Douglas S. Lewis and Dr. William Pitt, Department of Chemical Engineering Introduction In the past decade, many efforts have been made to improve chemotherapeutic treatments for cancer patients. One of the specific efforts seeks to actively deliver anti-cancer drugs to the target tissue rendering the chemotherapy more efficient and less damaging to nearby uninfected cells. […]
PEO-PPO-PLA: An Anti-Cancer Drug Carrier Subtitle (if applicable)
James Lattin and Dr. William Pitt, Chemical Engineering For over a decade ultrasound enhanced drug delivery systems have been under development. These systems often use polymeric molecules that form micelles. In aqueous solutions (such as blood), a spherical micelle is formed as the hydrophilic ends of the molecules interact with the solution and the hydrophobic […]
Improving Micro Air Vehicles
Andrew Hosford and Dr. Deryl Synder, Mechanical Engineering Recently, there has been increased interest in the development of micro air vehicles (MAVs) (Figure 1) to perform reconnaissance, surveillance, and other small operations best suited for air vehicles with maximum dimensions of six inches. In order to develop successful air vehicles, it is imperative to have […]
Scar Effects on Vocal Fold Vibration
Todd Groesbeck and Dr. Scott Thomson, Mechanical Engineering Introduction The influence of scarring on the vocal folds is of great interest to the speech community. Surgeons, educators, and vocalists all have interest in understanding what causes vocal fold damage, and how such damage may be repaired. Frequently, repair requires surgery, and the surgery may result […]
Digital Signature Signing Server Archiving Method for Secure Data
Hoan Do and Professor Gorden Romney, Information Technology In a world where digital information can be so easily altered it is essential to protect the original content of digital files from unauthorized changes. This is especially important with digital images such as maps or historical documents. If these images are provided to the world for research […]
Real-Time Path Planning for Unmanned Air Vehicles
Andrew Curtis and Dr. Randal Beard, Electrical and Computer Engineering Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) have become an important research topic in recent years. Military and civilian groups desire to use UAVs for several purposes, including surveillance, search and rescue, communications relays, and warfare. In the MAGICC Lab at BYU, we are researching low-cost methods of […]
Evaluation of Numerical Models for Prediction Fatigue Life of Cement-Treated Pavement Base Layers
Rebecca Crane and Dr. W. Spencer Guthrie, Civil and Environmental Engineering Cement treatment of aggregate base materials has been utilized in pavement construction since the 1930s (1). The addition of cement increases the strength and stiffness of the treated material and therefore offers greater structural support to the surface layer and greater protection of the […]
Base Enlarged Microfluidic Channels for Capillary Chromatography and Electrophoresis
Craig L Christianson and Dr. Aaron Hawkins, Electrical and Computer Engineering Purpose The purpose of this project is to build a microfluidic channel using the planar thin film method while increasing the cross-sectional area of the channel by extending the base of the channel down into the substrate. Procedure The base enlarged channel procedure is […]
Numerical Modeling of Chloride Profiles in Concrete Bridge Decks with Stay-in-Place Metal Forms
Aimee Worthen Birdsall and Dr. Spencer Guthrie, Civil Engineering INTRODUCTION Chloride penetration into concrete is the main cause of the rapid deterioration of concrete structures due to corrosion of reinforcing steel . This problem is especially a concern in chloride-laden environments. However, these chlorides cannot stop being applied because they are applied as deicing salts […]
Effect of Water Concentration During Polymerization of a Hydrogel on Swelling and Mechanical Properties
Justin J Baker and Dr. William Pitt, Chemical Engineering Hydrogels are polymers that absorb water and thus swell in the presence of water and/or body fluids. Hydrogels have been used in many drug-delivery and medical applications.1 One such application is to apply a thin coating of a hydrogel to the outer surface of a hearing […]