Project Roster 2017

SMASHing bridges

Sofia Arevalo (Mechanical Engineering) and Brian Salazar (Mechanical Engineering)

Mechanical testing of 3D printed structures.

Mechanical Testing of 3D Printed Structures - students will design (in AutoDesk CAD software) high strength structures such as bridges. Students will then fabricate these structures on our lab's 3D printer; they will have the opportunity to experiment with various 3D printing materials. Students will then test their structures on our department's mechanical tester. Students will have a chance to iterate multiple designs and analyze the experimental data

Electric Eyeballs

Brittany Daws (Molecular and Cell Biology) and Joshua Tworig (Molecular and Cell Biology)

Characterize neuronal activity during circuit formation.

I synthesize voltage sensitive dyes which can be used to visually see changes in membrane potential on neurons. Basically if a neuron is excited it was light up. My partner and I would like to try and let students mage neurons with these dyes and see how different perturbations to a neuron change its firing rate.

Using fluorescent dyes to image neurons and neuronal activity, and finding ways to change neuronal activity.

Spaceships & frying pans

Josh Wilbur and Vivek Mishra

Design a thermally isolated, mechanically robust frying pan with uniform temperature to understand how rocket ships.

TEENY TINY computers

Salman Kahn and Kevin Qi

Make an atomically thin transitor.

For now, we are thinking about learning about how electricity flows through materials. However, we are thinking about designing another project based on our research.