Functional Optimization of Carbon Nanotubes

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Taylor Davis and Sr. Brian Iverson, Mechanical Engineering Department Introduction The objective of this project was to create, characterize, and optimize carbon nanotube (CNT) films as a surface functionalization strategy through modifying the growth, infiltration, and patterning during fabrication. Carbon nanotubes have drawn attention in various disciplines in the scientific community because of their incredible […]

Differentiation of Kidney progenitors using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Conditioned Media of Renal Cortical Tubular Epithelial Cells

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Steven Passey and Dr. Alonzo Cook, Chemical Engineering Department Introduction: According to the National Kidney Foundation, 26 million American adults have kidney disease, 47,000 Americans died from kidney disease in 2013, and over 100,000 people await kidney transplants. Current treatment of kidney failure includes dialysis and kidney transplant. Unfortunately, those undergoing dialysis may experience fatigue […]

Sunflowers, Solar Panels, and Beeswax: Improving Solar Power for the Developing World

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Ivyann Oveson Running and Dr. John Salmon, Mechanical Engineering Department Inspired by the mechanics of how sunflowers follow the sun, we designed a system to increase output from solar panels by only using simple mechanics and beeswax. Solar power is becoming increasingly popular even in developing countries. We wanted to create a way to increase […]

Estimating Joint Configuration for Soft Robots

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Jacob Olson and Dr. Marc Killpack, Mechanical Engineering Department Introduction: Soft robotics are still a relatively new technology. As seen in Figure 1, they are made entirely from compliant materials that use pressurized fluid for both structure and actuation. These robots have great potential in the world of robotics. Soft robots can excel in many […]

Hierarchal Parcel Swapping (HiPS) A Comprehensive Multiscale Subgrid Model for Turbulent Reacting Flow

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Justin Ward and Dr. David Lignell, Chemical Engineering Department Introduction The purpose of this project is to address the unmet need for a comprehensive, multiscale, regime- and fuel-independent turbulent reacting model by using a novel, physics-based strategy called Hierarchal Parcel Swapping (HiPS). Turbulent flow has been called the most important unsolved problem of classical physics. […]

The Herculaneum Papyri: A Paleographic Approach to the Latin Library

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Jordan Rawlings and Faculty Mentor: Roger Macfarlane, Department of Comparative Arts and Letters In the 1750’s AD, military engineers commissioned by the Bourbon rulers found many black, chalky chunks while excavating an underground Roman villa. Initially these lumps were thought to be coal or other detritus and were thus handled with little care. Later, some […]

Painted Ladies of Rome: The Role of Beauty in Defining Female Excellence

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Cassandra Ball Faculty Mentor: Michael Pope, Comparative Arts and Letters Ancient Rome was a culture obsessed with excellence, and much scholarly ink has been spent identifying and elucidating the intricate matrix of ideal Roman masculinity. Meanwhile, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to the concept of feminine excellence, or the means by which Roman […]

Refining Statistical Magnesium Models via Machine Learning

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Andrew Orme and Dr. David Fullwood, Mechanical Engineering Department Introduction Magnesium is a potential replacement for steels and aluminum in strength applications. Despite desirable strength and weight properties, magnesium is costly to manufacture. To reduce manufacturing costs, extensive research has been done on is a phenomenon called twinning, where a large group of magnesium atoms […]

Preservation of Oncorhynchus clarkii by Comparison of Biomarkers

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Chase Paulson and Dr. R. Paul Evans- Microbiology and Molecular Biology Project Purpose The purpose of this project is to analyze biomarkers present in cutthroat and cutbow (a mixture of cutthroat and rainbow trout) trout of the Payson Hatchery compared to typical cutthroat and rainbow markers to better understand if cutthroat trout are being preserved […]