2014 / 2015 Edition (new!) - Michigan Space Grant Consortium

Transcription

A publication of the
Michigan Space Grant Consortium
Michigan in Space
Fall 2015 • Volume 16
Director’s Notes
Prof. Alec Gallimore, Director
Ms. Bonnie Bryant, Administrator
Michigan Space Grant Consortium
University of Michigan
1049 FXB
1320 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2140
734 764 9508 phone
734 763 6904 fax
www.mi.spacegrant.org
MSGC Executive Board Members
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Mr. Michael Madison
734 994 1928
Calvin College
Dr. Jason Smolinski
616 526 8711
Eastern Michigan University
Dr. James Sheerin
734 487 4144
Grand Valley State University
Dr. Bopaiah Biddanda
616 331 3978
Hope College
Dr. Peter Gonthier
616 395 7142
Michigan State University
Dr. Michael Velbel
517 353 5273
Michigan Technological University
Dr. Robert Warrington
906 487 4371
Oakland University
Dr. Laila Guessous
248 370 2233
Saginaw Valley State University
Dr. Garry Johns
989 964 7145
Dr. Cinda Davis
734 615 4455
Wayne State University
Dr. Darin Ellis
313 577 3040
Western Michigan University
Dr. Massood Atashbar
269 276 3148
Professor Alec Gallimore
Greetings all! We are pleased
to announce that during funding
interval 2014 – 2015, the MSGC
supported 34 undergraduate and
graduate fellowships across the state
of Michigan, 11 Summer Research
Opportunity Program internships
(SROP), 3 internships at the University
of Michigan, 1 Michigan Initiative on
Student NASA Exploration Research
(MISNER) Program, and 5 internships
at NASA Center (Ames, LARSS,
Marshall, JPL, and Langley). SROP
is a long-standing minority student
recruitment program that focuses on
exposing rising sophomores, juniors,
and seniors to on-campus research
activities. SROP internships took
place in the following University of
Michigan departments: Biomedical
Engineering, Chemical Engineering,
Associate Dean, Professor Alec Gallimore
Industrial and Operations Engineering,
Materials Science and Engineering,
and Mechanical Engineering. The
MISNER Internship program provided
internships at a Michigan high-tech
business in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan, Aerophysics, Inc., near
Houghton. In addition to student
MSGC Director named Towner Professor of
Engineering
We are pleased to announce that the Richard F. and Eleanor A.
Towner Professor of Engineering was added to Professor Alec D.
Gallimore’s appointments on October 15, 2015. In April 2011, the endowed
chair was established by Mr. Towner to recognize the teaching and
scholarship of a distinguished faculty member in the University of Michigan’s
College of Engineering.
Professor Gallimore received his B.S. in aeronautical engineering
from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986. He received his
M.A. and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Princeton University in
1988 and 1992, respectively. Professor Gallimore was also appointed
as an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in 2006. To read more about
Professor Gallimore’s accomplishments, including his research interests,
please go to the MSGC website: www.mi.spacegrant.org
His profile story can be found at:
http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/about/people/profiles/f-to-j/
alec-gallimore
Continued on next page...
•1•
(continued from previous page)
(MXL). Professor Cutler was the
past director of the Space Systems
Development Laboratory (SSDL) at
Stanford, where he earned his Ph.D.
in Electrical Engineering. Prior to
coming to Michigan, he held industry
research and design positions as well
as consulting positions. He is also
an advocate of the next generation
of scientists and frequently talks to
K-12 students about the path he took
to becoming a research scientist and
professor of Aerospace Engineering.
Alec Gallimore, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of
Aerospace Engineering, and Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor of Engineering,
speaks with graduate students at the Engineering Graduate Symposium about the research
they have done during their academic tenures. The Symposium took place on the North
Campus at the University of Michigan. The MSGC funds graduate students through the
Fellowship Program each year.
support, the MSGC funded 12
Research Seed Grant awards, 11 PreCollege Education awards, 5 Public
Outreach awards, 8 Teacher Training
awards, and 8 Educator Incentive
awards. Ten of the program awards
received supplemental funding in
addition to base funding because
their program targeted women,
underrepresented minorities, and/
or people with disabilities. Up to
an additional $5,000 is available to
augment any program award (PreCollege Education, Public Outreach,
and/or Teacher Training).
The MSGC hosted the annual fall
conference on Saturday, October
18, 2014. The keynote speaker
was Professor James Cutler.
Table of Contents
Professor Cutler is an Associate
Professor of Aerospace Engineering
at the University of Michigan. His
interests center on space systems
– a multidisciplinary approach to
enabling future space capability
with particular emphasis on novel,
nanosatellite missions. Professor
Cutler is developing next generation
communication capability and robust
space computing infrastructure. He
was the Co-PI on the first National
Space Foundation space mission,
the Radio Aurora Explorer (RAX).
As chief engineer, he led a team
of students that developed the
satellite bus for the RAX mission
in the laboratory he founded, The
Michigan Exploration Laboratory
Director’s Notes.......................................... 1
The Michigan Initiative on Student NASA
Exploration Research Program (MISNER)
Summer 2014........................................... 12
NASA Center Internships Summer 2014.... 4
Fellowship Awards Undergraduate 2014.. 14
Summer 2014 Internships at the
University of Michigan................................ 6
Fellowship Awards Graduate 2014........... 19
Summer Research Opportunity Program
(SROP) Summer 2014............................... 8
Seed Grant Awards 2014......................... 24
Program Awards 2014.............................. 28
Professor Cutler ’s keynote
presentation was titled, CubeSats:
Enabling Bold Flight to the Extremes.
Conference guests were provided the
following abstract of the presentation:
CubeSats are transforming our
approach to space and reinvigorating
past generations while enabling new
generations to boldly go where no
one has gone before. They were
conceived in the year 2000, when
small satellites were mixed with
a university in the fertile cradle of
Silicon Valley. Researchers there
asked, How small can we go and still
do something useful? In the world of
transistor, this makes sense, and has
been described by Moore’s Law. Does
it hold for space missions? In the
talk, Professor Cutler explored small
satellites and CubeSats, in particular.
Example missions, along with some
Michigan-centric flight opportunities,
were discussed and lessons learned.
In these uncertain economic times it is
crucial, more than ever before, to let
your U.S. Representative know how
important the Space Grant program
has been in your life. It just takes a
moment to take a sentence or two
from your abstract to provide brief
details about your project and another
sentence or two about your experience
while being supported by the MSGC.
We know you are busy, but please
do it today. Visit the Write Your
Representative website at writerep.
house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml.
If you do not know the name of your
•2•
…continued from previous page
Representative, the website easily
answers that question, too. To
show your support of the Space
Grant Program to U.S. Senators
from Michigan, please e-mail
Senator Debbie Stabenow through
her website: http://stabenow.
senate.gov/. Please contact Senator
Gary Peters, also through his website:
http://peters.senate.gov.
And, a reminder to students who have
been awarded by the MSGC for a
fellowship or an internship, please:
1) leave your contact information with
us and your mentor as you graduate
(your personal e-mail address instead
of the university e-mail address that
you used before graduation) and 2)
please respond to the survey that will
be sent to you, from time-to-time, from
the National Space Grant Foundation
– just a handful of questions. As you
know, our government representatives
are asked to closely scrutinize the
budget so it is vital that we provide
them with information that clearly
shows that the Space Grant Program
is making a difference across the
country every day.
Shown clockwise from left: U.S. Senator Gary Peters D-Michigan, Nona Cheeks (NASA Goddard Innovative Technology Partnerships
Office Chief), Phillina Tookes (NASA Goddard Head of Legislative Affairs), Steve DeRees (Kelly's father), Chris Scolese (NASA Goddard
Center Director), and Kelly DeRees.
Dow High School Student Awarded a NASA Goddard Optimus
Prime Spinoff Challenge Award
Kelly DeRees and her partner, David
Sugg (not pictured) from Glendora,
CA, were award recipients of the
NASA Goddard Optimus Prime
Spinoff Challenge, a national
design challenge issued by NASA.
The challenge required student
groups from around the country
to develop innovative new uses
for existing NASA technologies.
Their project described several
spin-off uses, including topographic
mapping for laser scanning that
was originally used to inspect
the mirrors on the James Webb
Space Telescope. Following
the award ceremony, Kelly was
invited to Senator Peters’ office
to present the project and discuss
the important role that NASA’s
Education Outreach Program have
played in fostering her interest in
engineering. Kelly just graduated
from Dow High School in Midland
and will be attending The Ohio
State University (a member of the
Ohio Space Grant Consortium),
School of Engineering, to study
Materials Science. Kelly and David
met through the NASA INSPIRE
Online Learning Community,
designed for students grades 9 to
12, and have worked on previous
NASA challenges together.
•3•
NASA Center internships
Summer 2014
The following are abstracts received from the students that participated
in NASA Center Internships during the summer of 2014.
Elaine Apaza (far right) with her
fellow interns, prepare a model of
the V-22 Osprey for a V-STARS
Photogrammetry shoot. Elaine
Apaza was a summer intern at NASA
Ames Research Center.
Minnae Chabwera (far right) with
her fellow interns in their mentor’s
lab with quadcopters, ground
vehicles, and controllers, all critical
to the completion of their summer
research program. Minnae was a
summer intern at NASA Langley
Research Center for the Langley
Aerospace Research Student
Scholars (LARSS) program.
Eric Goodwin stands next to the
Lunar Environment Test System
(LETS). LETS is used to simulate
the charging conditions found on
the lunar surface, so scientists and
engineers will be able to better
understand the effects solar wind
and lunar regolith have on manmade objects on the surface of the
moon.
•4•
Meghan Ostermann met with U.S.
Congressman, Bill Huizenga, in his
D.C. office during Space Grant’s
annual visit to Capitol Hill. Meghan
received an MSGC Fellowship
Award and interned at NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory.
Adam Weber holds TIGRESS, the
Unmanned Aerial System that his
team designed and built over the
summer. Adam was a summer intern
within the Aeronautics Academy at
NASA Langley Research Center.
•5•
Internships at the University of Michigan
Summer 2014
Prince Kuevor, So-Hee Kang, and Kathryn Luczek interned in Professor
James Cutler’s Michigan Exploration Laboratory (MXL). The following
are photos showing some of their research experiences.
For more news about MXL, go to https://www.facebook.com/Michigan.
Exploration?ref=hl
Prince Kuevor, So-Hee Kang, and
Kathryn Luczek are shown working
to fabricate flight quality harnesses
for their most recent CubeSat. The
photo shows a crimping tool that
was generously donated by the
manufacturer, Hirose Electric USA.
Prince Kuevor and team were
excited about the operational flight
momentum wheels for CADRE
(CubeSat Investigating Atmospheric
Density Response to Extreme
Driving). This was the first time all
three were connected in a flight-like
configuration! These wheels will be
used to point CADRE in the correct
direction during flight.
•6•
How many engineers does it take
to build a magnetic torque core?
This team is finding out! The team
will install the coil on the CADRE
satellite to help provide attitude
control.
Kathryn Luczek (front) and fellow
MXL student, Kaitlyn, prepare to
simulate the harsh conditions of
launch using the vibration table in
the Space Physics Research Lab
at UM.
Senator Debbie Stabenow met
with Dr. Aaron Ridley and Kathryn
Luczek to discuss their work
on the CubeSat, CADRE. Dr.
Ridley is an Associate Professor
in the Department of Atmospheric,
Oceanic, and Space Sciences at the
University of Michigan.
•7•
Summer Research Opportunity Program
(SROP)
Summer 2014
The Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) is a long-standing
student recruitment program for underrepresented minority students
that focuses on exposing rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to
on-campus research activities in preparation for graduate school.
SROP is supported by the Council of Graduate Schools, a Big Ten
Plus consortium of graduate schools. The MSGC works with Rackham
Graduate School to dedicate internship funds for additional SROP
students.
Some SROP interns prepare a YouTube video summarizing their summer
experience and research. Students can be looked up by name at: http://
suresearch.engin.umich.edu/.
Eliana Almario at the 2014 Summer
Research Opportunity Program
Research Symposium. Over the
summer, Eliana worked in Dr. Kira
Barton’s Lab within the Department
of Mechanical Engineering.
Maria Correa at the Summer
Research Symposium. Maria
interned in Dr. Brian Denton’s Lab
within the Department of Industrial
and Operations Engineering.
•8•
Charles Davis and Xunchang
Fei recover a degraded specimen
for subsequent testing and
measurement.
Miriam Figueroa at the Summer
Research Symposium. Miriam
interned in Dr. John Hoard’s Lab
within the Department of Mechanical
Engineering.
•9•
Sarah Hammer re-suspending cell
pellets of engineered E. coli strains
for DNA isolation.
L to R: Eliana Almario, Sofia Lopez,
Daniel Imazumi, Daniel Quevedo,
and Maria Correa at the Summer
Research Symposium.
Gabrielle Maestas (middle) at the
Summer Research Opportunity
Program Research Symposium.
Gabrielle interned in Dr. Nickolas
Langhais’ Lab within the Department
of Surgery.
• 10 •
Wilson Perez at the Summer
Research Symposium. Wilson
interned in Dr. David Remy’s
Robotics and Motion Laboratory.
Gabriela Toledo at the Summer
Research Symposium. Gabriela
interned in Dr. Steve Yalisove’s Lab
within the Department of Materials
Science and Engineering.
Note: Brittany Rodriguez interned in Dr. Lisa Larkin’s lab within the
Department of Biomedical Engineering.
• 11 •
Michigan in Space
The Michigan Space Grant Consortium reaches students of all ages
– from outreach programs designed to supplement K-12 classroom
activities to undergraduate and graduate fellowship and internship
programs that prepare students to enter the STEM field workforce.
Peter Schwankl (l) and Johann
Dahm are shown designing a balsa
wood glider which would later be flown
in the François-Xavier Bagnoud’s
Atrium (at UM). This outreach activity
was hosted by the MSGC in 1999,
when the boys were just 10 years old.
Today, Johann is a Ph.D. candidate
in the Department of Aerospace
Engineering at UM. Peter is a
graduate student in the Department
of Technology Studies at EMU (EMU
is an academic affiliate within the
MSGC) and works in the Information
and Technology Services Department
at UM.
Connie Atkisson is a Middle School educator with the Detroit Public
School system. She was awarded an MSGC K-12 Educator Incentive
award in order to partially support her trip to the 2015 Global Learning
and Observation that Benefits the Environment (GLOBE) Conference
in California. GLOBE encouraged students to be a part of this program
which is comprised of leading state and country leaders, scientists,
and researchers from around the world. Shown here is a student at
the Marine Research Center on Catalina Island. The Wrigley Marine
Center is doing studies on several types of fish. The students helped
them by counting opaleye and sheephead fish, among others. Water
samples were also gathered from an outcrop of rock know as Bird
Rock. Water sample were also collected to check dissolved oxygen
levels and temperatures at these depths. During these times, students
were expected to develop a research question with their team and
use the data to determine their answer.
Michael Hergert solders surface mount components onto a double
low-pass filter board to test some LabVIEW software he wrote to
test filter board en masse. The filter boards contain eight low-pass
filters for cleaning up the power going to the SpaceMicro computer.
Michael was a summer intern at Aerophysics near Houghton in the
upper peninsula of Michigan. Michael is an undergraduate student at
Michigan Tech University. The Michigan Initiative on Student NASA
Exploration Research Program (MISNER) worked with Aerophysics,
Inc. to get Michael onboard for a summer internship.
• 12 •
Dr. Lenell Allen, and 2013 SROP
(Summer Research Opportunity
Program) intern, Richard Carrillo,
at the fall conference of the Great
Midwestern Region of the National
Space Grant College and Fellowship
Program that was held at the Science
Center of Iowa in September 2014.
Dr. Allen is the Director of the NASA
Space Grant Program. Richard
shared the experiences he had as
an SROP intern at the University
of Michigan and the impact that it
had on his life. Richard is currently
attending the University of Florida,
working on solar thermochemical
energy conversion.
Dr. Kristina Lemmer with her team
in the Aerospace Laboratory for
Plasma Experiments at Western
Michigan University. Dr. Lemmer
is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Mechanical and
Aerospace Engineering at WMU.
She earned her Ph.D. in Aerospace
Engineering from the University of
Michigan in 2009. Her mentor was
the MSGC director, Professor Alec
Gallimore. Dr. Lemmer was an
MSGC Fellowship award recipient,
an MSGC Executive Board member
while she served as an assistant
professor at Central Michigan
University, and she participated
in the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s
Summer Faculty Research Program.
Deb Dila preparing to collect and identify microbes in Lake
Michigan water samples (photo courtesy of the McLellan lab,
School of Freshwater Sciences, UW-Milwaukee). GVSU
Graduate and MSGC Graduate Fellowship recipient, Deb Dila’s,
findings are online in the Journal of Great Lakes Research and
featured in the new issue of InterChange – the magazine of
GVSU’s Regional Math and Science Center. Dr. Bopi Biddanda
wrote the commentary and is the MSGC Campus Representative
at GVSU.
http://www.gvsu.edu/rmsc/interchange/connections-for-thestem-classroom-299.htm
• 13 •
2014 Fellowship
Undergraduates
Fred Jordan
Eastern Michigan
University
Understanding the Growth
and Depositional History of
the St. Clair River Delta
Nathan McReynolds and Cara Alexander
were part of Professor Larry Molnar’s
research team.
Nathan McReynolds
Calvin College
Modeling the Ongoing
Evolution of the Asteroid Belt
As interest in the formation of the
solar system is growing, scientists
are looking toward the asteroid belt
for answers. The asteroid belt acts
like the tree ring of the solar system
by recording some of the early history
of the system. But the belt is being
changed by collisions, the Yarkovsky
effect and gravitational resonances.
Our research focuses on quantifying
the rate of those changes so that
we can integrate back to find its
properties at the end of the planet
formation period. To do this we
have made a census of asteroid
collision debris, called families, in the
relatively clean Koronis Zone. From
this census our proposed project will
compute the rate of family formation
from the observed family sizes and
ages. We will compare this value to
a theoretical rate in order to get a
ground truth test of the collisional
threshold value assumed in that
theory.
Deltas are landforms that are formed
at the mouths of rivers from deposition
of sediment that is being carried out
by a river. Though deltas are common
depositional environments, they
are uncommon in the Great Lakes
region. The focus of this research
is the St. Clair River Delta, which is
the largest freshwater delta in the
Great Lakes and one of the largest
in the world. Located at the mouth
of the St. Clair River and marking
the border between the U.S. and
Canada, little research has been
conducted concerning this delta and
this research aims to understand the
growth and depositional history of the
delta through the use of fieldwork,
aerial photo interpretation, and
satellite remote sensing. Though
the main focus of this research
is to understand the growth and
depositional history, some attention
will be put towards how humanity
has shaped and influenced the delta.
Eric Armstrong
Grand Valley State
University
I propose to study the emplacement
of one of these ancient oceanic
terranes, the Buck Creek complex
of North Carolina. Thermobarometry
using electron microprobe data and
whole-rock geochemical analysis will
be applied to rock samples collected
from an exposure of the Chunky Gal
Mountain Fault, which we believe
is related to emplacement of the
complex. These techniques will allow
me to constrain temperatures and
pressures during history of movement
along the fault and therefore infer the
sequence of events along the fault
during the time of deformation.
Catlin Schalk
Grand Valley State
University
Diode-laser Based
Measurement of Molecular
Parameters Relevant to
Atmospheric Studies
In this project, a homebuilt infrared
(IR) diode laser spectrometer will
be used to determine the pressurebroadening coefficient (PBC) for the
carbon monoxide molecule with neon
as a colliding gas. This experiment is
a continuation of a project I have been
working on since the beginning of
Constraints on the
temperature and pressure
conditions of movement along
a terrane-bounding deep
crustal fault in the Southern
Appalachians
The plate collisions that built the
Appalachian Mountains of North
America resulted in accretion of
oceanic crust onto the continent in
several localities. Previous work
suggests that these ancient oceanic
terranes were subducted to a
great depth before fragments were
emplaced into the continental crust.
Catlin Schalk(left)participated in the poster
presentation session at the MSGC Fall
Conference.
• 14 •
this semester. Pressure-broadening
coefficients are used in creating
accurate functions to match the line
shapes in IR absorption spectra.
Having accurate line shape models
can allow for accurate integration of
the absorbance peak and, in turn,
facilitates the determination of gas
concentrations and gas densities
in samples. Using this method to
generate PBCs opens doors to
alternative, possibly more convenient
and affordable, ways to measure gas
concentrations within the Earth and
interstellar atmospheres.
Ryan Backman
Hope College
The Mechanical Response
of Polymer Films to Infrared
Radiation
This research project seeks to
create and ascertain the physical
properties of a stimuli-responsive
material that generates mechanical
motion when exposed to infrared
radiation. The compound will be
made of a polymer film containing
s-dibenzocyclooctadiene cross links,
which we will be synthesized under
the supervision of our adviser. It will
be designed and tested in order to
obtain data about its mechanical
properties (stress, strain, mechanical
work, etc.). This kind of actuator
could have many uses in active
surface technology, where surfaces
are imbued with useful and changing
properties such as texture or
structure. Goals of this experiment
are to improve the mechanical work
and ease of synthesis of this material
over existing responsive materials.
John Baranski
Hope College
Computational Modeling
of Snap-Through for Light
Responsive Arches
Azobenzene-functionalized polymers
have great potential in the design
of soft robotics and in the design of
actuation devices. Azobenzene is
a chemical compound composed
of two phenyl rings linked by an
N=N double bond. When the
sample polymer is held at both
ends in an arched configuration and
then exposed to the appropriate
wavelength of light, deformation
occurs near the center and the
entire arch snaps in one direction.
The overall goal of this research
project is to better understand
and model the photomechanical
snap-through caused by irradiating
azobenzene-functionalized
polymers. The observed actuation
characteristics will be modeled
using a computational finite element
modeling approach to analyze the
relationships between the various
parameters of the system. The
models produced by the program will
be used in the design of actuation
systems.
Skylar Heidema
Hope College
Patterning Self-Oscillating
Gels
Hydrogels are a type of soft material
made up of lightly cross-linked
polymers that are highly hydrophilic.
Self-oscillating hydrogels combine
an oscillating chemical reaction with
responsive hydrogels. In these gels
chemical oscillations produced by
the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction
lead to mechanical swell-deswell
oscillations. These materials have
the potential to be used as soft
actuators, microfluidic pumps, or as
a form of chemical energy harvesting.
A primary objective for our project is
to improve on existing self-oscillating
gel systems by synthesizing a new
self-oscillating hydrogel material
that has the ability to be easily
patterned. The patterning property
that is being explored can then be
used to synchronize a large network
of oscillating gel patches, which in
turn can be used to produce large
cooperative and complex motion.
Jesse Ickes
Hope College
Compton Scattering Cross
Sections in Strong Magnetic
Fields: Advances for Neutron
Star Applications
Various telescopes including Fermi
have detected steady non-thermal
X-ray emission in the 10 - 200 keV
band from strongly magnetic neutron
stars known as magnetars. Magnetic
inverse Compton scattering is
believed to be a leading mechanism
producing this X-ray radiation.
Generated by electrons possessing
ultra-relativistic energies, this leads
to attractive simplifications of the
magnetic Compton cross section.
We previously addressed this case,
developing analytic expressions using
spin-dependent widths that contain
Sokolov and Ternov basis states,
focusing on ground state-to-ground
state scattering. Such scattering
in magnetar magnetospheres can
cool electrons down to mildlyrelativistic energies. These situations
necessitate the development of
general magnetic scattering cross
sections, where the photons acquire
incident angles relative to the
magnetic field in the rest frame of
the electron, with the intermediate
state excited to arbitrary Landau
levels. The Compton cross section
is developed for photon polarization
dependence and includes the correct
spin-dependent widths.
• 15 •
Audrey LaRoche
Hope College
Brittle Fracture Zones in
the Eastern Segment of the
Sveconorwegian Orogen
The Grenville-Sveconorwegian
Orogen marks continental collisions
that created the supercontinent
Rodinia in a major event in Earth
history. The eastern margin of this
orogen occurs in southwestern
Sweden. Brittle fractures in this area
may be due to uplift and thermal
relaxation during final stages of
the continental collision. Before the
MSGC-funded part of this research
starts I will spend four weeks in
Sweden examining and collecting
samples from fractures tentatively
identified on Lidar images. The
MSGC-funded portion will be done
at Hope College. Here I will examine
my samples with a scanning electron
microscope focusing on evidence for
fluid-rock alteration. I will use remote
sensing data (magnetic anomaly
maps, Lidar, satellite images, and
aerial photographs) to create profiles
for different sets of fractures in the
areas studied in Sweden. These
profiles will be used to extend
my map of brittle fracture zones
throughout the eastern margin of the
Sveconorwegian Orogen.
Daniels Vessells
Hope College
Refinement of a Quadratic
Equation of State to Model
Liquid-Vapor Equilibrium
Chemical engineers use cubic
equations of state to estimate
physical properties for different
substances at various conditions.
This project extends previous work to
accurately calculate vapor pressure
from reduced temperature and the
acentric factor, a substance-specific
parameter. A previously formulated
quadratic density approximation
allowed calculation of vapor pressure
from a simple expression and a
deviation function which depended
upon a single variable, the discriminant
of the quadratic density function. A
new independent variable for the
deviation function has recently been
identified and will be studied in detail
during this project. A mathematical
study of the underlying equation of
state and phase equilibrium models
will be done to investigate why the
empirically determined deviation
function has been successful. The
goal of the project will be to derive
a correct deviation function from the
theoretical models if possible, or
at least to improve and simplify the
empirical results.
Stephanie Vincent
Hope College
Using remote sensing to
map a geological unit in
southwestern Sweden
The Stensjö association is a belt of
unusual rocks at the eastern margin
of the Sveconorwegion Orogen, in
southwestern Sweden. It is comprised
of metamorphosed volcanic and
sedimentary rocks that are important
to understanding the events that led
up to the continental collisions which
formed the supercontinent Rodenia.
My primary goal is to determine the
geographic extent of the Stensjö
association. The MSGC funded
portion of the study will occur at
Hope College. Before this work starts
I will spend four weeks in Sweden
investigating known occurrences of
the Stensjö Association. At Hope
College I will use magnetic and gravity
anomaly maps, LIDAR, Satellite
images and aerial photography to
create a remote sensing profile of
the known occurrences of the Stensjö
association. I will then use this profile
to identify other potential occurrences
of the Stensjö association and to
create a tentative map.
Roger Guillory, depicted in the background,
with Dr. Jeremy Goldman of MTU’s
Biomedical Engineering, examining an
inflammatory response to a biodegradable
stent material, collected from the
microscope.
Roger Guillory
Michigan Tech University
Characterization of the
Biocompatibility of ZincMagnesium Alloys for
Bioabsorbable Coronary
Stenting
A material that is bioabsorbable is
needed not only for coronary stenting,
but many other practical medical
applications such as screws, sutures
etc. Biomaterial implants that are
permanent can cause chronic
inflammatory responses and rejection
from the host. These implants are
prone to a cascade of many other
complications including extrication of
the implant. The recently innovated
Zinc-Magnesium (Zn-Mg) alloys (28%wt) at Michigan Technological
University for bioabsorbable stent
implants are promising, but a solid
study to holistically investigate the
biocompatibility of these implants in
vivo is non-existent. It is critical to set
a model to adequately characterize the
biocompatibility of this new generation
material. This project will investigate
key factors of biocompatibility such
as chronic and acute inflammation,
neo-intimal hyperplasia, necrosis and
localized immune response in order
to characterize the feasibility of this
new alloyed material for bioabsorbable
coronary stents, and many future
medical implants.
• 16 •
Laura Lynch
Prevention of Secondary
Lymphedema with
Biomaterial Hydrogels
Secondary lymphedema is a
common consequence of breast
cancer surgery, caused by axial
lymph node dissection (ALND).
Secondary lymphedema results from
damage to the lymphatic system,
which prevents fluid from being
adequately drained from the affected
limb. In our previous research, our
lab has shown that a major cause
of secondary lymphedema may be
the extensive fibrotic scarring that
occurs due to the ALND surgery,
which inhibits fluid flow and lymphatic
regeneration across the site of injury.
To prevent this scar tissue formation,
we intend to use a fibrin or collagen
based hydrogel, implanted at the
site of injury. We hypothesize that
these hydrogels will minimize fibrosis
and thereby increase the natural
regeneration of lymphatic function
and flow, effectively preventing
the appearance of secondary
lymphedema.
Anais Brown
Oakland University
Evolutionary history of
hyperthermophilic bacteria:
early divergence or recent
adaptions?
Thousands of fully sequenced
prokaryote genomes are routinely
used to explore evolutionary
innovations and adaptive histories
through time. Until recently however,
some groups of prokaryotes have
remained under-studied, such
as the hyperthermophiles hightemperature loving Aquificae and
Thermotogae, mostly because of
lack of information. Today, more
than 20 hyperthermophile genomes
are available, allowing us to test
hypotheses about the origin of life and
characteristics of the last universal
common ancestor. We propose
to analyze these sequences with
computational approaches in order
to investigate their phylogenetic
placement and timing of evolution.
Our primary objective is an improved
understanding of the evolution of
early life and an estimation of the time
of the origin of the hyperthermophiles.
This information will be a valuable
asset in our quest to understand the
evolution of the early biosphere on
Earth, and adaptations to planetaryscale environmental changes through
time.
Michael Culver
Oakland University
Mathematical Modeling of
Prokaryotic Speciation
Astrobiology sets out to address deep
questions about our existence: how
did we get here, is there anyone else,
and what is the nature of our future?
Prokaryotes, unicellular organisms
that lack a nucleus look to play a big
role in helping us to answer those
questions. In this proposal, we aim
to derive a mathematical model for
prokaryotic speciation in relation to a
planetary-scale atmospheric change
from anoxic to oxic (oxygen lacking
to oxygen having). This model will
make use of the continuous nature
of evolution and contain differential
equations. Computer software will be
used to visualize the solutions to the
model. The derivation and solutions
to this model will allow us to gain a
greater understanding of prokaryotic
speciation, and what effect oxygen
may have played in triggering the
evolution of new species and genetic
innovations.
Dustyn Tubbs
Saginaw Valley State
University
Exploring facial expression as
a necessary improvement to
biometric systems for security
and novel future applications
in long-distance space
exploration technology
Biometric systems based on facial
recognition have a wonderful potential
for security. Although these systems
are still in their nascence, that potential
could be not only used to ensure
physical and informational security,
but provide resources that can help
create innovative space technologies
for our exploration, science, and
economic future. With how young
these systems are, they are highly
susceptible to a variety of attacks. This
research will study how integrating
facial expression can improve valid
detection in these systems.
Jennifer Berry
Air and Snow Chemistry of
the Juneau Icefield: Impacts
of Black Carbon on Snow
Albedo
In the last few decades, there has
been a rapid acceleration in the
melting rates of Arctic glaciers and
icesheets, partially dependent on air
temperature, as well as how much
solar radiation the snow and ice
grains absorb, which is determined
by their albedo. Deposition of
atmospheric aerosols determines
snow and ice albedo. I propose
to conduct real-time atmospheric
particle measurements at several
locations across the Juneau Icefield
and collect snow samples at the
same locations at different depths
to analyze their composition in a
laboratory in order to improve our
understanding of the impacts of black
carbon on snow albedo and glaciers.
• 17 •
Jillian Cellini
Spencer Watza
New Particle Formation and
Growth Events in the Arctic
Technology Demonstration
of Proximity Operations with
Multi-Rotor using Low-cost
Hardware
The Arctic is undergoing climate
change at a rapid rate with record
sea ice loss. Atmospheric particles
have important implications for
cloud formation, snow chemistry,
and air quality; however, the number
concentrations and sources of
these particles in the Arctic are
poorly constrained. Measurements
of size-resolved particle number
concentrations were made using a
scanning mobility particle sizer at
the NOAA Observatory in Barrow,
Alaska. In this project, we examine
new particle formation and growth
events, during which particles are
likely formed via gas-phase chemistry
and then grow via condensation to
greater than 20 nm in diameter over
the course of several hours. We are
characterizing the timescales, growth
rates, and meteorological conditions
associated with each event that was
not influenced by the town of Barrow.
The observations made in this study
will be used to better understand the
influence that these particles have on
the environment in the Arctic.
Alexandra Ferguson
Alexandra Ferguson and John Stahl assist
Dr. John Jellies with electrophysiology
techniques for optimally stimulating
biological neurons of leeches.
enable a neuron to track a desired
membrane voltage. The utility of
this application in finding optimal
currents in a biological neuron will be
investigated using electrophysiology
techniques. Work in optimal control is
related to NASA Strategic Plan Goal
3.3, which addresses demonstrating
and developing critical technologies
to improve NASA programs in terms
of cost and capabilities. This research
may also find use in studying the
effects of space on nervous systems.
This opportunity will assist me in
accomplishing my educational goals
by allowing me to gain expertise
in mathematical modeling, optimal
control, and electrophysiology.
A technology demonstration is being
performed at Western Michigan
University for small Unmanned
Aerial Systems (sUAS). The
purpose of the demonstration is to
test the capabilities of the low-cost
commercial off the shelf hardware
available for sUAS. The unmanned
platform is a multi-rotor aircraft
equipped with an Arduino flight
controller, Xbox Kinect, Android
smartphone, small robotic arm,
and a mini computer for onboard
processing. The system should have
all of the processing capabilities,
requiring little interaction with the
ground station. To test the capabilities
of the hardware and full system, the
UAS will perform a mission involving
navigating an unknown space while
searching for the target and avoiding
obstacles. Once the target is found,
the UAS will move to interact with
the target before returning to home.
Optimal Control of Biological
Neurons
U n d e r t h e d i r e c t i o n o f D r.
Melinda Koelling (Department
of Mathematics) and Dr. Damon
Miller (Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering), neuron
models will be studied by simulating
nonlinear differential equations based
on the classical Hodgkin-Huxley
equations. Optimal control methods
will be applied to those models to find
reduced energy input currents that
The Proximity Operations Drone (POD) prepares to test new hardware and software
calibrations inside a 450 cubic-foot test chamber.
• 18 •
2014 Fellowship
Graduates
John Skutnik
Grand Valley University
Quantifying the effect of
climate change on Hawaiian
mesophotic coral: Using the
depth generalist Montestrea
spp. as a model organism to
re-seed reefs damaged by
ship groundings, disease, and
climate change
genes are expressed in response
to heat stress, and (3) whether
climate change is affecting organisms
at deeper depths in the oceans.
Since coral are very sensitive to
temperature changes, our species
may be a bioindicator of increasing
concern (i.e. ocean warming).
Kenji Aono
Michigan State University
Noise-shaped Online
Learning in EMG Sensors
Katherine Shomsky analyzing temperature
data from trees and the corresponding
weather conditions.
Katherine Shomsky
Eastern Michigan University
Thermal Conductivity and
Emission in Trees
The whole climate of the Earth can be
thought of in terms of macroclimates,
which can further be divided into
microclimates. The conditions in a
given microclimate are affected by
local factors such as topography,
wind, and the presence of large
structures such as buildings and
trees. In this project, we seek to
model the overnight thermal emission
from trees in their dormant state,
enhancing our understanding of
Earth System Science. We will
consider trees based on their
geometric structure and surrounding
climate. Beginning in Winter 2014, I
will measure temperature at various
points surrounding selected trees
using an IR thermometer, and then
in Spring through Fall, we will work
together to develop a model of
thermal emission and conductivity
based on the data. By considering
trees in their dormant state, our
results and models may be adapted
to other nonliving structures, including
rock structures on other planets.
John Skutnik prepares Montastraea
cavernosa (coral) for surfacing using shade
cloth to mitigate light stress. Coral were
obtained from Conch Reef in Islamorada
Florida.
Shallow water coral reef ecosystems
have been deteriorating naturally
prior to the early 1900’s but their
loss has been exacerbated due
to anthropogenic influences,
primarily climate change. Deeper
photosynthetically dependent reefs,
referred to as Mesophotic Coral
Ecosystems (MCE), however,
are thought to be buffered from
disturbances routinely encountered
by shallow water reefs because of
their depth. I propose to test how
the MCE coral species, Montastrea
cavernosa, responds to thermal
stress. This study will reveal (1) the
thermal limit of M. cavernosa in which
climate change causes bleaching,
(2) how physiologically relevant
Biopotentials such as heart,
muscle, or brain activity can be
measured using electrocardiography,
electromyography (EMG),
a n d e l e c t r o e n c e p h a l o g r a p h y,
respectively. The applications that
stem from these measurements
are numerous, and include such
example as: subvocal speech
recognition, tracking pilot health in
real-time, and providing improved
human-computer interaction. Current
methods for extracting these signals
will often suffer from motion-artifacts,
which arise from a moving subject
(even subtle movement such as
breathing), that disrupt the voltage
potentials induced onto a sensor. The
research proposed in this project is
to explore motion-artifact reduction
of wearable EMG sensors using
stochastic optimization techniques
from Michigan State University.
Daniel Cerminaro
Management of Geotechnical
Features in Transportation
Infrastructure Using Remote
Sensing
Current practices for geotechnical
asset management along
transportation corridors are mostly
focused on restoring the asset after
failure, as opposed to identifying and
remediating hazardous conditions
before their occurrence. The reason
• 19 •
for lacking a proactive geotechnical
asset management system is that
geotechnical assets are extensive
and assessing their condition using
traditional site inspections is laborious
and costly. However, the recent
advancements in commercial remote
sensing techniques allow for the
collection of accurate measurements
of ground displacements. These
displacement measurements could
provide a valuable alternative to
traditional laborious site inspections
to determine the condition of
a geotechnical asset. In order to
effectively integrate a proactive
geotechnical asset management
system, we need a comprehensive
understanding of the most effective
remote sensing technique.
Through this proposed research, I
plan to use optical remote sensing
to analyze potential failures in
geotechnical assets along M10
Highway in Michigan and George
Parks Highway in Alaska.
Ashley Coble
Quantity and biodegradability
of dissolved organic carbon in
Lake Superior tributaries
DOC plays an important role in
aquatic ecosystems because it affects
water quality, influences ecosystem
processes, and transports heavy
metals. In northern ecosystems
climate change will influence DOC
dynamics in both terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems, but knowledge
of the quantity and quality of DOC
exported from streams to the Great
Lakes is limited. To understand how
DOC in northern aquatic ecosystems
will respond to climate change we
first need to improve our estimates
of the quantity and quality of DOC
currently exported from streams by
incorporating measurements across
seasonal and spatial scales. I propose
to estimate seasonal and annual
loads of biodegradable DOC from
streams to Lake Superior utilizing
field/lab-based measurements to
Ashley Coble filters river water in the lab
while setting up an experimental incubation
to determine the biodegradability of
dissolved organic carbon. determine DOC biodegradability,
long-term datasets to identify current
and historical DOC export, and
remote sensing to estimate stream
DOC export at the scale of the Lake
Superior watershed.
Emily Gochis
Increasing Native American
involvement in geosciences
through interdisciplinary
For centuries Native Americans
cultures have understood the
complexities of Earth Systems yet
are historically underrepresented
in the geosciences. Scientists can
broaden participation by engaging
in community-inspired investigations
with tribal schools. Nah Tah Wahsh
Public School Academy, a Native
American K-12 school, is located
within a Potawatomi community in
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The focus of the proposed research
is the creation and implementation
of interdisciplinary Earth System
investigations through the
collaborative efforts of researchers,
Nah Tah Wahsh educators and
community members. A mixedmethod approach will be used to
evaluate whether these inquiry-based
Earth Systems lessons, centered on
culturally relevant places, generate
greater interest in STEM topics and
improve knowledge of geoscience
concepts and scientific practices
among Nah Tah Wahsh students.
Brice Grunert
Impacts of physical drivers
on phytoplankton community
composition in the Bering Sea
Sea ice dynamics and physical
mixing in the Bering Sea are variable
processes that impact phytoplankton
abundance and community
composition. Phytoplankton cell
Brice Grunert and Erin Cafferty collecting water samples to compliment optical profiles of
Lake Superior aboard NOAA’s Great Lakes R/V 5501.
• 20 •
size is largely regulated by mixing
dynamics and nutrient transport
into the photic zone. This carries
implications for carbon and nutrient
cycling, net primary productivity,
and overall ecosystem function. In
situ shipboard observations of [Chl],
phytoplankton composition and
CDOM will be used for assessment
and refinement of semi-analytical
algorithms for processing remotely
sensed imagery of the Bering Sea.
Surface and sub-surface moored
instrumentation in the Eastern
Bering Sea will be used to determine
the primary physical drivers, and
mixing rates between distinct water
masses. The effects of sea ice
dynamics and physical drivers on
phytoplankton abundance and
community composition in the Bering
Sea will be observed. Outcomes are
relevant to NASA’s Ocean Carbon
and Biogeochemistry element of the
U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program.
Bonnie Zwissler
Thermal Remote Sensing
for Dust Susceptibility
Monitoring of Mine Tailings
Impoundments
Mine tailings impoundments are
among the largest earthen structures
in the world, and are heavily regulated
for the hazard of air pollution from
blowing tailings. Dusting events, like
the 1996 occurrence at Michigan’s
Empire Mine, can deposit dust
miles from impoundments and affect
respiratory health. Monitoring the
susceptibility of tailings to dusting
traditionally involves collecting dust
samples from monitoring stations,
providing a tiny sampling area.
This often leads to susceptible
areas going unnoticed until dusting
occurs. Thermal remote sensing
may prove useful to more thoroughly
monitor the susceptibility to dusting
of tailings. Laboratory experiments
using thermal remote sensing of
tailings reveal an indirect relationship
between apparent thermal inertia
and near-surface strength, which
demonstrates the potential utility of
thermal remote sensing for predicting
the dusting susceptibility of tailings.
This research will explore if satellitebased thermal remote sensing can
detect spatial and temporal changes
in surface strength at the tailings
impoundment scale.
Iverson Bell
Investigating the Potential
of Miniature Electrodynamic
Tethers to Enhance
Capabilities of Ultra-small
Sensor Spacecrafts
The success of nanospacecraft
and the evolution of the millimeterscale wireless sensor network
concept have generated interest
in smartphone-sized spacecraft,
either as stand-alone satellites or as
elements in a maneuverable fleet.
The need for propulsion is evident:
not only would a fleet require the
maneuverability of each satellite,
but flat satellite wafers also can have
an inherently short orbital life in low
Earth orbit due to atmospheric drag.
I have found that an insulated
electrodynamic tether, only a few
meters long, can provide milligramto-gram-level satellites with complete
drag cancellation and even the ability
to change orbit. The goal of this project
is to improve our understanding of
the tethered systems interaction
with the ionosphere by conducting
ground-based plasma experiments
that capture critical characteristics
of the space environment. By further
investigating plasma contactor,
we aim to better understand the
feasibility of the dual ultra-small
satellite EDT propulsion concept.
Andrew Burton
Patterned Thin Film Sensor
Circuits for Structural
Damage Detection
Improved structural performance
characterization is critical for the
future of the aerospace industry as
aging structural components and
innovative material design pose
safety challenges for structural
systems. Multifunctional materials
with self-sensing capabilities provide
a potential solution to such challenges
as a means for changing the way
we monitor aerospace structural
components. We utilize one such
Iverson Bell prepares an experiment to simulate the space environment on earth.
• 21 •
Andrew Burton testing the resistive response of polymer nanocomposites to strain for
applications in structural sensing.
material to address these challenges
through the development of a carbon
nanotube polymer composite thin film
sensor for spatial strain sensing and
embedded analog signal processing
as required by aerospace structures.
These sensors are comprised of a
strain-sensing impedance element
and analog circuit elements that
enhance the functionality of the
original sensor. Sensor circuits are
fabricated with processes commonly
used in microelectromechanical
systems allowing for exceptional
capabilities in a light yet robust
final product. The mechanical and
electrical properties of fabricated
sensors are characterized through
laboratory testing.
Rebecca Craig
Investigation of Ship-Emitted
Aerosol Particles
Ship-emitted aerosols are a large
source of anthropogenic pollution
affecting climate change and other
atmospheric processes, yet very
little is known about the optical
properties of these particles and
how they impact the macroscale
properties of clouds. Particles
emulating ship-emitted aerosols can
be generated with an oxy-hydrogen
flame burner and characterized with
Raman microscopy to determine size,
morphology, and composition. Sulfate
species are of particular interest, as
sulfate compounds are formed on
particles by conversion of SO2 gas,
which is known to be emitted from
the combustion of ship fuel. Sulfate
aerosol act as cloud condensation
nuclei, facilitating the formation of
clouds in a ship’s wake, creating
ship tracks. Space-based technology,
such as MODIS and MISR, can
be used to measure the albedo
of ship tracks in the Great Lakes,
providing insight when combined with
ship logs and fuel type, regarding
aerosol properties and SO2 oxidation
investigated by laboratory studies.
Adam Peczalski
Chip-Scale Precision Timing
Unit for PicoSatellites
Chrysalis
Adam Peczalski answers a question
during his conference presentation at the
International Conference on Solid-State
Sensors, Actuators, and Microsystems
in Anchorage, Alaska. Adam’s research
focuses on designing and fabricating ultrastable timing references for space and other
demanding applications.
resonators, a timing unit will be
designed that shows a high tolerance
to both thermal, acceleration, and
radiation based perturbations while
improving frequency accuracy by
10X and acceleration sensitivity by
a 100X compared to current quartz
resonator technology. Our approach
utilizes a novel array of passively
and actively compensated silicon
resonators that allows for greatly
reduced frequency shift over a wide
temperature range while maintaining
extremely high performance. Over
the past year, we have demonstrated
the ability to precisely control the
temperature sensitivity of resonators
using passive compensation. Future
research on this proposal will focus
on further improving performance
and stability of the resonator and the
design of a weighted compensation
algorithm to achieve a wide range of
temperature stability.
This proposal aims to address the
need for a low size, power, and weighttiming unit for use in picosatellites.
By utilizing batch fabrication and
miniaturization offered by MEMS
• 22 •
Ensuring the safety of composite structures through early and accurate damage identification is a formidable challenge. This research
addresses that challenge by imparting electrical conductivity to traditionally insulating composites through the addition of nanofillers.
Because the conductivity of a nanofiller-based material depends on well-connected nanofiller networks, damage that breaks the
connection between nanofillers results in a conductivity loss. The nanofillers therefore act as an integrated sensing network giving
unprecedented insight into the damage state of the composite and locating conductivity losses becomes tantamount to locating
damage. Shown here, electrical impedance tomography is employed to locate impact damage to a glass fiber/epoxy laminate composite
manufactured with carbon black filler. Both the impact location and resulting crack damage are clearly identified demonstrating the
potential of this approach.
Tyler Tallman
Integrating ConductivityBased Structural Health
Monitoring with Current
Architectures
Commercial aviation has begun to
embrace composites such as carbon
fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP)
as primary structural materials.
Despite the many advantages of
composites, damage detection
remains a challenging task. Herein,
I propose to investigate the potential
of integrating electrical impedance
tomography (EIT) with existing
commercial-aviation composite
structures for structural health
monitoring (SHM). Damage to CFRP
composites results in local changes
in conductivity which can be located
by EIT. Because the proposed
SHM can be used continuously
and in real-time, it supplements
existing maintenance and inspection
schedules by tracking damage
initiation and propagation during
operation and between inspections.
Integration will exploit lightning
strike protection systems which
are already in place as electrodes
for EIT. Although this proposal is
primarily research focused, it is also
excellently suited to incorporate an
undergraduate research assistant.
The undergraduate research
assistant will learn valuable modeling
and data acquisition skills.
Andrew Hine
Western Michigan
University
Erosion Measurement
Techniques of Electric
Propulsion Thrusters
The ultimate goal of the proposed
research is to develop in-situ
techniques to accurately measure
erosion rates of the BN acceleration
channel wall inside Hall thrusters
using state-of-the-art radiation
e m i s s i o n s p e c t r o s c o p y. T h i s
• 23 •
diagnostic will eliminate the need for
long, expensive lifetime wear tests,
and allow researchers to understand
real time erosion and how thruster
operating conditions affect erosion
rates in a single short duration
test. Real time erosion diagnostic
testing once developed could then
be applied to magnetically shielded
thrusters to determine whether
erosion is occurring, and if so at
what rate.
2014 Research Seed Grant Program
Award Recipients
Paul Harper
Calvin College
X-ray diffraction
measurements of LipidSugar-Water Mixtures
Lipids and sugars are foundational
building blocks for life. Interestingly,
primitive lipids and sugars can be
found in carbonaceous chondrite
meteorites, suggesting that the
primordial soup may have been
stocked by extraterrestrial sources.
Both modern and primitive lipids
include membrane-forming lipids that
can self-assemble to form containers
or vesicles. These vesicles are
extensively used by cells in numerous
capacities; indeed, a cell membrane
can be thought of as large, highly
augmented vesicle. Intriguingly,
fatty acids (simple lipids) have been
shown to exhibit pre-biotic patterns
of self-assembly, growth and division.
In modern cells, sugars are known
as protectants against freezing and
dehydration; surprisingly, the basic
features of lipid membrane - sugar
interaction remain an area of active
investigation. Consequently, the
nature of lipid-sugar-water interactions
is relevant to understanding both
current living systems and pre-biotic
systems that may have played key
roles in the origin of life. My students
and I have made measurements
of the phase diagrams and phase
transition kinetics of lipid-water and
lipid-water-sugar mixtures. We have
presented our results at national
Biophysical Society meetings and
have recently published some of our
work. Along with phase diagrams and
kinetic information, we’ve developed
a model for sugar-lipid interaction.
The next step in this work is to
obtain structural information via X-ray
diffraction that can put our model to
the test. X-ray diffraction is a tool
that I have used in the past but have
not had access to here at Calvin
College. In pursuit of this objective,
I’ve developed a connection with
Prof. Horia Petrache of IUPUI
(Indiana University, Purdue University
Indianpolis), who has an excellent
apparatus for making small angle
X-ray diffraction measurements. With
Prof. Petrache’s full support, I plan
spending my upcoming sabbatical
at IUPUI, combining experimental
measurements and modeling to
reveal the structure of lipid-sugar
interactions and initiating a promising
collaboration.
Darren Proppe
Calvin College
Is anthropogenic noise a
reliable signal of habitat
quality?
Anthropogenic noise is increasing
as urbanization expands across the
planet. Studies have shown that a
number of animal species, especially
those that communicate vocally,
are less common in noisy areas. In
light of this, many predict a general
decline in songbirds in the coming
decades. However, a recent study
suggests songbirds may habituate to
noise over time. Similarly, according
to signal detection theory, it is
possible that songbird species are
Darren Proppe’s research team on an early morning point-count to assess whether birds
are responding to song playback.
• 24 •
less common in noisy areas due to
fear of novel signals rather than an
inherent reduction in fitness. In this
case, habituation to these signals
may correlate with a relaxation of the
negative behaviors associated with
the novel signal, and a successful
return to noisy habitats. My objective
is to test this hypothesis in a four
year study which: 1) assesses our
ability to draw birds into simulated
noisy areas by combining a novel
noise signal with conspecific songs,
a signal known to represent safe
habitat; 2) examines the fitness
of birds living in noisy areas; 3)
tests whether negative behaviors
associated with noise subside over
time; and 4) investigates our ability to
use conspecific songs to attract noise
sensitive songbirds into roadside
habitats that are otherwise high
quality sites. These results are
expected to kick-start research into
new methodologies for songbird
conservation in noisy areas, or lend
further support for more traditional
methods for noise mitigation.
Matthew Christians
Grand Valley State
University
Understanding LRB E3 ligase
formation within Phytochrome
signaling.
Phytochromes are the photoreceptors
involved in red and far-red light
responses and control numerous plant
processes including germination,
flowering and plant defense. The
LRB proteins are E3 igases that play
a role in the phytochrome-signaling
pathway. They form an active complex
with the scaffolding protein Cullin
in a light dependent manner and
function to target specific proteins for
degradation. I propose to investigate
the exact light requirements for active
complex assembly, and determine
the function of the CL domain (a
previously unknown domain) in’
regulating LRB E3 complex assembly.
This information will further our
understanding of how plants respond
to light, which will aid us in producing’
crop’ plants to aid human survival in
space or to endure environmental
hardships on earth brought about by
climate change.
Jennifer Moore
Grand Valley State
University
Project Title: Survival,
nesting, and sex ratios of
temperature-sensitive species
at the northern edge of their
range
Global climate change affects the
physiology, distribution, habitat
selection, phenology and demography
of animals and plants. Due to
their sensitivity to environmental
conditions, ectothermic species,
especially those with temperaturedependent sex determination, are
particularly vulnerable to changing
climatic conditions. Here we
propose to investigate the effects of
temperature on nests and survival
of early life stages of eastern box
turtles in northern Michigan, where
they inhabit the northern edge of
their broad geographic range. We
will track neonatal box turtles using
radiotelemetry, and use known fates
models to estimate cohortspecific
annual survival rates. We will also
collect thermal profiles of nests
to estimate hatchling sex ratios
under current and future temperature
regimes, and model the environmental
factors that affect nest fates. We
predict that neonate survival will be
low, but will increase with age, and
will be strongly dependent upon
temperatures during the overwintering
period. Further, we predict that nest
success will be low, and hatchling
sex ratios will be female-biased, and
this bias will increase under future
climate regimes. The results of this
study will provide a baseline for future
models of population viability, and
will be used locally (by the USDA
Forest Service) and more broadly to
improve conservation management
of box turtles and to help mitigate
the impacts of climate change on
threatened ectotherms.
Miguel Abrahantes
Hope College
Implementation of a
Tetrahedral Robotic Platform
This research topic belongs to the
area of robotics. The proposal will
describe a research project intended
to develop a multi-agent robotic
platform based on Tetrahedral
Robotics. This type of robot belongs
to a family of walker robots first
introduced by NASA/Goddard
Center. In the past few years, our
research has been done in the
area of Tetrahedral Robotics and a
new direction is intended in areas
of multi-agent, multi-unit, multirobot collaboration. The question
we eventually will try to answer
is how autonomous multi-agent
robotic structures can collaborate in
order to perform complex tasks. In
coordinating and controlling such a
team of robotic units, it is sensible to
make use of tools and the software
platform that provides a rich array of
libraries and control algorithms for
interacting with electronic sensors
and actuators. Doing so allows us to
build on existing work and extend the
analysis to different structures and
applications.
Matthew Smith
Hope College
A Facile Approach to
Responsive Polymer Films
Driven by Near-IR Sensitive
Dibenzocylcooctadiene
Responsive, multifunctional
polymeric materials hold great
promise as lightweight actuators,
autonomous morphing surfaces, and
as components in responsive energy
harvesting devices. Indeed modular
components made from these
materials, combined like building
• 25 •
blocks would provide a flexible
platform for addressing rapidly
changing operating requirements.
Polymer systems responding to
a variety of stimuli have been
developed and each enjoys specific
advantages. However, despite many
recent advances for these materials,
several challenges remain, such
as, degradation of response at high
cycle numbers and limited power
output. Herein we propose the
development of an expanded suite of
polymer materials responsive to heat
and near infrared radiation. These
materials have the potential for high
fidelity behavior at high numbers of
cycles and increased work and power
output. The development of these
materials will augment considerably
the current set of responsive polymer
materials and add to the technology
readiness level of NASA and the
commercial sector.
Zhen Liu
Michigan Technological
University
Phase Composition Curves in
Frozen Porous Materials
The relationship between unfrozen
water content and temperature,
which is referred to as the Phase
Composition Curve (PCC) in frozen
soils, has long been observed.
However, this relationship has not
been extensively studied and widely
used, possibly due to the lack of
a physical understanding. Recent
studies of the PI succeeded in
obtaining a physical description, a
physically-based equation, and a
physic-empirical prediction method
for this relationship. Basedon the
common nature of porous materials,
it is hypothesized that there is a
relationship between unfrozen
water content and temperature in all
frozen porous materials. This study
will experimentally investigate the
existence of the PCC in typical porous
materials. Optimization analyses will
be conducted for the design of a Time
Domain Reflectometry sensor. The
TDR sensor together with thermal
couples, which is suitable for the
measurement of the PCC in the
selected porous materials, will be
fabricated and calibrated. The sensor
will be utilized to measure the PCC by
strictly following a specially designed
procedure. The measured PCCs will
be analyzed using the physicallybased equation proposed by the
PI. The parameters in the equation
will be obtained by means of curve
fitting to the measured results. The
values of the parameters for different
porous materials will be categorized
and compared. The research will
not only offer a definite answer to
the wide existence of the PCC, but
also obtain the characteristics of
that of different porous materials.
The research will provide a clear
understanding of phase transition
of water in porous materials which
is currently absent. The resultant
conclusions may advance many
engineering applications involving the
freezing process of porous materials.
The research thus will lay down a
necessary basis for the exploration in
extraterrestrial environments, where
both porous materials and the phase
change of water or other liquid are
very likely to exist. Also, this study
will open a new research area for the
PI and will answer a key question for
preparing a solid proposal which will
be submitted to the NSF.
Jennifer Chaytor
University
Synthesis and StructureActivity Relationship Studies
of Bioactive Cyclic Peptides
Cyclic peptides have been found
in many plant and animal species.
Many of these cyclic peptides display
useful biological activities which are
attractive in the health industry as
potential therapeutics for common
diseases. In this project, bioactive
cyclic peptides will be synthesized
using solid phase peptide
synthesis and characterized using
spectroscopic techniques (NMR,
IR, etc.). Two series of compounds
will be examined, Stylissamide X,
which prevents migration of cancer
cells, and Dianthins G and H, which
influence osteoblast proliferation.
Osteoblast proliferation can result
in increased bone density, and this
is particularly relevant in space
research as astronauts tend to
experience bone density loss due
to extended stays in low gravity
environments. Following their
synthesis and characterization,
the reported biological activity of
these compounds will be confirmed.
Subsequent structureactivity
relationship studies will be conducted
by systematically replacing selected
amino acids with alternate amino
acids in an attempt to identify
compounds with improved bioactivity.
Andrew Ault
Mineral Dust Transport and
Deposition to Sensitive High
Elevation Snowpack in the
Western Rocky Mountains
Mineral dust represents one of the
largest sources of aerosol in the
atmosphere, estimated at 2000 Mt
per year, 75% of which is redeposited
on land. Dry deposited dust has
been shown to impact snow cover
albedo, and snowmelt timing, runoff
intensity, and runoff yields. Some of
the greatest sources of uncertainty
are at high elevations where elevated
dust layers are transported, yet
few observations are available to
constrain these processes. The
San Juan Mountains in southwest
Colorado provide an ideal location
to study dust source, modification,
and deposition processes, because
deposition in this region has been
linked to alterations in water
resources for the southwest United
States. The proposed seed research
would involve scouting of sites, a pilot
• 26 •
source for alternate energy. One
way to improve the sustainability of
our electricity based energy source
is through scavenging waste heat
with thermoelectric generators.
Thermoelectric generators are
solid-state devices with no moving
parts and are silent, reliable and
environment friendly green method
for power generation.
Kristina Lemmer
Western Michigan
University
Studying Simple Molecular
Ionization using Radiation
Emission Spectroscopy
Professor Andrew Ault shows postdoctoral researcher, Jessica Axson, and graduate student,
Hongru Shen, how to secure their atmospheric particle sampler at the high mountain site in
Colorado.
study to collect preliminary snow
and aerosol samples, and analysis
to generate preliminary data for use
in full-scale proposals to NASA and
other federal and non-federal funding
sources.
Kerri Pratt
Linking Arctic Snow
Chemistry to Sea Ice
Conditions and Tropospheric
Bromine
The Arctic is characterized by unique
atmospheric photochemistry in the
springtime due to reactions on ice and
snow-covered surfaces. Therefore,
with the rapid transformation and
loss of sea ice due to climate
change, there is an urgent need
to characterize these chemical
interactions with the frozen surface.
Recent efforts identified the surface
snowpack as the primary source
of reactive bromine to the Arctic
troposphere, and chemical criteria
were determined for the ability of a
snow sample to produce reactive
bromine. However, our inadequate
knowledge of Arctic snow chemistry
is limiting our ability to predict the
spatial distribution of tropospheric
bromine monoxide (BrO), measured
by satellite remote sensing. The
proposed project involves chemical
analysis of snow obtained over the
Arctic Ocean during spring 2013.
Comparisons with remote sensing
of sea ice characteristics and BrO
will yield insights into the spatial
distribution of bromine chemistry.
Susil Putatunda
Wayne State University
Thermoelectric Properties of
Carbon Nanotube Reinforced
Metal Matrix Composite
The primary focus of this research
proposal is on the creation of a
carbon nanotube reinforced
metal matrix composite based
on Iron-Aluminium system and
characterizing its thermoelectric
behavior. Thermoelectric materials
have emerged as major engineering
materials in recent years because
of their potential applications as a
• 27 •
Much of today’s cutting edge
plasma research topics involve
simple molecular plasma dynamics;
however, even the most simple of
molecular plasmas are not well
understood. Areas of research
requiring understanding of molecular
discharges include alternative
propellant electric propulsion,
plasma actuators as control surfaces
for airplanes, water purification,
non-thermal plasma discharges
for medical uses, and exhaust
gas scrubbing. When plasmas are
created from molecular gases,
there are a variety of processes that
must be studied and understood
such as molecular dissociation,
ionization of the molecule as a whole
and its dissociated components,
charge exchange cross-sections,
and a multitude of collision types.
Proposed here is a first step toward
further understanding of molecular
plasma discharges. Radiation
emission spectroscopy will be
used with a CCD camera operating
in kinetic mode to determine the
presence and relative concentration
of species as a function of time in
a glow discharge and capacitively
coupled discharge, operating on
both nitrogen and argon.
2014 MSGC Program Awards
Deanna van Dijk
Calvin College
Enhancing science literacy
through student Earth science
research on Lake Michigan
dunes
Award: Public Outreach Program
The First-Year Research in Earth
Sciences (FYRES): Dunes project
promotes science literacy and
engagement through student Earth
systems science research experiences
focused on Michigan coastal dunes.
Specifically, the funding will make
possible 1) student research at dune
sites which forms the content of the
public outreach program; 2) student
presentations to dune managers and
the local community through oral,
visual and written media; 3) student
presentations and participation at a
regional conference; and 4) outreach
materials including a dynamic
website and print materials directed
to the general public and high-school
students. Audiences include upperlevel high-school and beginning
college students who encounter
the excitement of dune research
Elementary and middle school girls and their parents at EMU’s Saturday STEM program
build models of the surface of Mars.
at a pivotal stage of considering
science as a possible career, Michigan
dune managers who benefit from
research collaborations and results
they could not otherwise obtain, and
members of the Michigan public who
are introduced to the applications of
Earth systems science.
Russell Olwell
Eastern Michigan
University
To Mars and Beyond: STEM
workshops to build STEM
interest and commitment
among middle school girls
and their parents/guardians
Award: Pre-College Education
Program
During data collection for a FYRES
research project, three first-year students
investigate characteristics of planted
dune vegetation near Lake Michigan. The
FYRES Research Mentor for the research
team (visible in photo background) is
available nearby if there are questions.
Pre-college Programs can build
girls’ enthusiasm and motivation for
STEM fields, but without parental
support for course taking and career
exploration in these areas, many girls
will not pursue these subjects in high
school or college. In middle school,
when science and math become
identified as boys stuff, many girls turn
away from these subjects, not taking
on the high school level advanced
math and science classes needed
to successfully pursue a college
major in STEM, and to advance to
a career in the field. This program
will invite both middle school young
women and their parents to campus
to encourage interest in STEM fields.
This will include specific programming
for parents to help them encourage
young women to pursue STEM fields,
and to help them understand the
career and educational opportunities
in STEM areas for young women and
the expectations they need to hold
to keep young women on track for
STEM success. This will take place
through a 4-session program, held
on Saturdays.
James Sheerin
Eastern Michigan
University
Our Place in Space
Awards: Teacher Training
Program
NASA seeks to foster partnerships
with tomorrow’s educators today.
To this end, we propose to develop
a new entry-level interdisciplinary
course for pre-service teachers
designed to meet state K-12 science
• 28 •
education and teacher certification
requirements using NASA resources
integrated into each lesson module.
The course lessons will address
scientific knowledge of life, physical,
and Earth systems and processes,
encountered from Earth throughout
the solar system. Particular emphasis
will be placed on application of new
knowledge to the exploration of our
geospace environment surrounding
Earth. Extensive use will be made
of data from NASA’s latest missions,
including Van Allen Probes, NPOESS,
and MMS scheduled for operations
during the project year. By integrating
resources from the latest NASA
missions into each lesson module,
education students will become
familiar with NASA’s role in science
education and prepare them to inspire
the next generation of explorers in
partnership with NASA.
Sara Maas
Grand Valley State
University
Science Technology &
Engineering Preview Summer
(STEPS) Camp
Program with Augmented Support
Science Technology & Engineering
Preview Summer (STEPS) Camp for
Girls is an all-girl, day camp introduction
to the world of science, technology,
and engineering. Campers participate
in aviation-themed activities revolving
around building and flying their
own radio-controlled airplane. The
main objectives of STEPS Camp at
Grand Valley State University are
building self-esteem, confidence,
a n d s e l f - e ff i c a c y, i n c r e a s i n g
content knowledge and interest in
engineering, science, and technology,
and nurturing teamwork. Participation
in unique field trips, such as touring
an investment casting facility, flying
in a Cessna airplane, and exploring a
corporate hangar, are also integrated
into the curriculum. The camp is for
girls entering seventh grade with
focused recruiting applications from
STEPS campers work at sanding their wings to make a smooth airfoil.
under-represented groups. There has
been a 10-year tracking study on the
impact of the camp. As a pre-college
enrichment program, STEPS has
been very successful in encouraging
young ladies to pursue further
education in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics.
Brian Bodenbender
Hope College
Teach the Beach, Commune
with the Dune, Understand
the Sand: Pre-College Field
and Classroom Studies of
Open Sand Environments
Using GigaPan Photography
Awards: Pre-College Education
and Teacher Training Programs
This project engages high school
students and teachers in Earth
system science research as partners
monitoring a network of field study
sites to measure sand transport in
open sand environments. It includes
a workshop to introduce teachers
to the goals, instruments, software,
and methods for field site monitoring
and outfit teacher-student research
teams with supplies and equipment
needed to develop and oversee
their own research sites. Students
will monitor sand accumulation
and erosion in open sand areas
along the Lake Michigan shoreline
using the GigaPan photographic
system which takes a series of
overlapping digital photos, merges
them into a panorama, and displays
the panorama on a website. It lets
researchers, including pre-college
teachers and students, quickly
and repeatedly record the height
of sand on erosion pins distributed
across open areas to measure
A 360-degree panorama of a sand dune along the shoreline of Lake Michigan at Saugatuck
Harbor Natural Area, Michigan. This 1,994 megapixel image is stitched from 320
individual photos. It was taken during the Field Studies using Gigapixel Photography
Workshop, which was part of the MSGC Teacher Training and Pre-College Education
grant, Teach the Beach, Commune with the Dune, Understand the Sand: Pre-College Field
and Classroom Studies of Open Sand Environments Using GigaPan Photography. To zoom
in and explore the panorama, visit http://gigapan.com/gigapans/175572 .
• 29 •
seasonal changes, the effects of
individual storms, and changes in
sand movement associated with
recent low lake levels.
John Gierke and
Emily Gochis
University
Eric Mann and
Susan Ipri Brown
Hope College
Professional Development
for Teachers to Incorporate
Place-Based and Culturally
Centered Earth System
Investigations in Pre-college
Curricula at Native American
Community Schools
Engineering the Future
Academies
with Augmented Support
The Center for STEM Inquiry at
Hope College, in partnership with
Muskegon Area Regional Math and
Science Center, will offer Engineering
the Future Academies. Designed
as a learning experience for high
school students, a research and
mentorship opportunity for STEM
education majors, and as professional
development for teachers, the
summer academy will immerse four
10-student engineering design teams
in a one-week on-campus challenge.
Undergraduates, partnered with area
teachers, will tailor the curriculum
and assess the impact of this
experience on both teacher and
student participants with respect
to STEM attitudes, beliefs, and
dispositions. Follow-up contact with
participating high school students
and teachers will be conducted during
the subsequent school year. A fall
professional development session
at the Math and Science Center will
be held to for 20 additional teachers
in which our summer teachers and
undergraduates will play a significant
role in their continuing development
as future STEM education leaders.
Award: Teacher Training
Program with Augmented
Support
This project will engage teachers in
professional development activities
to promote place-based and
culturally centered Earth Systems
investigations in diverse K-12
classrooms. School culture and
curricula have a strong influence
on students’ decisions for the
future. Integrating Earth Science
into STEM curricula through inquiry
based investigations of examples
relevant to their community has
potential for engaging Native
American students and increasing
underrepresented populations’
participation in geosciences.
However, many teachers have little
formal background in Earth Science,
are unaware of the presence of
local geoheritage examples and
are inexperienced in pedagogical
practices needed to integrate these
places into their standards-based
curriculum. Teacher will investigate
several local and regional examples
during a summer teacher institute
aimed at improving Earth Science
literacy and modeling effective
pedagogical practices. During the
school year teachers will further
develop teaching methods through
pedagogical mini-workshops and will
ultimately implement a field-based,
culturally grounded investigation
with their students.
Alexandria Guth
University
Teacher Institute: Exploring
the Geology of Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula A Field Trip
Guide & Summer Teacher
Institute for Grades 4-12
Educators
Program
This project engages teachers
in learning Earth Sciences via
hands-on, geology field trips in
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
These trips are mostly described
in a previously created field guide,
Exploring the Geology of Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula: A Field Trip Guide
for Grades 4-12 Educators, which
will be updated and expanded to
include new trips planned for this
year. Teachers will be accompanies
by geologists, and expert guests
will be invited to further introduce
teachers to UP geology. The project
will support the instructor pay
needed to run the institute, while
minimizing what teachers need
to pay. The collected registration
fees will be used to cover supplies,
transportation, lodging, meals,
and coordination support from the
Michigan Tech Center for Science
& Environmental Outreach.
• 30 •
Marlene Lappeus
University
Douglas Oppliger
University
Stephen Patchin
University
High Impact STEM Outreach
Utilizing the Michigan Tech
Mobile Laboratory at the
Michigan Civil Air Patrol
Summer Cadet Encampment
Underwater Remotely
Operated Vehicles for
Teaching STEM Concepts.
Engineering Olympics
Award: Public Outreach Program
Michigan Tech is home to a versatile
mobile laboratory that travels the
North American continent serving
as a venue for a wide range of
educational opportunities. Hands-on
discovery based learning activities
are an effective means of enabling
students to grasp and retain complex
topics in engineering and science.
Students excel when they can relate
an individual concept to the overall
larger context of product development
and societal advancement. The
Mobile Lab will be utilized to deliver
hands-on, high-impact STEM based
explorations at the 2014 Michigan
Civil Air Patrol Summer Cadet
Encampment. Explorations designed
to demonstrate how aeronautics and
engineering subsystems for space
work, and illustrate the importance
of STEM education and career
fields in continuing to improve
and move along the pathway
towards sustainable air and space
transportation. This project engages
students and provides opportunities
to explore STEM activities and
concepts that are fundamental to the
aeronautic and space technologies.
Support
The workshops proposed here
will be targeted toward those
who teach to groups traditionally
underrepresented in STEM (Rural,
Low Income and Minority, including
female) in metro Detroit and (if
augmentation funds are granted)
rural Upper Peninsula. Each
workshop will host 6 to 10 schools.
Each school will send a team of two
to three teachers to learn how to
build and use underwater remotely
operated vehicles (ROVs) to teach
concepts in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM).
Using underwater ROVs to teach
these concepts is an excellent way
to engage and excite students as
well as to connect them to the Great
Lakes, emphasizing the relevance
of the lakes to their lives and well
being. Our proposed workshop sites
were chosen to potentially attract
from a wide area encompassing
both urban (high minority) schools as
well as those in small underserved,
under-resourced rural districts.
Support
Michigan Technological University’s
Center for Pre-College Outreach
proposes a collaborative effort
with Michigan Tech’s Engineering
Fundamentals department to
develop an Engineering Olympics
competition for high school students.
This project would engage schools
in both eastern and western Upper
Michigan, containing largely rural
populations. Schools would receive
4 engineering challenges where
they would have to create a vehicle
or self-powered mechanism to
successfully complete the task.
Performance measures will be
used to determine rankings of
success. Students would then be
put into teams to perform ‘instant
engineering challenges’, utilizing
the engineering design process as
a group to successfully construct
a structure/vehicle as a solution
to the problem. There will be an
Engineering Olympics conducted
on both the campus of Michigan
Technological University and Lake
Superior State University.
• 31 •
Chris Kobus,
Lorenzo Smith, and
Laura Dinsmoore
Oakland University
Earth System Science STEM
Camps
Awards: Pre-College Education,
Public Outreach, and Teacher
Training Programs with
Augmented Support
A continuing comprehensive, handson, activity-based outreach and
education program is proposed
here to deliver substantive
Earth system sciences training
to three separate populations –
K-12 students (especially Pontiac
which has a large population of
disadvantaged students), K-12
teachers (Next Generation Science
Standards – NGSS), and the broader
community. The shorter workshops
and longer STEM camps are to
be continuing activities that were
initiated with MSGC funding that
we hope will eventually be selfsustaining. The efforts are STEMcentered, hands-on experiences
where attendees learn fundamental
knowledge and then apply this
to such active learning exercises
as constructing dye-sensitized
solar cells, making biodiesel from
vegetable oil, pelletizing wood and
switchgrass to run furnaces that
displace fossil fuels, and assessing
structures at a very basic level to
reduce energy consumption. This
is in addition to utilizing the Oakland
University campus as a living
laboratory with many innovative
technologies installed throughout,
which enhances the educational
goals here.
Camp coordinator Jan Hlavacek setting up a bottle rocket for launching.
Amy Hilavacek
University
The SVSU Summer
Mathematics Opportunities
(SuMO) Camp
Support
The SVSU Summer Mathematics
Opportunities (SuMO) Camp is
a four-week long day camp
which targets at-risk and underrepresented minority middle school
students from Saginaw and Bay
Counties. Middle school students
are brought together with high school
and college student mentors and
SVSU faculty in a cooperative and
supportive learning environment.
The camp is designed to increase
awareness and interest in the STEM
fields in a population that is typically
under-represented in these fields.
Middle school students are exposed
to higher-level discovery concepts
both through interactive lectures by
SVSU faculty and through a series
of enrichment activities and games.
Discovery topics could range from
fractals to computer science to
space applications. Students also
receive instruction and reinforcement
in basic mathematical skills and
concepts so that these higherlevel concepts and future learning
opportunities will be accessible.
Finally, mentoring relationships are
established which boost self-esteem
and confidence for both mentor and
mentee.
• 32 •
Alec Gallimore and
Bonnie Bryant
MSGC K-12 Outreach
Program
and Public Outreach Programs
The University of Michigan’s K-12
Outreach Program is designed to
supplement classroom activities
with lessons we have developed
on aerospace and space science
along with hands-on activities. We
find that K-12 students bond with
our staff of UM undergraduate and
graduate students who are not much
older than they are. This combination
has been successful for over 25
years, giving us the tools to spark
the interest of students that have
not connected to science and math
in the past, and to foster those who
have. From the feedback we receive
from educators throughout the state,
we believe this program continues
to make a difference in the lives of
K-12 students in Michigan. Events
range from activities held within an
afternoon class to multi-day, all-day
events working with the same group
of students or different groups of
students. We are again applying to
the Pre-College Education Program
and the Public Outreach Program,
with a request for augmented support
in order to continue serving the
needs of women and minorities. We
continue to expand the web-based
resources available on the site for
support of this outreach program (mi.
spacegrant.org)
Jason Lee
Detroit Area Pre-College
Engineering Program
(DAPCEP)
Summer Galaxy Academy
& Earth System Science
Teacher Workshops
Summer Galaxy Academy is
designed to introduce aerospace
engineering to high school girls
and promote personal, academic,
and professional achievement.
The students work collaboratively
as companies to compete in an
aerospace engineering design
challenge centered on launching
rockets. Rigorous application
o f a l g e b r a i c , g e o m e t r y, a n d
trigonometry skills, coupled with
sophisticated use of video analysis
technology, challenges the girls to
apply textbook concepts to real-life
problems in aerospace engineering.
Students attend three classes:
Engineering Concepts, Engineering
Math, and Engineering Soft Skills.
Earth System Science Teacher
Workshops is a series of three
workshops focused on giving 25
DAPCEP In-School teachers the
tools and resources necessary to
guide their DAPCEP students to
create science fair projects centered
around earth system science. These
workshops are integrated into
DAPCEP’s annual Summer Institute
for in-school teachers.
• 33 •
Peter Lawrie
Orion’s Quest
Orion’s Quest Authentic
Space-Based Research
Support
I n 2 0 1 4 O r i o n ’s Q u e s t ( O Q )
celebrates a decade of bringing
world-class, space-based research
into the classroom, putting students
in the role of research assistant
supporting authentic NASA
research being conducted on the
International Space Station (ISS).
The last 10 years have seen us
inspire in excess of 18,000 students
in the STEM areas. With our Jubilee
year as a launch pad lifting us off
into new directions, we will continue
bringing research from the ISS to
middle and high school science
classrooms but with a brand new
experiment (Mission). Additionally,
the development of exciting new
activities incorporating popular
video and social media tools into our
repertoire of activities will provide
the means to expand the number
of participants coming from low
socioeconomic regions, including
greater Detroit and rural areas
of Michigan, with an additional
emphasis on increasing the number
of minority and female participants.

2014 / 2015 Edition (new!) - Michigan Space Grant Consortium

Transcription

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