Characterization of Polyester Polymer Concrete Material Properties

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Robert Stevens and Dr. W. Spencer Guthrie, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Introduction The purpose of this project was to investigate selected material properties of polyester polymer concrete (PPC) using laboratory testing. PPC is a synthetic concrete that combines sand and coarse aggregate with a polyester resin binder that takes the place of conventional […]

Insulin, Glucose, and β-cell Diffusion Analysis

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Matthew Usevitch and Alonzo Cook, Department of Chemical Engineering Introduction: The purpose of this project is to further understand the function of extruded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes in the pursuit of creating an implantable, removable pancreas device. This device would be filled with pancreas cells and automatically regulate blood sugar for patients with diabetes. Dr. Alonzo […]

Differentiation of iPSCs into Cardiomyocytes Utilizing Extracellular Matrix

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Arthur Castleton and Alonzo Cook, Department of Chemical Engineering Introduction According to the American Heart Association, Ischemic heart disease is the principal cause of death. Many potential therapies are being simultaneously explored and among the most promising is tissue engineering of cardiac scaffolds. In vitro culturing of mature cardiomyocytes has the potential to lay the […]

CRISPR-Cas9 Directed PDGF-β Transcriptional Activation in Fibroblast Cell

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Lia Gale and Brian Jensen, Department of Mechanical Engineering Introduction Chronic wounds, particularly in the lower limb, represent a huge physical, financial, and social burden to 50 million people worldwide. In 2014, Americans paid an estimated $25 billion for simple wound care for patients. Despite these efforts, traditional methods of trying to heal wounds from […]

Biosensor System for the Detection of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

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Conner Earl and Bradley Bundy, Department of Chemical Engineering Department *Note: this report contains proprietary information and should not be circulated publicly until the final research report is accepted and published in a scientific journal. (one year) Introduction Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) present problems worldwide and have been linked to cancer, developmental disorders, and other […]

Portable Food & Water Sanitation by Means of Energetic Photons

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Jordan Argyle and Matthew Memmott, Department of Chemical Engineering Introduction At least 1 in 10 people across the globe do not have access to clean water.1 The World Health Organization considers food and drink contamination to be “the most widespread health problem in the contemporary world.”2 An estimated 600 million people fall ill from eating […]

Analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

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Jaron Lundwall and Alonzo Cook, Department of Chemical Engineering Introduction Due to accident-related neural damage, many people’s lives are impaired or limited in what they can do. Current medical practices are limited at helping distal and proximal nerve stubs regenerate. Many recent research studies have focused on trying to improve this problem by understanding how […]

Large Body Influence in Internal Wave Generation

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Austin Maxwell and Julie Crockett, Department of Mechanical Engineering Introduction Internal waves are three dimensional waves that propagate within a stratified fluid. They are able to propagate in all directions within our atmosphere and the oceans which are both stratified fluids of continuously changing densities. Internal waves are much larger than surface waves, having wavelengths […]

The Effect of Soaking Time on the Accuracy of a Vertical Impedance Spectroscopy Probe

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Jared Baxter and Brian Mazzeo, Department of Electrical Engineering Introduction According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, nearly 10% of the nation’s 611,845 brides are structurally deficient. (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi/no10/defbr15.cfm) This means that nearly 60,000 active bridges are unsafe. This is a major problem, and one that is not easily solved. Many of these bridges are of […]