Miniature Linear Ion Trap Fabrication

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Hannah Quist and Dr. Aaron Hawkins, Electrical and Computer Engineering Main Text Ion trapping is a method of determining the elemental composition of a charged sample, allowing the substance to be properly identified. It uses metal rings or lines with an applied voltage and radio frequency to initially trap the ions in a central region […]

Multi-axial Fiber-optic Electric Field Sensor

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Daniel Perry and Dr. Stephen Schultz, Electrical Engineering High powered microwave weapons use electric fields to overload electronics. We developed a non-intrusive sensor using a technology based on slab coupled optical sensing (SCOS). Each sensor detects the electric field component normal to the surface of the slab. By mounting two of these sensors orthogonally to […]

Influence of Airway Liquid Hydration and Properties on Human Vocal Fold Vibration

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Preston Murray and Dr. Scott Thomson, Department of Mechanical Engineering Synopsis The purpose of this research project was to identify a fluid that has similar properties as the airway surface liquid (ASL) that covers vocal folds, and then apply it to a vibrating synthetic vocal fold model to measure its effects. Background The ASL protects […]

Parametric Optimization of Wind Turbine Blades

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Bryce McEwen and Dr. Steven Gorrell, Mechanical Engineering Main Text With ever increasing concerns about the production of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, more and more emphasis is being placed on researching and developing alternative and renewable energy resources. One renewable energy source that has the potential to compete with conventional fossil fuels, is […]

Bridging the Gap Between Simulation and Experiment with Multi-State Protein Folding

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Jacob Lewis and Dr. Thomas Knotts, Chemical Engineering Main Text Proteins are made up of extremely long chains of amino acids. Depending on it constituent amino acids, proteins fold in many 3-dimensional patterns to facilitate various biochemical processes such as catalyzing chemical reactions which allow us to live. How proteins fold is thought to be […]

Analysis of Piranha Etching in the Microfabrication of Hollow-Core Optical Waveguides

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Jared Keeley and Dr. Aaron Hawkins, Electrial and Computer Engineering Main Text In the field of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and micro-opto-electromechanical systems (MOEMS) fabrication, photoresists are used to form 3D structures on a scale of micro- or even nanometers. This is necessary to create the microelectronics used in many devices. One structure that photoresist can […]

Post-Translational Modification in Cell-Free Protein Synthesis

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Anna Katz and Dr. Brad Bundy, Chemical Engineering Introduction The purpose of this project was to examine the phenomenon of eukaryotic myristoylation in a prokaryotic cell-free environment. Basically the idea is that eukaryotic cells such as those within humans have a more robust system for synthesizing protein but it is cheaper, faster, and more easily […]

Piezoresistivity in Nickel Nanostrand Composite Materials as Studied by Three-Dimensional Reconstruction on Focused Ion Beam Serial-Sections

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Oliver Johnson and Dr. David Fullwood, Mechanical Engineering Main Text The development of a large-strain sensor technology will open doors for improved engineering design and scientific research in many fields. Such a technology would allow for advances in biomechanical engineering, e.g., prosthetic limb and artificial organ design. Additionally this kind of sensor technology could be […]

Effect of Variability in Concrete Cover on Concrete Bridge Deck Service Life

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Jeffrey Hoki and Dr. W. Spencer Guthrie, Civil and Environmental Engineering Before reliable data could be gathered, proper procedures for using a covermeter needed to be established. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) does not currently have a standard for testing rebar cover depth by means of an electromagnetic covermeter. Therefore, the only […]

Thermal Protection For Extreme Labor

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Christopher Hanks and Professor Dave Morgan, Industrial Design Many people died when temperatures rose to 115°F in Southeastern Europe in July of 2000(Blumberg). The Sahara Desert exceeds 120°F, creating a nearly inhospitable environment. The temperature off of the Phoenix Airport runway was reported at 150°F the summer of 2009. This very same environment is the workplace […]