Journal of Undergraduate Research

Nicolas Bons and Andrew Ning, Department of Mechanical Engineering 1 Introduction Wind energy is a very promising source of renewable energy for the future. Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) arrays could potentially offer greater power density than horizontal axis wind turbines. In order to leverage the advantages of the VAWT in certain applications with confined […]

Nelson Warner and Dr. Scott Thomson, Mechanical Engineering Introduction Although extensive research has been performed to document whale songs, we have little understanding of how baleen whales produce their sound. This project was to create a physical model of a sei whale larynx (voice box) to study the source of vocal production in baleen whales. […]

Michael Morgan and Professor Dan Maynes, Mechanical Engineering Introduction The objective of this research was to explore the drag reduction capabilities of a surface with trapezoidal riblets coated with a superhydrophobic coating. Drag reduction is very desirable as even small reductions can save enormous amounts of energy. Riblets are patterned microfeatures on a surface (illustrated […]

Dallin L Lindstrom, Bradley W. Hanks, and Professor Brian D. Jensen, Mechanical Engineering Introduction Delivering foreign genetic material into human cells to cure or reverse the effects of genetic disease is a challenging task. This process, known as gene therapy, is of the utmost importance in treating many diseases, such as cancer, hemophilia, neurodegenerative diseases, […]

Braden Hancock and Dr. Christopher A. Mattson, Mechanical Engineering Department Introduction Nearly one year ago, we proposed the development of a mechanism for evolutionary optimization that would provide the widely recognized benefits of ε-dominance methods while simultaneously supporting Pareto knee exploitation. Thanks to the ORCA grant that we received to pursue this research opportunity, we […]

Makena Ford and Professor Alonzo Cook, Mechanical Engineering Introduction Over 120,000 people in the United States alone are currently on the waiting list to receive a lifesaving organ transplanti. Even if these patients receive an invaluable transplant, they will have to take immunosuppressants for the rest of their life, to prevent the body from attacking […]

Janette Fernelius and Dr. Larry L. Howell, Mechanical Engineering Introduction Materials are selected for design applications based on weight, flexibility, thickness, compatibility with the use environment, and the availability of the material. These characteristics place limitations on design that are difficult to satisfy with conventional methods and mate- rials in some circumstances. Origami can be […]

Craig Daniels and Professor David Fullwood, Mechanical Engineering Introduction Electron Back-Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) is a microscopy technique that is used to characterize crystalline materials such as metals. An EBSD pattern taken at a given point can be used to easily characterize the crystal structure and orientation at that point. By examining EBSD patterns across an […]

Kara Boatwright and Professor Anton Bowden, Mechanical Engineering Experts have found that 80% of Americans will experience some sort of back pain in their lives. It is a prevalent problem and further information about the motion of the spine is necessary in order to improve techniques of alleviating and someday curing back pain. Ligaments are […]

R. Adam Bilodeau and Dr. David Fullwood, Mechanical Engineering Introduction Mechanical engineers are constantly seeking better ways to analyze structures and systems, including both flexible, biological materials and rigid, metal structures. However, accurate and inexpensive tools for measuring the changing length of highly flexible systems are difficult to come by. The BYU Nanocomposites research lab […]