Grant Recipients
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS)
2011 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)
John Donaghy, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Karl J. Slifer, Physics
Topic: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Polarimeter for DNP Targets
Michele Forrestall, Geology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Margaret Boettcher, Geology
Topic: Determining the Presence of a Predictable Earthquake Pattern along Slow Moving Oceanic Transform Faults
Alex Pape, Civil Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Henry, Civil Engineering
Topic: Investigation of Relationship between Extent of Prestressing and Out-of-Plane Stiffness of a Straw Bale Wall
Jordan Reddel, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Roy P. Planalp, Chemistry
Topic: Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Novel Bifunctional Ligands for Incorporation into a Fluorescent Polymer Sensor
Brian Zukas, Chemical Engineering
Phylicia Cicilio, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jillian Goldfarb, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Chem-E Car
2011 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA
William Matern, Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gregory Chini, Mechanical Engineering
Topic: An Investigation of Mathematical Modeling Techniques as Applied to Thin Films in an Alveolar Network
Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Design of a Submersible Photobioreactor for Microalgae Growth in the Ocean
Rebecca Rubinstein, Environmental Engineering: Municipal Processes
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nancy Kinner, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Topic: Impact of Electrokinetic Methods on Microbial Populations in the Bioremediation of the Cleaning Solvent Trichloroethene
2011 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)
Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering: Industrial Processes
Research Site: Doha, Qatar
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ghada Salama, Texas A&M, Qatar
Topic: Microalgae Biodiesel Production
2011 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)
Rebecca Cole, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof.Qing Song, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Developing a Real-Time Quantitative and Multiplexed Live Single-Cell Microarray
Amanda Lade, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jillian Goldfarb, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Toxic Gold? Bioavailability of Olive Oil Waste Phenols to Plant Matter
Amber Lagasse, Secondary Math Ed.
Faculty Mentor: Prof.Tim Fukawa-Connelly, Mathematics and Statistics
Topic: Transforming the Engagement of Students Learning Algebra
Nicholas Landry, Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Todd Gross, Mechanical Engineering
Topic: Characterization of the Mechanical Behavior of Pyrolytic Carbon
2011 Research Presentation Grant
Kyle Charmanski, Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: Utilization of Waste Water for Microalgae Oil Feedstock
Conference: Energy, Utility & Environment
Xiameng Liu, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Surfactant Effects on Drop Formation in Co-Flowing Fluids
Conference: American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting
Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Comparative Study of Lipids Produced from Microalgae Grown in Freshwater vs. Wastewater
Conference: Energy, Utility & Environment
Jordan Reddel, Chemistry
Project Title: Characterization of Stability and Protonation Constants of Novel Bifunctional Ligands for Use in a Copper Sensor
Conference: American Chemical Society National Meeting
Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering: Industrial Processes
Project Title: Parametric Study of Biodiesel Quality and Yield Using a Bench-Top Processor
Conference: American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting
2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
(SURF) USA
Benjamin Decato, Computer Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Philip Hatcher, Computer Science
Project: Using Conserved Gene Order to Improve Ortholog Data Set Accuracy
Daniel Foley, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Karsten Pohl, Physics
Project: Novel Method for Producing Platinum Iridium Tips for Use in Atomic Resolution Scanning Tunneling Microscopes
Joshua French, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Eberhard Moebius, Physics
Project: RENU Star Sensor Recalibration for Low-Cost Payloads
Katherine Gray, Civil Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jo Daniel, Civil Engineering
Project: Can Recycled Asphalt Shingles Be Used in Asphalt Concrete Paving?
Sarah Kissell, Environmental Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Gardner, Civil Engineering
Project: Use of Novel Passive Samplers to Measure Bioavailability of PAH Compounds in Estuarine Sediments
Carlo LaScala, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xiaowei Teng, Chemical Engineering
Project: Design of Palladium-Rhodium Nanocatalyst for Ethanol Oxidation Fuel Cell Reactions
Georgian Tutuianu, Civil Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Ballestero, Civil Engineering
Project: Shower-Head Infiltration Testing on Porous Pavements: Apparatus and Methods Design
Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Project: Parametric Study of Biodiesel Quality and Yield Using a Bench-Top Processor
2010 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)
Megan Donohue, Mathematics Education & Spanish
Research Site: Resistencia, Argentina
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Timothy Fukawa-Connelly, Mathematics
& Prof. Lori Hopkins, Spanish
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Laura Zalazar, Gen. Jose Maria Paz High School
Project: Methods of Teaching Mathematics in Argentina
Kyle Kalutkiewicz, Physics & Mathematics
Research Site: Trieste, Italy
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Per Berglund, Physics
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Fernando Quevedo, Abdus Salam ICTP
Project: Calabi-Yau Manifold Construction for Axionic String-Inflation
2010 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)
Nicholas E. Bencivenga, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Roy Planalp, Chemistry
Topic: Synthesis of Novel Polymerizable Ligands Providing -1 to 0 and +1 to +2 Charge Transitions and Titration Studies of Their Transition Metal Complexes
Nathan Brouwer, Electrical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Messner, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Project: Image Filtering and Enhancement of Scanning Electron Microscope
Madison L. Myers, Geology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Miller, Earth Sciences
Project: Clinopyroxene Trace Element Chemistry as a Proxy for Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in a Continental Volcano: A Case Study from Mount Etna, Sicily
Jordan Reddel, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Roy Planalp, Chemistry
Project: Method Development for the Determination of Stability Constants for Novel Chelating Ligands with Various Metal Cations
Thaddaeus Webster, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab H. Farag, Chemical Engineering
Project: Temperature Stressing of Salt Water Algae for Enhanced Lipid Production
2010 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)
Alexandra Eicher, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Qing Song, Chemical Engineering
Project: Exploring the Inflammation Process of Atherosclerosis Progression Using Live Single-Cell Arrays
Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Project: Biodiesel Production from Algae in the Laboratory Environment
2010 Research Presentation Grant
Nicholas E. Bencivenga, Chemistry
Project Title: Preparation of Novel Bifunctional Ligands for Cooper (II)
Conference: American Chemical Society, Washington, DC
Meaghan Maher, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Oscillation in Microvessel Networks with RBC Suspension: Preliminary in vitro Experimental Results in a 3 Node Network
Conference: Experimental Biology, Anaheim, CA
Thaddaeus Webster, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Enhancing Algae Lipid and Biodiesel Production by Temperature Stressing
Conference: American Chemical Society, San Francisco, CA
