Project Roster 2011

Sessions 1 & 2: June 28 - July 28

Enhanced imaging: The science and operation of electron microscopes.

Proj. Leader: Fatima Alleyne (Materials Science and Engineering) and Elizabeth Boatman (MSE)

Students will learn how electron microscopes work, the advantages and disadvantages to using them as research tools. Students will have an opportunity to collect data on engineering materials using optical microscopy, SEM and TEM to observe the distinctions in information obtained from the individual techniques.

Real-World Building Development Process

Proj. Leader: Devon Laduzinsky (Civil & Environmental Engineering) and Jack Reilly (Civil Engineering)

1. Design/Architect: Students will work with Excel or MATLAB to maximize aspects of building efficiency.
2. Engineering Aspects: Students will learn about the properties of building materials and why they're used.
3. Construction: Students will actually make a structure using yet to be determined materials.

Session 1: June 28 - July 12

Explorations of Quantum Uncertainty

Proj. Leader: James Arnemann (Physics)

For this project we will explore some of the bizarre yet simple consequences of the quantum world by both experimentally observing some quantum behavior and by analytical methods.

The making of a fly: How the timing and location of gene activity allow for tissue development

Proj. Leader: Brandon Bunker (MCB)

Students will be working with the fruit fly to see how the activation of particular genes in the appropriate location is necessary for proper development. First, we will use staining techniques and microscopy to analyze different patterns of gene expression. Next, we will see how turning on certain genes in the wrong location can affect development — in this case, changing fly wings into eyes!

Water, water everywhere: An introduction to environmental fluid mechanics

Proj. Leader: Margaret Byron (Civil & Environmental Engineering)

How can we describe the way water moves? Students will examine fluid phenomena (including waves and hydraulic jumps) both in nature and in the laboratory, and learn how to apply their findings to various engineering systems.

Hot on Earth: Exploring the Greenhouse Effect

Proj. Leader: Emily Chu (Chemistry)

How does the infrared heat from the sun interact with the surface of Earth and the gases in the atmosphere to increase the temperature on Earth? In this session, we will learn about the greenhouse effect and use the infrared characteristics of different gases to understand what makes greenhouse gases unique.

Radioactivity: What is it? How do we measure it? How useful is it?

Proj. Leader: Nathan Earnest (Physics); Arran Phipps (Physics); Julie Rolla (Physics)

Students will learn about the different types of radioactivity and how we can measure radiation. An overview will be given on how useful (but also dangerous) radiation can be, from medical applications to the characterization of dark matter detectors. Students will attempt to build their own cloud chamber to observe tracks from particles emitted by radioactive sources and investigate their properties.

Unlocking the secrets of enzymes: Which amino acids matter?

Proj. Leader: Lara Collazo (MCB)

Nearly all of the chemical reactions that keep us alive require the help of an enzyme. An enzyme is made up of a specific sequence of amino acids. What happens when you mutate one of these amino acids? How does the enzyme's activity change? In order to answer these questions, we will use chromatography to purify an enzyme (soybean lipoxygenase) and several of its mutants. We will then test the activity of the enzymes in order to determine which amino acids are critical to the enzyme's job.

Explorations of Symmetry

Proj. Leader: James Arnemann (Physics)

For this project we will explore the mathematics of symmetry. We will talk about symmetry found in art, crystals, equations of physics, and nature.

Radioactivity: What is it? How do we measure it? How useful is it?

Proj. Leader: Nathan Earnest (Physics); Arran Phipps (Physics); Julie Rolla (Physics)

Students will learn about the different types of radioactivity and how we can measure radiation. An overview will be given on how useful (but also dangerous) radiation can be, from medical applications to the characterization of dark matter detectors. Students will attempt to build their own cloud chamber to observe tracks from particles emitted by radioactive sources and investigate their properties.

Spinning Coin

Proj. Leader: Jakub Kominiarczuk (Mathematics)

We will take a look at a spinning coin; it is an interesting problem, because as the coin spins it does a very singular thing, namely switches from spinning in vertical direction to a "horizontal" spin. Even more weirdly, afterwards it starts oscillating with increasing frequency, which is counterintuitive, because it is decreasing its kinetic energy and thus should be slowing down.

We will observe its behavior through a few experiments. First we will try to take a high-speed flash photographs of a spinning coin, then try to record sound made by it and explain what happens to the frequency of sound generated by a spinning coin; we will finish by trying to make a coin spin for as longest as possible, trying to beat the record of late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon and his guest, Prof. Fisher from MIT, who managed to get 55 seconds on teflon surface.

Monty Hall Problem

Proj. Leader: Alison Mirin (Mathematics)

Suppose you are on a game show. There are three doors. One door has a prize behind it, The other two have goats behind them. Your goal is to pick the door with the prize behind it. You pick door number 1. The game show host then opens one of the other doors (say door number 2) to reveal that the door is empty. He then asks, "Would you like to pick door number 3 instead?" What should you do? Should you switch to door 3, or should you stick with your original choice?

The question posed is the infamous "Monty Hall problem." Students will discover the answer to the problem through probability theory and empirical experiments as well as attack variants of the problem