Journal of Undergraduate Research

Michael Tree and Dr. Scott Thomson, Department of Mechanical Engineering Introduction Operation of existing micro air vehicles (small, unmanned aircraft, with a maximum size of 6 inches or less, also known as MAVs) is difficult in urban areas. Most MAVs use a fixed-wing design that is unsuitable for high maneuverability, thus limiting their potential usefulness. […]

Samikshya Subedi and Dr. David Fullwood, Department of Mechanical Engineering Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to understand and predict the role of the triple junction on crack initiation in polycrystals. I intended to study dislocation density fields and local elastic strain around the triple junction area in a metal and […]

Caroline Sorensen and Dr. David Fullwood, Department of Mechanical Engineering The research I have completed over the past year has been very successful. The results will soon (i.e. in the next week or two) be submitted for publication, most likely to the journal “Metallurgical and Material Transactions A.” Preliminary findings from this research were also […]

Jenny Pate and Dr. Steven Charles, Department of Mechanical Engineering Introduction Many Americans struggle with wrist injuries that severely impact their ability to work (typing, writing, etc.) and perform basic everyday functions (eating, holding, etc). These injuries often result from repeatedly forcing the wrist to move in unnatural ways. To properly combat these challenges and […]

Kenneth Langley and Dr. Tadd Truscott, Department of Mechanical Engineering Introduction If an egg spinning on a counter-top passes through a shallow pool of milk, a thin film of milk will be drawn up the sides of the egg and sprayed on the counter-top. This phenomenon is not limited to eggs or milk. In fact, […]

Robert Klaus and Dr. Tadd Truscott, Department of Mechanical Engineering Sloshing is a very common phenomenon that we encounter everyday. Anytime that a liquid is enclosed within a moving container there exists the potential for sloshing. In some cases, such as trucks & ships, the sloshing of the fluid can produce undesired vehicle motion and […]

Taylor Killian and Dr. Tadd Truscott, Department of Mechanical Engineering Goal The purpose of the proposed research was to mathematically define and model the flow of fluid within a partially filled sphere. The goal of this modeling was to aid the study of the effects an enclosed fluid had on its boundary. We desired to […]

Jeffrey Hendricks and Dr. Tadd Truscott, Department of Mechanical Engineering The study of fluid flow on a microscale has become of increasing interest in recent years. We have studied the effects of capillary action in a micro-channel with a rectangular cross-section having a large width to height ratio. In general, capillary action allows fluid to […]

Mark Fernelius and Dr. Larry Howell, Department of Mechanical Engineering Technologies for injecting DNA into egg cells have greatly facilitated genetic research. Microinjection is a current standard for this purpose. It uses a hollow glass needle to inject a solution containing DNA into cells. Although widely used, microinjection has several significant challenges. First, the DNA […]

Will Drake and Dr. Steven Charles, Department of Mechanical Engineering The wrist plays a vital yet frequently overlooked role in positioning and supporting the hand during activities of daily living. Particularly during low-level activities (such as typing), passive joint stiffness dominates wrist dynamics and constitutes the main obstacle to motion. In spite of its importance, […]