researcher within the organization. I worked with one of the full-time researchers in his field of study. We are working with materials that function as super alloys such as Cobalt-Tungsten, and I spent most of my time in a lab, not behind a desk. Within the organization, I worked as a full-time employee to provide innovative ways to look at problems that researchers have been addressing."

How did you find out about the position?

Saurav - "As a mechanical engineering major, I had to take Engineering Dynamics course. Dr. Liu was the course instructor. I applied for the position and because my grades for this class were high and I was interested in the prospects of the research."

Seo - "I was fortunate enough to have Dr. Won as my professor. One of the goals I had for this summer was to get as much exposure to the Electrical Engineering field as possible, but having a lack of knowledge and experience was a considerable disadvantage. I read about the summer research opportunities through the 2016 Merit Scholarships and applied."

Kanvar - "Professor Chetan Patil was my first semester Professor for Intro to Engineering in the Bioengineering rotation, and I conversed with him about my interest in labs. I showed him my lab book from Biotechnology, and he presented me with the opportunity."

Boligitz - "Becoming a part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SURF program required an application which included letters of recommendation, a cover letter, transcripts, a letter of intent, and other different documents. The students who were accepted are mostly within the STEM field and have done previous research at their universities while still getting top grades in their classes. My mechanical engineering background and research experience made me an ideal candidate for the position."

How do you think this experience augments your studies?

Saurav - "My plan is to attend graduate school and eventually go for PhD. I have always wanted to go for automobile engineering. If everything goes as planned, I would like to pursue aerodynamics and vehicular kinetic energy recovery systems for my Ph.D. Going for such goals needs a lot of perseverance and experience. I believe this research experience will teach me the details of scientific processes, and I can utilize that experience to attain my academic goals, and eventually my professional goals."

Seo - "This experience provided me insight on how the research aspect of Electrical Engineering operates, and the infrastructure of a research project. One of the core skills in research is the ability to subdivide objectives and delegate tasks to individuals, but still cooperating together as a team. My goal is to become an Electronics Engineer or a Power Systems Engineer. Being able to work together as a team is a valuable experience, as nothing is able to be accomplished without a group. Communicating and understanding each other is key to a cooperative and progressive team."

Doroba - "This role gave me valuable experience in a research environment, allowing me to publish a professional paper on my work, and will help to build my resume and find internships in the future. I think this experience sort of pushes me both toward pursuing an advanced degree and working after graduation. I would like to pursue an advanced degree so I could work on independent projects that involve a lot of design and innovation, but now I can't wait to get into the professional world because I've enjoyed my experience so much."

Kanvar - "Everyone wants to see experience on a resume, and this lab is perfect for that. In all seriousness, I started working in this lab for experience, but I grew to love the environment. The reason I came to work every day with a huge smile on my face was not just for experience, but for the opportunity to learn about this amazing work and this ever-growing field. To be able to be a part of discovery and innovation is the most important thing I take away from this experience. I feel like being a part of this lab has broadened my horizons for learning and understanding information immensely. Looking back, I now know that my resume alone won't help me reach my goals, but the experience and involvement this lab has given me in the field, rather than the experience of just being a part of lab, is the key to reaching where I want to go."

Boligitz - "This experience gave me insight into my field of mechanical engineering to get a feel of what full-time research is like. Researching material science allows me to fundamentally understand how machines and mechanical parts function on a micro-scale level. This experience also shows me what going to graduate school and working on my own research project would be like. This role at NIST will help me reach my goals by opening new opportunities for me. I feel much more marketable for graduate school, allowing me to attend many universities if I choose to. Exposure to this kind of work environment has made me much more professional and has given me the mindset to work professionally and successfully."

Please share something you've learned from participating in experiential learning.

Saurav - "Last summer, I took part in a research lab. It was my first time in a research lab and I was completely lost. I messed up a lot of things, but I eventually learned that it is okay to not get things right the first time. I put a lot of time into thinking and carefully planning out what I am supposed to do and what the outcome can be. This helped me minimize my error and taught me critical thinking that will be incredibly valuable in both my academics and my professional life."

Seo - "One of the projects we worked on requires a framework of an attachment to a smartphone, and the best way to construct a model was to use SolidWorks. Unfortunately, none of the current researchers had any experience besides me, who had very little experience from their "Intro to Engineering" class. I was very hesitant on taking the lead for this task, but after brushing up old lessons, watching tutorial videos, and undergoing several test models, I was able to construct a viable prototype of the attachment. We will then be printing and constructing the model. This experience taught me that one should not be intimidated by the unknown, but be inspired by the challenge and learn to conquer it."

Doroba - "Working on this project has helped me learn how to use SolidWorks to design and assemble individual parts and 3D print them to achieve my goals. In order to design these robots I have to develop and analyze the mechanics involved with different forms of movement."

Kanvar - "Something that I was assigned to do in this lab involved creating a map out of all the specs for a cellphone we happen to be using in the lab. I haven't used SolidWorks very recently, nor have I had much experience using this program. Although challenging, I spent a grueling 5 hours relearning and mastering SolidWorks, and was able to hand the graduate students a 3D diagram of the phone specs to which they can alter measurements and customize to their requirements. The project I was working on erased itself numerous times while I was working, and I had much difficulty with locking things in place. Every time the project deleted, I took it as an opportunity to learn what I could from the attempt I made, and build the next one faster and better. Even though it required a lot of time commitment due to my mistakes, I finished the project on schedule. This experience taught me that perseverance really IS my middle name, because I probably could have gotten help, but I would have felt defeated. I finished it on my own, and became much better at SolidWorks as a net result. In future projects, I feel like my 'learned expertise' could save everyone a lot of time."

Read PART 1 of this story on professional internships

- Marco Cerino