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October 2011
Welcome to the 2011 Bucknell Engineering Student Research Symposium!
One of the principal aims of the College of Engineering is to prepare
students for entry into the engineering profession, related fields and
graduate programs, and for continuing development as highly competent
professionals and responsible members of society. Our engineering faculty
are firmly dedicated to teaching excellence and actively engaged in
scholarship in support of our educational mission and their disciplines. The
opportunity for students to collaborate directly with faculty on challenging
research projects brings together these two complementary goals and
enhances our ability to fulfill our educational mission. Moreover, Bucknell
provides extensive opportunities and support for such research, and
students and faculty both benefit greatly from these interactions. We are
thus extremely proud to showcase the research activities of our engineering
students, and it is a pleasure to celebrate their achievements today.
This symposium is held in concert with the sixth annual College of
Engineering Celebration Dinner co-hosted by the Bucknell Engineering
Alumni Association, an organization committed to enriching our
educational programs and enhancing a wide range of opportunities for our
students. We hope that you enjoy this opportunity to interact with our
engineering students and faculty, and learn about some of the impressive
research they have accomplished together over the past year.
Best wishes,
Keith Buffinton, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Engineering
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Poster #1
DEVELOPMENT OF SHAM ATHEROSCLEROTIC ARTERIES FOR
VERIFICATION OF COMPUTATIONAL MODELS
Patience Osei1, Tyler Erhard2, Advisers: Donna Ebenstein1, Christine Buffinton2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering2Department of Mechanical Engineering
Bucknell University
Introduction: Atherosclerotic material is not homogeneous: main constituents
include fibrous tissue, fatty deposits, and thrombus. Calcifications, similar to
bone, often occurs in more advanced lesions. Recent finite element modeling
of coronary arteries showed large stress concentrations that are sensitive to the
calcification geometry and elastic modulus. Concentrations increased with
large stiffness differentials and with increasing distance from the lumen of arc-
shaped calcifications. Verification of these modeling results is important as
they may have implications for plaque rupture.
Methods and Results: The study goal was to develop an artery sham
mimicking fibrous and calcified plaque for comparison with computational
models. Numerous silicones were evaluated to match reported arterial
material properties. The most promising, Ecoflex and Dragonskin
(Smooth-On), and 10:1 and 20:1 preparations of Sylgard 184 (Dow Corning),
were molded into dogbone shapes and tested in uniaxial tension. Results for
low-strain tangent elastic modulus were 66 kPa Ecoflex, 228 kPa Dragonskin,
414 kPa Sylgard 184 at 20:1, and 2580 kPa Sylgard 184 at 10:1. Polycarboxylate
dental cement was selected to model the calcified regions and bonding
between the two materials was optimized. The artery cross-sectional mold was
created in Pro/ENGINEER and laser-cut from Delrin. The artery surface was
covered with ink splatter and imaged while the lumen was loaded by balloon
pressurization. Digital image correlation with a MATLAB program created a
surface strain map (C. Eberl, MATLAB Central).
Discussion: Due to the difficulty in obtaining human or animal atherosclerotic
tissue with a range of components, very few modeling studies include
experimental validation. This preliminary study presents a method for
creation of realistic shams of atherosclerotic arteries to aid in model
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validation. Future work should incorporate additional materials, such as
lipid, and evaluate the effects of anisotropic material properties. The bond
between calcified and non-calcified regions of plaque is also important.
Biography
Patience is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering. She is
an international student from Botswana. She is also the 2014 class
representative for the Society of Women Engineers, an RA in Kress and
a peer mentor for the TEAM program.
Tyler is a sophomore mechanical engineering student at Bucknell. He is
from Millerstown Pennsylvania. He is a cross country runner on Bucknell’s
track and field team.
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Poster #2
MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF HIPPOCAMPAL MICRODIALYSIS:
VALIDATION OF IN VIVO METHODOLOGY
Damon Vinciguerra, Adviser: Margot Vigeant
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
Microdialysis is well established as the gold-standard method for in vivo
neurochemical measurements of small molecules, with implanted
concentric-design probes offering minimized tissue damage and good
temporal and spatial resolution. However, the large majority of
measurements do not allow the perfusate to reach equilibrium with the
brain, so that inferential methods of sample concentration correction such
as zero-net-flux must be used to determine actual brain glucose
concentrations. In order for such methods to be valid, steady-state transfer
of the analyte of interest within the brain is required, but this situation has
not previously been confirmed. A first-principles mathematical model of
fluid flow and analyte diffusion around an implanted microdialysis probe
was developed and implemented in COMSOL in order to validate the zero-
net-flux approach, using measurement of extracellular brain glucose levels
as a well-explored example system against which to compare the model.
Results from the model accurately reproduced and predicted results from in
vivo experiments. Importantly, the model predicts that the time for an
implanted probe to achieve steady-state equilibrium with the surrounding
extracellular fluid is on the order of three minutes, supporting the validity
of this technique for quantitative measurement of in vivo neurochemistry.
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Biography
Damon is a fifth year undergraduate student and will be graduating with a
BS and MS in chemical engineering in May 2012. He has been working on
this research project since the summer of 2010 when he adopted the project
from another student. Damon was born and raised north of Baltimore and
came to Bucknell for the small campus and engineering college. Next year
he hopes to move south and work as a process engineer.
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Poster #3
PARTICLE ENCAPSULATION AND RECOVERY IN A
MICRO-FLUIDIC DEVICE
Laura Duffy, Adviser: Erin Jablonski
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
The purpose of this study was to design and operate microfluidic devices
capable of forming and recovering hydrophilic capsules from an organic
phase. Microfluidic devices include channels that are of the order of 100
microns, and typical flow rates through these devices are of the order of
μl/h to ml/h. Two microfluidic devices were used for this experiment and
were arranged in series, the first being that which created the capsules while
the second was used to passively recover them in an aqueous buffer. The
configuration of two devices in series allows for continuous processing of
the capsules. Capsules were formed in a device that used a flow-focusing
geometry to form droplets of a hydrogel precursor in a continuous organic
phase (sunflower oil). The capsule material was made up of a biocompatible
hydrogels that required ionic crosslinking conditions for gelation. For these
studies, capsules formed were on the micron-scale and were made of
calcium-alginate and sodium carbonate that cured upon interacting with
acetic acid. The flow rates of the oil, acid, and hydrogel were controlled to
create the desired size capsule by increasing or decreasing specific flow rates.
After formed, capsules were recovered into a biologically relevant aqueous
buffer using a previously developed technique that allows for co-laminar
flow of immiscible liquids and passive separation of the capsules. These
devices require a specific geometry that was determine through prior
investigation. Capsule formation of a variety of sizes was achieved, but
capsule separation was a slight challenge. There are many factors that
contribute to successful separation that were unforeseen like orientation
of inlet and outlet streams and pressure within the system. Further
investigation is needed to achieve the goal and allow for the project to
move forward towards encapsulation of an object (glass bead or cell) with
in the capsules.
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Biography
Laura Duffy is a junior studying chemical and biomedical engineering at
Bucknell. She is a member of the Chem-E Car team here on campus and a
Residential Assistant for a first-year hall. She comes from a small town in
Massachusetts called Shelburne where she enjoys making apple pie in the
fall and spending time cross country skiing in the winter.
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Poster #4
MOBILE DEVELOPMENT WITH ANDROID
Christopher Rung1, Adviser: Michael Thompson2
1Department of Computer Science2Department of Electrical Engineering
Bucknell University
Android, developed by the Open Handset Alliance and led by Google, is an
operating system for smartphones and tablets. It was first introduced by
Google in 2007 and has quickly become the best-selling smartphone
platform worldwide (as of Q4 2010). Android uses the solid Linux kernel,
which manages basic functions such as the device’s hardware, power
management, and drivers. The purpose of last summer’s research was to
learn how to program for Android to create a hands-on elective course at
Bucknell. Much progress was made, from writing the most basic “Hello,
World” program to writing a program that uses location services, cloud
computing, XML parsing, threading, and various Android UI elements,
among others.
Eventually, this research will be used to port the FINS Framework to
Android. The FINS Framework’s goal is to make experimental networking
research easier. It modifies the Linux kernel in the background and allows
researchers to create new protocols or modify existing protocols. The
framework currently runs on laptop PCs, which are cumbersome. By
porting the framework to the Android platform, conducting research using
FINS will be much easier, as phones are smaller and lighter than laptops.
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Biography
Christopher Rung is a computer science and engineering major from
Hershey, Pennsylvania. He first learned of his passion for computers while
tinkering with the original Apple Macintosh. To gain a better understanding
of how it worked, he took computer science courses in high school where
he learned the fundamentals of computer hardware and programming
languages. He came to Bucknell University as a computer engineer, but
learned that he has more of a passion for software. He is now a sophomore
and plans to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in computerscience and
dngineering.
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Poster #5
CONVECTIVE STIRRING IN LIQUID LITHIUM
Maggie Cassin, Adviser: Richard Majeski
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton, NJ 08543
The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX) is a spherical tokamak with
R=0.4 m, a=0.26 m, and elongation=1.5. LTX has a heated (300 – 400 C)
liner, designed to be coated with lithium. During experiments in 2010,
oxidation of the lithium surface was observed when the liner was heated to
300 C, above the melting point of lithium (182 C). A pumping system is
being installed to absorb and pump background gasses which react with
lithium, similar to a getter pump, using liquid and solid lithium. Lithium
will be loaded into a yttria crucible heated from below by a small,
HeatWave model TB175 300W cartridge heater to produce convective
currents in order to maintain a clean lithium surface and decrease the time
for oxide formation. This system was tested in an argon glove box using a
copper heat concentrator – instead of the HeatWave vacuum-compatible
unit. Infrared thermometry and thermocouples were used to monitor the
surface temperature of the molten lithium. With a small rod/crucible iT (<
50 C) the time to heat the crucibles to the melting point of lithium was too
long for continuous experimentation (9 hours). AiT > 200 C cracked the
crucible. From thermocouple data the interpolated buoyant force of stirred
lithium was calculated to be 0.001 N, too small to sufficiently mix the
molten lithium. Future experiments will look at the viability of using
electromagnetic stirring to more effectively mix molten lithium for LTX
producing +0.06 N JxB forces. The Lithium Tokamak eXperiment (LTX) is
a spherical tokamak with R=0.4 m, a=0.26 m, and elongation=1.5. LTX has
a heated (300 – 400 C) liner, designed to be coated with lithium. During
experiments in 2010, oxidation of the lithium surface was observed when
the liner was heated to 300 C, above the melting point of lithium (182 C). A
pumping system is being installed to absorb and pump background gasses
which react with lithium, similar to a getter pump, using liquid and solid
lithium. Lithium will be loaded into a yttria crucible heated from below by a
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small, HeatWave model TB175 300W cartridge heater to produce
convective currents in order to maintain a clean lithium surface and
decrease the time for oxide formation. This system was tested in an argon
glove box using a copper heat concentrator – instead of the HeatWave
vacuum-compatible unit. Infrared thermometry and thermocouples were
used to monitor the surface temperature of the molten lithium. With a
small rod/crucible iT (< 50 C) the time to heat the crucibles to the melting
point of lithium was too long for continuous experimentation (9 hours). A
ΔT > 200 C cracked the crucible. From thermocouple data the interpolated
buoyant force of stirred lithium was calculated to be 0.001 N, too small to
sufficiently mix the molten lithium. Future experiments will look at the
viability of using electromagnetic stirring to more effectively mix molten
lithium for LTX producing +0.06 N JxB forces.
Biography
Maggie Cassin is a senior chemical engineering major with a concentration
in materials. Over the summer she worked at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab
using stirring techniques to make a getter pump for liquid lithium. She
plans on attending graduate school after graduation to study polymers.
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Poster #6
THE EFFECT OF VANADIUM DEFICIENCY ON THE CATALYTIC
DEGRADATION OF SOLID OXIDE FUEL CELL ELECTRODES
Nguyen Vo1, Alex Liggett2, Adviser: Michael Gross1
1Department of Chemical Engineering2Department of Mechanical Engineering
Bucknell University
The electrochemical performance of strontium-doped lanthanum vanadate
(La0.7Sr0.3VxO3 for x=0.90, 0.95, and 1.00) electrodes for use in Solid
Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) was investigated. The effect of vanadium
stoichiometry on the catalytic degradation of palladium (Pd), platinum
(Pt), palladium-ceria (Pd-CeO2), platinum-ceria (Pt-CeO2), and copper-
ceria (Cu-CeO2) catalysts was determined under SOFC operating
conditions. Catalytic poisoning was most severe when the electrodes were
exposed to air at fuel cell temperatures (~700°C). Poisoning of the catalyst
significantly decreased with both an increase in vanadium deficiency and
the addition of ceria. The highest performing electrode included a Pt-CeO2
catalyst and the lowest performing electrode contained a Cu-CeO2 catalyst.
The poor catalytic activity of Cu-CeO2 appears to be related to the
morphological restructuring of Cu during exposure to cycles of oxidation
and reduction.
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Biography
Nguyen Vo is a sophomore chemical engineering major from Ho Chi
Minh, Vietnam. He has been a member of the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers since 2010. He is in his first year of employment as a
student consultant for the Engineering Department of Bucknell’s Small
Business Development Center (SBDC), helping local businesses and
entrepreneurs with engineering research. He is also a Fremont Scholar, and
has been involved in various projects promoting diversity at Bucknell.
Alex Liggett is a junior mechanical engineer from Weston, Connecticut. He
is a member of Bucknell’s chapter of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers. He worked the summer of 2011 on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
research with Professor Michael Gross and Nguyen Vo. Alex is currently
working on a catapult for a pumpkin launching competition at the end of
October, 2011.
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Poster #7
ELUCIDATING THE POLYSACCHARIDE COMPOSITION OF
STEREOCAULON GLABRUM USING GC/MS
Scott L. Paradise, Advisers: José Manuel Igartuburu Chinchilla1, Juan Carlos
García Galindo1, Joanne Romagni-Colvin2
1Universidad de Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain2Depaul University, Chicago, IL
A lichen is a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus and a
photosynthetic partner or photobiont. The composite organism produces
chemicals unique to that organism and not produced by the fungus or
photobiont individually. Because both biotic and abiotic stressors have a
strong impact on the chemical composition of lichens, they have been
proposed as biomarkers for climate change and pollution. Despite their
propensity to be such valuable tools, little is known about their chemical
composition. As part of a global study examining the different primary and
secondary metabolite composition of Antarctic lichens to establish a
database of their chemical compositions, we examined the polysaccharide
composition of the lichen Stereocaulon glabrum. Implicit in this study is
the identification of the monosaccharide composition and the beginnings
of the structural elucidation of the polysaccharide structure.
First, we separated polysaccharide fractions based on their solubility in
different solvent systems. Then polysaccharides were hydrolyzed and the
corresponding monosaccharides prepared for GC/MS analysis as alditol
acetates or trimethylsilyl derivatives. Fatty acids directly attached to the
polysaccharides were also analyzed with GC/MS by conversion to methyl
esters. This analysis showed that the lichen was mostly composed of hexoses
with glucose and mannose being relatively prominent in all fractions
excluding the less polar water-soluble polysaccharide supernatant and the
hemicellulose C fractions. Additionally, galacturonic acid was prevalent in
most of the polysaccharides studied. NMR studies showed that the primary
polysaccharides in the water soluble fraction are linked galacturonic acid
and glucose polymers.
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Biography
Scott Paradise is in his senior year at Bucknell studying chemical
engineering with a biomedical engineering minor. Originally from Virginia,
he now lives in East Greenwich, Rhode Island with his parents, two brothers
and dog. Scott plays on the club soccer team and co-teaches “Transition to
College” for first year students. He is currently working towards an Honors
Thesis in drug delivery for Dr. Brandon M. Vogel. While not doing homework
or research, Scott enjoys watching soccer and cooking for his friends.
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Poster #8
TUNA FISH ANALYSIS
Christine Martino
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
In the spring of 2011, myself and a team of four students at Immaculata High
School conducted a series of analytical experiments to determine qualitatively
and quantitatively the contents of canned tuna. Our goals were to determine
the amount of fat, water, chloride, sodium, and starch in a serving size of tuna.
To determine the water content, several cans of tuna were blended to form a
homogenous mixture. Then 6.1981 grams of tuna were heated in a crucible to
drive off the water. 5.1655 grams of water were driven off and we determined
that one serving contained 83.340% water. Next, we extracted the fat from the
tuna by setting up a vacuum filter in which we placed 50.41 grams of tuna and
added acetone. After all the fat and water were extracted from the sample, the
water and acetone were evaporated to see the fat residue; there remained 1.63
grams of fat. The label indicated that there were two grams of fat per serving.
Thirdly, we tested for chloride, which we assumed would be equivalent to the
sodium level. 10 mL of tuna was filtered in a Booch crucible and treated with
AgNO3 and centrifuged. 2.4 grams of AgCl were produced, which meant there
was .89 grams of sodium chloride. Lastly, we prepared a starch calibration
curve using a mixture of 5mL of .2M NaHSO3, mL of .024M KIO3, and potato
starch, which we then diluted several times to make 5 samples to test using a
spectrophotometer set at 390 nm absorbance. We then tested the samples of
tuna at different dilutions and determined that it contained .47 grams of starch
per serving.
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Biography
Christine Martino is a first year student at Bucknell University. She plans to
major in chemical engineering and minor in biomedical engineering. After
graduating, she hopes to begin a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Christine has just begun research at Bucknell under Professor Ryan Snyder.
She is presenting the research her AP chemistry high school class performed
last year.
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Poster #9
COLLECTION AND ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARIZATION OF
FACTS SURROUNDING THE HISTORY OF GRAPHICS HARDWARE
Andre Shields, Alex Ororbia, Adviser: Joshua Steinhurst
Department of Computer Science
Bucknell University
This is an ongoing research project that we started the summer of 2010.
Last summer in our research we compiled a list of companies that made
computer graphics hardware and found basic information on each. This
included but was not limited to: the founding date, ending date, whether
the company was acquired by or acquired another company, and a list of
products the company made. We also made a time line of all the companies
that contains when the company came into existence, when it was active in
the computer graphics hardware field, and, if applicable, when the company
went bankrupt or was bought out. Finally we made a database that
contained all the information that we gathered over the summer.
This year we are writing articles on company profiles and products, making
extensive use of the Securities and Exchange Commission archives (for
publicly traded companies), business-networking sites such as Linked In, an
assortment of published product manuals and technical magazines, and
various online product reviews. The company profiles look at important
company dates and events, as well as market history and corporate
philosophy. The product articles include technical analysis of the
architecture, performance, and features of a company’s graphics card or
chip-set, as well as a brief look at the market success or failure of the
product. Furthermore, we have made the database we created publicly
available on a wiki-type website (www.graphicshardwarehistory.org). By the
conclusion of this project we will have a number of the technical articles
and company profiles completed in detail and will update our previous
documentation so that the tools we used and developed over the summer
may aid future students in extending the project.
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Biography
Andre Shields is from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He is a senior computer
science major. He also is a member of the Bucknell University football
team. He plays offensive tackle. At the end of this year, Andre intends on
getting a job in the computer science field, probably programming software.
Alexander G. Ororbia II, born in Silversprings, Maryland, and resident of
Lewisburg,Pennsylvania, is a junior computer science and engineering
major, with minors in Philosophy and Mathematics. He is a member of the
Bucknell student chapter of the Association of Computing Machinery, and
has served as its treasurer for the past year and a half. Alex is also the Vice
President of the Bucknell student chapter of the National Society of
Hispanic Engineers In the spring of 2011, he was inducted into the Alpha
Lamba Delta Honor Society. Through his work in the Office of Diversity
and Equity, Alex has also participated in Bucknell events such as Issues of
the 21st Century and the Chicago New Frontiers of Knowledge for the past
two years, serving as a peer mentor, logistics management, assistant
administrator, and technology support. He is also an active musician,
performing in a funk-rock band that has performed several times in local
venues such as 7th Street Café, Uptown, and Brasserie Louis and several
benefit events such as Bikes Against Poverty. His previous work, presented
at previous Engineering Symposiums, includes his study in computer
animation and design and his previous summer’s work in the history of
computer graphics hardware.
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Poster #10
INFLUENCE OF LOCAL VEGETATION ON THE PRODUCTION AND
PROPERTIES OF ATMOSPHERIC PARTICULATE POLLUTION
Masha Zhdanova, Advisers: Timothy Raymond, Dabrina Dutcher
Department of Chemical Engineering
Buckell University
Aerosols are solid or liquid particles that are contained in the atmosphere
and interact in various ways with water vapor. By creating those particles
from plants and trees, we can understand and predict certain atmospheric
processes, influence air quality, and learn how to best control air pollution.
Using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Differential Mobility Analyzer
(DMA), Condensation Particle Counter (CPC), and Cloud Condensation
Nucleus Counter (CCNC), the behavior of aerosol particles and their three-
dimensional surfaces was analyzed.
As part of research, Eastern White Pine samples were placed in a specially
constructed smog chamber where atmospheric oxidation processes that
convert complex organic vapors (naturally given off by vegetation) into
condensable low-volatility compounds were simulated. Also, 0.66 μL of
Acros Organics® a-pinene was mixed with ozone in the smog chamber.
Experiments were run in two ways: 1) adding the volatile organic
compound, VOC (a-pinene) first and 2) adding the ozone first.
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Biography
Masha is a junior chemical engineering major from Golubitskaya, Russia.
She has been a member of Bucknell’s chapter of American Institute of
Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and Society of Women Engineers (SWE) since
2009, and worked on a research project in aerosol science in the summer of
2011. She will present her research at the annual AIChE conference in
Minneapolis, MN this October. Besides being a Chemical Engineer, on
campus Masha is involved in the activities of the International Student
Services, the Bucknell Alumni Association, and Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.
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Poster #11
OPTIMIZATION OF GEOTHERMAL WELL SEALENTS
Andi Sicwebu, Adviser: Theresa Andrejack, Jeffery Evans
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell University
Geothermal wells are often placed in the earth to provide for the heating
and cooling of residential and commercial spaces. Use of such heat transfer
loops can be cost effective alternatives to conventional heating and cooling
systems. The efficiency of the heat transfer is affected by the grout employed
to provide a heat exchange pathway and a seal from the surface of the earth
along the entire length of the borehole. The grout needs to have a relatively
high thermal conductivity to ensure that heat is readily transferred between
the heat transfer fluid and the earth. Furthermore, the grout must form a
seal that is substantially impermeable to fluids that could leak into and
contaminate ground water surrounding the borehole. In an attempt to
achieve such properties, two types of grouts containing sand to enhance
their thermal conductivity, i.e bentonite-based grout and cement-based
grout, have been developed. For this research project, the relationship
between bentonite, sand, water and additives in a lab setting were studied
so as to compare the thermal conductivity and permeability of geothermal
grouts for optimum use. This was accomplished by building a geothermal
model made of a 6 inch PVC and 1 inch High Density Polyethylene
(HDPE) pipe. A peristaltic pump was used to allow a continuous flow
through the HDPE pipe. A tube connected to the bottom of the HDPE pipe
created a closed loop system that discharged in a water bath. The water
bath assisted in regulating the water temperatures analogous to those
experienced in a geothermal well (30 – 120 degrees F). The annulus was
then filled with the bentonite grout. Thermocouples were strategically
emplaced in the grout which in turn was used for the calculations of the
system thermal conductivity. The method developed in this research
provided a way to determine the long term effects of the bentonite after
numerous heating and cooling cycles.
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Biography
Andi Sicwebu is a senior civil and environmental engineering major from
Butterworth, South Africa. She is a member of Bucknell’s chapters of
Society of Women Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers. She
also partakes in other organizations such as Bucknell African Student
Association (BASA) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
Andi has spent the summers of 2010 and 2011 working in Bucknell’s
Geotechnical Laboratory with Professor Jeffery Evans and Theresa
Andrejack
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Poster #12
DEGRADATION OF DEXTRAN-BASED HYDROGELS
Soraya Letournel, Adviser: Erin Jablonski
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
Dextran-based hydrogels have gained notoriety as biodegradable materials
for medicinal purposes due to their compatibility with the human body to
be readily absorbed once degraded. Currently, they are being tested as
materials to be used as controlled-release media for protein delivery.
Dextran-based hydrogels can encapsulate proteins and release them at a
controlled rate that can be tailored by manipulating the properties of the
hydrogels. Determining methods of producing consistent dextran hydrogels
could prove very important for the pharmaceutical industry as a
sophisticated method for drug delivery.
For this research project, two methods were evaluated for the formation of
dextran-based hydrogels, using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and
methacrylate anhydride (MA) as methacrylating agents. Glycidyl
methacrylate was predominantly used for this research to load the designed
microfluidic devices. The dextran-methacylate (dex-MA) generated
hydrogels when irradiated at 365 nm. The effects of various polymer
concentrations, dye concentrations, and irradiation times on the properties
of the obtained hydrogels are reported. The networks have been
characterized by swelling measurements carried out over various
experiment times varying between 8 hours and 66 hours. In vitro studies
suggest that all samples undergo a partial chemical hydrolysis. The
microfluidic devices reflect a degradation whose rate depends on the degree
of substitution and flow rate through the device.
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Biography
Soraya Letournel is originally from France and Tunisia, and was raised all
over the world. She is a chemical engineering major with a Biomedical
Engineering minor. She participated in Residential Colleges and was a
Junior Fellow for the Society and Technology residential college. She is a
tour guide for the admissions office and a POSSE scholar. Her sophomore
and junior year, she interned at OPNET Inc. as a software engineer. She has
been a member of the Society of Women Engineers, and the American
Institution of Chemical Engineers since her freshmen year.
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Poster #13
AN AB INITIO STUDY OF THE HYDRATION OF
SULFURIC ACID DIMERS
Judy Phan1, Adviser: George C. Shields2, Berhane Temelso2
1Department of Chemical Engineering2Department of Chemistry
Bucknell University
A presence of sulfuric acid (SA) has been known to play an important role in
the formation of atmospheric aerosol particles. Recent experimental studies
have determined that the critical nucleus of sulfuric acid aerosols under
atmospheric conditions is 0.7-1.4 nm in diameter and likely contains two
sulfuric acids in its core. That implies once a two sulfuric acid cluster forms,
its growth into a large aerosol (1 - 10000 nm) is thermodynamically favorable.
In an attempt to understand the thermodynamics of forming a bigger system
of 2 SA molecules with up to six water molecules, we have conducted a
computational study using ab initio methods. Starting with a large set of stable
isomers determined by Ding et al. , we optimized the geometries and
calculated the harmonic vibrational frequencies using MP2/6-31+G* with
analytic gradients and hessians. Then, the single point energies were calculated
at the RI-MP2/aug-cc-pVXZ, X = D, T, Q and the binding energy was
extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit. The RI-MP2/CBS binding
energies were combined with the MP2/6-31+G* thermodynamic corrections
to yield benchmark enthalpies and free energies of formation for
(H2SO4)2(H2O)n=0-6. Sulfuric acid dimers are much more tightly bound
than water dimer or H2SO4-H2O. Adding water molecules to a sulfuric acid
dimer shows similar hydration thermodynamics as the H2SO4 (H2O)n
system. A major difference is that the dissociation of the protons of SA dimer
hydrates [(H2SO4)2(H2O)n --> (H2SO4)(HSO4-)(H3O+)(H2O)n-1] starts
in the presence of two waters while the single SA system needs at least four
waters. The results also show that starting with (H2SO4)2(H2O)3, ionic
structures are more favorable than neutral ones. Finally, most stable structures
have at least one bridging water between the two SA.
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Biography
Judy Phan is an international student from Vietnam. She is also a Bucknell
Community College Scholar transferred from Montgomery County
Community College. She received an Associate Degree with honors and was
selected in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and
Colleges. She was accepted into the Bucknell chemical engineering program
with 3 year full scholarship. With a concentration in environmental, she
spent her sophomore summer working with Dr. Shields on research on the
formation of aerosols. She’s currently working as a research assistant for
Dr. Kirby on a project called the Marcellus Shale Initiative. She’s also a
Bucknell Engineering Liaison acting as a network between engineering
Alumni and the student body.
28
Poster #14
FACILITATING EXPERIMENTAL NETWORKING RESEARCH WITH THE
FINS FRAMEWORK
Mark D. Horvath, Adviser: Michael S. Thompson
Department of Electrical Engineering
Bucknell University
In mid-stack wireless networking research, simulation is often the final step of
many research projects. Implementing and testing ideas on experimental networks
presents two major areas of difficulty: logistics and code development. The major
logistical challenges are people to administer and move nodes, enough space and
power to set up a network, the battery life of nodes in the network, and the cost of
buying the nodes that will make up the network. Research that involves mid-stack
protocols like TCP and IP may require modification of the operating system kernel,
where they reside. In the typical case of the Linux kernel, programming is complex,
difficult, and poorly documented. Additionally, rebuilding the kernel takes much
more time and is more involved than creating userspace applications. As a result,
relatively few researchers build and test their code in experimental scenarios. The
goal of the Flexible Internetwork Stack (FINS) Framework is to facilitate
experimental research by providing the tools needed to easily and quickly modify
existing mid-stack protocols and create new mid-stack or cross-layer protocols. Our
solution removes the kernel development and runs on small form-factor devices.
The framework works by shifting most of the network stack functionality into
userspace and moving network data to and from the kernel as needed. This means
that all protocol development happens in userspace and the OS kernel is rebuilt only
once. Implementations of standard protocols, developed by us, are included to
ensure a “turn key” experience and simple start to using the framework. Our goal is
to support scenarios that range from monitoring existing protocol internals to
creating new and inventive cognitive networking solutions that leverage cross-layer
design approaches. Further information and code releases are available from the
project website: http://www.finsframework.org.
Acknowledgments: This work was partially supported by the National Science
Foundation under Grant Nos. NSF-0916300 and NSF-0916283.
29
Biography
Mark Horvath is a junior computer engineering major from Danville,
Pennsylvania. This fall, he traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada to present the
FINS Framework project at the MobiCom 2011 conference. He is also
particularly interested in robotics and is currently developing a platform for
mobile robotics (based on Penn State’s Mini-Grand Challenge competition)
as an independent study project. In the past, Mark has competed
internationally in the RoboCup Jr. autonomous robotic soccer competition
in Austria with his teammate Michael R. Davis (Bucknell, ‘13). He is a
member of Bucknell’s Mobile Autonomous Robotics Club (MARC), IEEE,
and ACM. Mark is an Eagle Scout, and enjoys all things outdoors, especially
target shooting, camping, and off-road driving. Mark is also actively
involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship where he plays guitar on the
worship team.
30
Poster #15
POLYMER PROCESSING BY SOLID-STATE SHEAR PULVERIZATION
(SSSP) AND SIMULTANEOUS SOLID-STATE AND
MELT-STATE EXTRUSION (SSMSE)
Alyssa Whittington, Stephen M. Brouse, Adviser: Katsuyuki Wakabayashi
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
Production of polymer nanocomposites requires an industrial-scale,
continuous processing method that can distribute nanoscale fillers within a
polymer matrix. Well-exfoliated fillers within the matrix can result in a
composite with properties superior to those of either the neat polymer or
filler. Techniques such as in situ polymerization, solution intercalation, and
melt processing have been document in the past, but more novel approaches
are those based on solid-state processing. One of these novel methods is solid-
state shear pulverization (SSSP), a technique currently available at Bucknell.
The polymers and fillers that undergo this process are combined under
conditions of high shear and compression while being kept at temperatures
below the melting point of the polymer. This eliminates the need for a solvent,
and also avoids the high-temperature conditions which can result in polymer
degradation.
Another method, simultaneous solid-state and melt-state extrusion (SSMSE), is
currently at Bucknell. SSMSE combines the features of SSSP and twin screw
extrusion (TSE) by applying high levels of shear and pulverization in an initial
chilled zone, then applying heat to allow melt-state kneading and homogenization
in the subsequent melt-zone. The output is molten polymer strands which are
easier to handle than the powder output of SSSP. Additionally, SSMSE has a
higher rate of output, which is useful for industrial purposes.
This poster displays an introduction to Bucknell’s robust solid-state
processing systems. Mechanical, thermal, and permeation properties of the
SSSP-and SSMSE-processed nanocomposites, based on high-density and
linear low-density polyethylene, were compared with those of neat polymer
samples and samples prepared by other methods of processing.
31
Biography
Alyssa Whittington is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a
sophomore chemical engineering major and creative writing minor. She is a
member of the Bucknell student chapters of the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. She is also a
member of the Bucknell Chemical Engineering Car Team, Catholic
Campus Ministry Team, and the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.
32
Poster #16
SIMULATION OF OCEAN AND RIVER-GENERATED AEROSOLS
AND THEIR PROPERTIES
Andrew Hritz, Adviser: Timothy Raymond, Dabrina Dutcher
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
Ambient atmospheric aerosols are extremely small particles suspended in
the air that makes up Earth’s atmosphere. They are frequently produced
over large bodies of water from wave action and the bursting of bubbles on
the water’s surface. It is useful to know properties of these aerosols, however
it is often impractical to collect relevant data over the actual bodies of water.
In the lab, different methods were tested to imitate the generation of
atmospheric aerosols originating from bodies of water. A glass bubbler
apparatus was used to create aerosol particles from real ocean samples and
solutions mixed in the lab meant to imitate ocean water. Varying flows of
carbon dioxide and air were bubbled through the two solutions, and
particle size distributions between 10-600 nm were measured and analyzed.
The peak particle sizes were compared to published sizes of particles found
over the ocean. The carbon dioxide was added at a mixture of between 0
and 0.1% by mass. This was meant to test whether aerosol properties would
change if the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide increased
significantly.
In addition, a polycarbonate box was constructed so other techniques could
be used to agitate water samples and produce particles. A small fountain
pump was used to move the water. Pump setups meant to imitate small
rapids or gently flowing water produced too few particles to be analyzed, so
more vigorous agitation was used for a majority of the samples collected.
River water was primarily used as samples, though occasionally imitation
ocean solution was used to draw comparisons between the box, bubbler,
and literature. For the river water, particle size distributions, conductivity,
and CCN activity were tested.
33
Biography
Andrew is a sophomore chemical engineering major from upstate New
York. He is a member of the Bucknell University student chapter of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers. On campus he is a Presidential
Fellow and has done research continuously with Professor Raymond since
September 2010.
34
Poster #17
UNIFORM MONODISPERSE CRYSTALS VIA THE EVAPORATION
OF SMALL DROPLETS
Kelly M. Carver, Adviser:Ryan C. Snyder
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
Producing solid particles of controlled size and morphology is an integral
step in many industrial solids processes in the food, personal care, and
pharmaceutical industries. The purity, size, internal structure (crystalline vs.
amorphous), surface roughness and morphology of a particle are all
important characteristics known to impact the effectiveness of a solid
product. Current industrial crystal formation is a multi-step process that
requires the use of a crystallizer often followed by subsequent drying and
particle reduction steps. This combination of processes is very energy
intensive and costly because of the need for extra process time to accomplish
each of the steps. A method which condenses the crystallization process
could potentially aid in the advancement of crystal production technology.
Several studies have recently been conducted on the production of highly
uniform particles by evaporating monodisperse (evenly-sized) droplets in a
modified spray drying setup. These studies show that this novel spray drying
technique is successful at producing uniform amorphous particles; however,
the possibility of producing uniform crystalline particles by this method has
yet to be investigated. This research focused on utilizing a vibrating orifice
aerosol generator (VOAG) to investigate the production of uniform,
monodisperse succinic acid crystals. Control of particle characteristics was
achieved by varying key operating parameters such as air flow rate and
solvent. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and
nanoindentation were used to analyze the particle morphology, surface
roughness, and internal structure of the resulting particles. Uniform
succinic acid crystals were successfully produced in this study suggesting
that monodisperse droplet evaporation is a promising method of
crystal production.
35
Biography
Kelly is currently a graduate student in the Chemical Engineering
Department. She graduated summa cum laude from Bucknell in 2011 with
a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and is now completing her
master’s degree as part of the 3-2 program. As an undergraduate, Kelly
was a member of AIChE and SWE and was inducted into the Tau Beta
Pi Engineering Honor Society in 2009. She was also a recipient of the
Schubauer Family Scholarship and the Presidential Fellowship Scholarship.
After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in product development in
the consumer products industry.
36
Poster #18
SYSTEMATIC METHOD TO DETERMINING SLOW GROWING EDGES
AND FACES OF ORGANIC MOLECULAR CRYSTALS
Chris Porter, Adviser: Ryan Snyder
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
Crystallization is an important process in many industries, including in the
pharmaceutical industry. The crystallization process controls the resulting
morphology of a solid. This morphology can then have consequences for the
physical properties of the solid, such as hydrophobicity and reactivity.
Since different morphologies can lead to different properties, it is useful to
predict the final morphology of a crystal beforehand. This would allow
processes downstream of crystallization (filtration, washing, drying, etc.) to be
tailored more specifically to the crystal, resulting in a cheaper, more efficient
overall process.
At low super saturations, the crystallization process goes through a spiral
growth mechanism. In this process, a screw dislocation on the crystals face
exposes an edge. This edge then begins to grow outward, eventually exposing a
new edge. Once this new edge reaches a critical length, it too grows outwards
exposing a new edge in the process. This process is controlled by the slow growing
(flat) faces of the crystal, and the slow growing (flat) edges of such faces.
To find these edges and faces, it is necessary to look at the intermolecular
interactions within the molecule. Finding the flat edges of a face involves
looking at the directions in which no new molecules can be added to the face
without changing the number of incomplete interactions. Once the flat edges
of a plane have been found it is possible to classify the plane as flat based on
the number of flat edges (two or more and the face is flat).
This summer, I developed a MATLAB program to look at the intermolecular
interactions of a given plane of a molecule, and find the flat edges on that
plane. This process was then applied iteratively to find all the flat faces of
a crystal.
37
Biography
Christopher Porter is a junior chemical engineering and mathematics
major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an active member of Bucknell’s
ChemE Car Competition team, which competed at the American Institute
of Chemical Engineering yearly conference October 16th. This summer,
he worked for Professor Snyder as a part of Bucknell’s Program for
Undergraduate Research, and continues performinf research for Professor
Snyder this semester.
38
Poster #19
ANALYSIS OF THE VIABILITY OF BIODIESEL AS AN
ALTERNATIVE FUEL
Ryan Pritchard, Adviser: Peter Stryker
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Bucknell University
Sustainable alternatives to dwindling resources must be developed to
provide for our energy moving forward. One such alternative is the use of
biodiesel derived from soy, canola or similar oil crops. For biodiesel to
be a truly considered as an option, it is critical that the emissions and
performance be characterized. However, if the production of these fuels
requires a greater input of fossil fuel energy than the resulting fuel energy, it
fundamentally fails as a fuel. For this reason, it is necessary to analyze these
inputs and determine that the fuel is indeed viable. The results of such
analysis into soy- and canola-derived biodiesels found gains beyond the
input energy of 378% and 132%, respectively. The experiment part of the
study tested a number of biodiesel blends across a range of torques all at
constant engine speeds. The exhaust gases were tested for oxygen, NOx,
carbon monoxide and dioxide, sulfur dioxide and unburned hydrocarbons.
Further, engine characteristics, including Brake Specific Fuel Consumption,
Brake Mean Effective Pressure and Thermal Efficiency, were calculated at
all torque settings. The results indicated that fuel blends with a greater
percentage of biodiesel had lower harmful emissions and lower efficiencies.
39
Biography
Ryan Pritchard is a senior in the mechanical engineering department at
Bucknell University. He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia and plans to enter
the workforce at the culmination of his studies here at Bucknell.
40
Poster #20
PORTABLE SOLAR POWERED SPACE HEATER
Robert De La Rosa, Russell Seidell Adviser: Charles Knisely
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Bucknell University
In late fall and early spring sports seasons athletic teams are often required
to deal with brutal winter weather. In these cold conditions, athletes
perform poorly and run the risk of injury. In order to improve the athlete’s
performance and to reduce the risk of injuries, athletic teams sometimes
use large industrial space heaters to heat some portion of the sidelines
during athletic events. These heaters are not very efficient due to the warm
air immediately being blown away by the wind and the fuel requirements
for these heaters is quite significant. Renewable energy can perhaps be used
to reduce the consumption of valuable fossil fuel resources and still permit
the modification of the local sideline environment for athletes. In this
project, the use of a concentrated solar power system for sideline heating at
athletic contests was explored.. The concept consisted of using a parabolic
dish with a reflective surface to collect solar energy over several days and
store it in a large vat of phase change fluid. The energy from this fluid
would then be used with a heat exchanger to warm the air. This warm air
would be directed to a sideline shelter to prevent it from immediately
escaping. The entire heater system would be mounted on a small trailer so
that it could be deployed at various outdoor events. This summer, heat
transfer calculations were performed to size the necessary equipment and to
estimate the power output necessary to make this a viable alternative. An
experimental set up was prepared to test the capabilities of the solar
collector, and a dish mount to hold the solar collector on the trailer while
allowing the dish to move and follow the sun was designed. Further work
must be done before manufacturing can begin.
41
Biography
Robert De La Rosa is a senior mechanical engineering major from
Brooklyn, New York. In summer of 2010, Robert did research for the
Chemical engineering department investigating the thermal expansion of
yttria-stabilized zirconia infiltrated with Nickel and Lanthanum Strontium
Cobalt solutions with for the purpose of being used for solid oxide fuel
cells. Robert is a member of the Bucknell football team and a member of
Sigma Chi Fraternity.
Russell Seidell is a senior mechanical engineering major from Columbus,
Ohio. This was Russell’s first experience with a research project. He is a
member of the Bucknell baseball team, and spent the summer of 2010
playing summer baseball in Honolulu, Hawaii.
42
Poster #21
ASSESSMENT OF EYE INJURY RISK RESULTING FROM FREE-FIELD
BLAST EXPOSURES USING THE FOCUS HEADFORM
Chris DiDomenico, Taylor Zahn, Adviser: Eric Kennedy
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Bucknell University
Eye injuries in modern warfare are an increasing concern with studies
showing that the rate of injury to the eyes, among casualties, has dramatically
increased to between 17%-26% in the current Middle-Eastern conflict
(Thomas 2009). The FOCUS headform was developed to serve as an
evaluative tool for protective equipment for the face and eyes to help
mitigate some of this injury risk. A custom Matlab program was created in
response to the need for a systematic way of organizing and evaluating the
data collected with this headform. Previously developed risk functions were
incorporated to assess the risk of facial and ocular injury due to blast waves
from free field explosive tests conducted at Blossom Point in LaPlata, MD. In
25 blast tests of different explosives and explosive weights, several parameters
were varied to test differences in loading due to the effect of goggles and
other protective equipment placed on the dummy. No significant injury risk
was found for any of the four types of eye injuries examined (hyphema, lens
damage, retinal damage, or globe rupture) using the tested explosive types
and weights. In fact, confounding results were apparent regarding the degree
of protection afforded by goggles. Because of the inconclusive nature of the
free field blast test data collected at Blossom Point, additional tests, as well as
evaluation of a greater variety of protective eyewear, are needed to draw
more definitive conclusions regarding the effect of goggles on facial injury
risk. In the future, it is recommended that pressure wave transducers be used
to identify potential trends that could lead to more advances in protective
facial gear.
43
Biography
Chris DiDomenico is a junior mechanical engineering from the suburbs of
Philadelphia, PA. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers and is also a potential member of the engineering honor
society, Tau Beta Pi. Chris spent a summer of 2011 working in Bucknell’s
Biomedical engineering research lab with Professor Eric Kennedy and
partner Taylor Zahn. Chris spends time tutoring adults to aid them in
receiving their GEDs.
Taylor Zahn is a sophomore biomedical engineer from Skillman, NJ. She is
a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the Biomedical
Engineering Society. She also works as a Resident Fellow for the Society and
Technology Residential College and as an Email Intern in the Office of
Admissions. As this was her first summer working as a research assistant,
Taylor gained a significant amount of Matlab experience and enjoyed
working with Chris and Dr. Kennedy to complete this project for the army.
44
Poster# 22
DEVELOPMENT OF AN VERSATILE FIXED POINT FORMAT FOR
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
Brandon Walls, Adviser: Joe Hass
Department of Electrical Engineering
Bucknell University
In computer science, a number format is how a number is represented and
stored in memory. One of the most commonly used number formats is
floating point format, which stores numbers in a manner resembling
scientific notation (with a pre-determined and constant amount of space for
both the coefficient and power), however, this format is not very efficient and
requires a separate processing unit within the processor (called a floating
point processing unit). This inefficient format is common for computers
since power generally comes from an outlet, memory is plentiful, and the
processors are powerful enough to make the inefficiencies unnoticeable. With
inexpensive microprocessors and embedded systems on the rise though,
efficiency is becoming more vital, since they are limited by battery power,
lesser processing power, and smaller memory sizes (some systems do not
even include a floating point processing unit). So, an alternative format is the
fixed point format, which stores the number as well as its integer bits and
fraction bits (having a fixed number of fraction bits, hence the name). While
processors do not need an external unit to use this format, it does require
more preprocessing to efficiently use, which is where this research comes
in. One goal of the research was the development of a more versatile
implementation of the fixed point format, such that the format’s pieces can
be adjusted to maximize each application’s precision independently. The
other main goal of this research was to develop an arithmetic library, or
file that contains code on how to perform math with these numbers, as well
as code to help preprocess the numbers. The library file can then be
distributed, providing basic functions, and allowing application specific
format adjustments.
45
Biography
Brandon Walls is a junior dual-majoring in electrical engineering and
computer science, from Danville, Pennsylvania. He has held many
technical jobs since beginning as a Computer Technician in High School,
and is currently an Enterprise System Developer at Bucknell University.
He has participated in many Robotic Engineering Competitions,
including First Lego League, RoboCup Junior, and the Trinity College
Firefighting Competition. He is an Eagle Scout, a Motorcyclist, a Black
Belt in Ninjutsu, participates in multiple Bucknell organizations, and is
working towards his Private Pilot License. He also enjoys activities such as
Reading, Bicycling, Rock Climbing, Snowboarding, Barefoot Running, and
Skydiving.
46
Poster #23
DROPLET BASED LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION OF A MODEL SMALL
MOLECULE PHARMACEUTICAL AGENT IN A MILLI-FLUIDIC DEVICE
Brian Goldsmith, Katherine Wiley, Adviser: Erin Jablonski
Department of Chemical Engineering
Bucknell University
Milli-fluidic devices are used for the extraction of a model pharmaceutical
molecule from an organic phase to an aqueous phase. The system setup is a
two-phase system, where naproxen in octanol (concentration 0.0206 g/ml) is
the organic phase, and sodium hydroxide and water solution of pH 7.4 is the
aqueous phase. The organic phase is emulsified with the sodium hydroxide
and water solution using a T-junction milli-fluidic device with flow rates on
the order of milliliters per hour and controlled with syringe pumps. The
T-junction device forms aqueous droplets and the naproxen diffuses from the
organic phase across the surface of the aqueous droplets. The emulsion then
travels into the hydrogel lined emulsion separation device, where the
emulsion is broken by an aqueous stream of sodium hydroxide and water.
Cocurrent laminar flow is achieved inside the separation device, and
naproxen continues to diffuse across the boundary layer until extraction. The
amount of naproxen transferred and is determined by measuring the outlet
concentrations of each stream with high performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC). Studying mass transfer within a milli-fluidic device simulates
processes in industry. The knowledge of the efficiency of the milli-fluidic
device allows it to be compared to other methods of industrial liquid-liquid
extraction.
47
Biography
Brian Goldsmith is a junior chemical engineering major who spent his
summer working with milli-fluidc devices under Professor Erin Jablonski.
Aside from classes, Brian spends his free time on the club rugby team. He
hopes to pursue a career in the food science industry, and has been looking
at the possibility of interning with McCormick this coming summer.
Katherine Wiley is a sophomore chemical engineering major. This is her
second semester working under Professor Erin Jablonksi in milli-fluidic
research. She participated in the Program for Undergraduate Research this
past summer, continuing her milli-fluidic studies. On campus, Katherine is
also involved in the ChemE Car team and the Fall Dance Showcase.
48
Poster #24
FLOW VISUALIZATION STUDY AROUND A SURFACE-PIERCING
CYLINDER
Stephen McMillin, Adviser: M. Laura Beninati
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Bucknell University
The goal of this study was to characterize turbulent structures around a
surface-piercing cylinder in an open channel flow. The motivation for this
work comes from a growing desire to better design support structures for
Marine Hydrokinetic Devices, specifically, tidal turbines. This project
provides the background necessary for further research in defining the
turbulent structures that form around cylinders and other bluff-bodies in a
flow. Flow visualization was chosen as the method to view the length and
time scales associated with the periodic shedding of vortices in the wake of a
surface-piercing cylinder. Visualizing the flow structures was accomplished
by injecting dye upstream of the cylinder and allowing it to disperse through
the flow field. The vortices behind the cylinder encapsulated the dye and thus
became apparent within the images. By video recording and processing these
images, the shedding frequency and size of the vortices were measured under
several different flow conditions. The image processing yielded flow patterns
which enhanced the qualitative understanding of the relationship between
the vortex shedding frequency and the flow characteristics. The relationships
were quantified by comparing the Strouhal Number (St) to the cylinder
Reynolds number (Re) and the vortex diameter.
49
Biography
Stephen McMillin is from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania and is currently
a senior mechanical engineer at Bucknell. He has spent two summers
working with Professor Beninati in the Environmental Fluid Mechanics
& Hydraulics Laboratory, within the College of Engineering. He is a
member and Co-Captain of the Bucknell Men’s Varsity Swimming and
Diving Team.
50
Poster #25
10V VOLTAGE REGULATOR FOR A LOAD CELL DEVICE
Mezigebu Menber, Adviser: Professor Joe Hass
Department of Electrical Engineering
Bucknell University
All the electronic appliances we use every day require a reliable source of
power that meets a set of requirements. The requirements depend on the
kind of device we are talking about. And this tells us that we cannot go ahead
and make a random connection between the power jack of our device and
any power outlet. Usually there is an external circuit that is an intermediary
between the common power source and the particular device. This external
circuit, commonly called an adapter, has more flexible requirements which
are usually met by widely available power sources. Almost every electronic
device we use today comes with its own adapter. Luckily, the company that
produces the device also provides us with the adapter. But a researcher could
be working with some kind of circuit that requires a reliable power supply
that meets certain criteria and an adapter that meets the criteria may not be
available in the market. In this case the researcher has to build his own
adapter or he will be forced to use a poor power supply that fails to meets the
criteria. But using a poor power supply has many tradeoffs, especially if the
device is very sensitive to small changes in the input voltage. That is exactly
the scenario that Professor Kelly A. Salyards in the Civil Engineering
department came across while working with a load cell apparatus. The goal
of this research is to understand the circuit that professor sally is working
with and provide her with an adapter or a voltage controller that meets the
requirements posed in the best possible way.
51
Biography
Mezigebu Menber is a sophomore electrical engineering student.
52
Poster #26
INVESTIGATION OF DYNAMIC CROWD LOADING USING
THE LOAD ESTIMATION METHOD AND IN-SERVICE
ACCELERATION DATA
Ahmad Towaiq, Adviser: Professor Kelly Salyards
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell University
Traditionally, the structural design of large assembly facilities is controlled
by strength requirements. Current design codes for assembly-type
structures recommend that an equivalent static load be used for design.
This static loading is expected to capture the intensity and the dynamic
nature of the actual loads imposed. This has proven to be sufficient for
strength design, but, as large assembly structures continue to grow in size
and complexity, serviceability of the structure becomes a more important
design consideration.
This research aims to estimate the crowd-induced dynamic loading on an
actual structure during an event. This mode of loading is interesting
because it generates significant motion or vibration to which the occupants
of the structure may be sensitive. The research began with a literature
review on the topic, including the recently proposed Load Estimation
Method (LEM) model for an individual. The individual model was
confirmed with small-scale testing data and the research continued with the
model for a crowd.
Matlab is used to manipulate the existing acceleration data and apply the
LEM. SAP2000 is employed to predict the structural properties required for
the LEM. When the LEM was first applied to the existing acceleration data,
the model produced unreasonable results for the magnitude of the dynamic
loading. It was determined that the LEM method is sensitive to the
structural properties, particularly the structural stiffness.
53
The project shifted scope to investigate the difference between the static and
modal stiffness and its effects on the LEM. Several virtual structures were
utilized to compare the estimated modal and static stiffness of structures of
varying geometry and under varying loading conditions. The results of this
study are critical in the continued application of the LEM to in-service data.
Biography
Ahmad Towaiq is a civil engineering student of the class of 2012. He is an
international student from Jordan. His vision is to return home one day
and use his Bucknell education for the development of his people and his
home. He is a member in various Academic Honor Societies. Outside class,
Ahmad participates in various community service and sports activities.
54
Poster #27
EFFECT OF BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS ON ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
William Holm, Adviser: Stephen Buonopane
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell University
The objective of the research was to study the effects of building geometry,
orientation, wall construction and fenestration distribution on energy use.
The Breakiron Engineering Building was used as a case study and was
analyzed based on hourly weather data over a typical year. A simplified,
analytical model, programming in Matlab, considered conduction,
infiltration, radiation through fenestration and radiation through the roof.
The building was also analyzed with eQuest, a comprehensive building
energy simulation tool which includes several additional factors including
but not limited to, thermal mass, building occupancy schedules and
mechanical system efficiency. For this initial study, only a single building
characteristic was analyzed in isolation, and the results generally confirmed
the expected behavior. These analyses used eQuest software. The thermal
load is minimized when a rectangular building is oriented with its long axis
east-west. Variation of building aspect ratio indicated that square buildings
are more efficient than elongated buildings. Greater total window area,
without considering distribution, increased the thermal loads. The effect of
window placement was inconclusive and requires further study.
The results from eQuest were compared with actual heating, cooling and
electrical consumption data from Breakiron and with the Commercial
Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). Actual energy use
matched the seasonal trends determined in eQuest. Breakiron’s actual
energy consumption was slightly above the CBECS averages for similar
buildings.
55
Biography
Bill Holm is a senior at Bucknell University from New York City. He is
majoring in civil and environmental engineering and is concentrating his
studies on the structural and environmental sub-disciplines.
56
Poster #28
EDUCATIONAL MODELS OF COLD-FORMED STEEL SHEAR WALLS
UNDER SEISMIC FORCES
Tara Earley, Adviser: Stephen Buonopane
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell University
Cold-formed steel (CFS) is a construction material used widely for low and
mid-rise buildings. CFS studs combined with wood sheathing form shear
walls to provide lateral resistance to seismic forces. There currently is a lack
of detailed experimental or analytical data on the performance of CFS shear
walls during earthquakes, so their design is based on empirical rules.
Bucknell University is part of a multi-institutional grant from the NSF
Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) in order to study
and improve the design of CFS shear walls. Our focus at Bucknell
University is to develop educational models and materials that can be used
by students in earthquake engineering courses. Ultimately, these modules
will be shared with other universities through the NEES and University
Consortium on Instructional Shake Tables (UCIST) websites. We have
created several small-scale prototypes that can be tested on a UCIST shake
table. One model has a thick polycarbonate frame and is connected to a
thinner polycarbonate sheet separated by rubber bushings to model a shear
wall. After pursuing the described prototype as our most promising physical
model, we were able to generate experimental and computer-simulated data
such as natural frequencies, accelerations of various locations, and mode
shapes. The results from the initial phase of the research indicated the need
for more robust frame hinges. The accelerometers recorded behavior of the
rattling hinges instead of the model as a whole. Future work will be to
construct a new frame with different hinges and to develop fastener types
with a wider range of behavior, including greater flexibility or brittle
fasteners.
57
Biography
Tara Earley is a junior civil and environmental engineering major from
northern New Jersey. She is an elected class representative of the Bucknell
student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and is a general
member of the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. In
the summer of 2010 Tara had an internship with Skanska USA Building
at the United Nations in Manhattan. She spent the summer of 2011 doing
research with Professor Stephen Buonopane under a grant from the NSF
Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation.
58
Poster #29
DESIGN OF GEOTECHNICAL EQUIPMENT AND METHODS TO
DETERMINE PROPERTIES OF COHESIONLESS SOILS SUBSEQUENT
TO LIQUEFACTION AND RESEDIMENTATION
Christopher A Kulish, Akmal Daniyarov, Dick Muyambi,
Adviser: Jeffrey C. Evans
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell University
The Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research has coordinated
with the National Science Foundation to award Stanford University, Arizona State
University, and Bucknell University a project focused to determine the properties
of cohesionless soils subsequent to liquefaction and resedimentation. Specifically,
the Bucknell research team is concentrating efforts to create reproducible liquefied
sand samples for the necessary testing. The desired end result of this experimental
research project is to obtain reproducible results of Consolidated Isotropically
Sheared Undrained (CIU) soil tests of pre and post liquefied sand samples.
Also, particular testing has been completed to verify a specimen’s void ratio, as
well as reproducibility of the experiment. To achieve this goal, multiple pieces
of geotechnical equipment and effective laboratory methods of soil preparation
and sampling were designed throughout the course of this project. A small
scale laminar box was designed and has been employed on a shake table to
create uniform shear forces in prepared F55 and 20/30 Ottawa sand samples
through seismic simulations. Additionally, a soil pluviator has been designed
and implemented to rain sand into the laminar box with a uniform
distribution. For void ratio verification, overflow cylinders were constructed to
measure accurate volumes of specimens. Complete methods were developed to
utilize the experimental assembly in a manner to create statistically identical
sand samples.
Multiple test parameters were varied to gain insight toward the properties of
sands subsequent to liquefaction. These variations include, homogeneous and
heterogeneous soil layers, loose and dense soil samples, pre and post liquefied
samples, and three different consolidation pressures during the CIU testing.
Results describe the differences and similarities of these variations with respect
to strength, void ratio, and soil structure.
59
Biography
Chris obtained his B.S. of Civil and Environmental Engineering at
Bucknell University in 2010 and has stayed on board to complete his M.S.
thesis work with a focus on geotechnical engineering. While at Bucknell,
he has lead the Bucknell Powerlifting Club to competitions around
Pennsylvania. This January, Chris will be working with ARM Group in the
engineering consulting realm of the Marcellus Shale Play.
Akmal Daniyarov is a senior at Bucknell University studying civil and
environmental engineering. Outside of classes he worked in office of
admissions as a tour guide and office assistant for 3 years, was part of the
Katrina recovery team during summer 2010, International Orientation
Assistant during summer 2011 and Alumni Reunion Ambassador during
summer 2011. At the moment he is working on geotechnical research,
assisting labs for soil mechanics class and representing the students on the
Alumni Board of Directors.
60
Poster #30
MODELING YIELD SURFACES OF VARIOUS STRUCTURAL SHAPES
Oudam Meas, Adviser: Ronald D. Ziemian
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell University
Most of today’s structural design is based on an analysis that does not
account for the possibility of the material failing, either by excessive yielding
or fracture. To assure that these failure modes will not govern, the capacity
of members are significantly increased when they are designed; however,
this approach can be very conservative and in turn, less economical. A more
economical design is the one that includes the analysis of material yielding,
which is called the design by inelastic analysis. Yield surface is a device that
tells when the material yields. It is in theory a function of each member’s
cross sectional shape and is thus unique to each type of member used. To
maintain an efficient analysis, software developers have been using a single
yield surface equation to represent all cross sections (e.g., I-beams, box
sections, pipes, etc.). Unfortunately, this approach provides unconservative
results and most engineers agree that a scheme for efficiently incorporating
custom fit yield surfaces within structural analysis software is needed before
design by inelastic analysis will become more common . This summer, I
have developed an algorithm that is capable of custom fitting the yield
surfaces of the I-beams by using fiber element method. This algorithm was
developed based on MATLAB, which is a computing software that
facilitates regression analysis. This algorithm provides working yield
surfaces; however, the reliability of the algorithm needs to be confirmed. In
conclusion, this research requires more works to be carried on into the fall
semester. This includes testing of the reliability of the algorithm and the
analysis of the remaining structural shapes including solid and hollow cross
sections of rectangular and circular shapes.
61
Biography
Oudam is from Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia. He is currently a senior
student majoring in civil engineering and minoring in Mathematics.
He is a member of different clubs and organizations on campus such as
American Society of Civil Engineering, Student for Asian Awareness at
Bucknell, Bicycle Against Poverty and Karate club. He is currently the
webmaster of Chi Epsilon, The Civil Engineering Honor Society; the
treasure of Theta Chi Fraternity Gamma Eta Chapter at Bucknell; the
captain of the International Intramural Soccer team; and the 2011-2012
Google Student Ambassador at Bucknell.
62
Poster #31
DEVELOPMENT OF CONTROLS FOR THE OFFICE OF NAVAL
RESEARCH HUMANOID ROBOT
Philip Diefenderfer, Adviser: Steven Shooter
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Bucknell University
In the modern world there exists a need for robots that can move through
urban environments filled with obstacles that make navigation for common
wheeled robots difficult. One solution for this is a humanoid robot
platform that can move through these complex environments similar to
how a human would move. Bucknell University has be en working towards
constructing a humanoid robot with the cooperation of the Institute of
Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) on a project sponsored by the
Office of Naval Research (ONR). This robot must be able to move and react
with its environment using both its arms and legs as a human would. The
design challenge was to develop controls for the five actuators that operate
the arm on the humanoid robot. The robot arm was designed and built by
Brent Noll for his Master’s Thesis for us e on the robot platform. The
Controls had to be written in a language that could interface with the PCI
card that controlled the motor’s motion and the controls also had to be
compatible with the controls already developed for the robot platform. The
resulting control system works on the robot’s PC-104-Stack-embedded
computer to actuate the arm for functions such as opening a door and
carrying common objects.
63
Biography
Philip is a junior computer engineering student from Bloomsburg, PA.
He is a member of the Mobile Autonomous Robotics Club (MARC) and
is currently working on a robot for an upcoming competition. After being
a part of the team sent to the National Science and Engineering Expo in
Washington, D.C., he was employed by the Urban Robotics Program ran
by Professor Steven Shooter and currently is a member of the team. He
is a member of the student chapters of both IEEE and ACM, and he is an
Eagle Scout.
64
Poster #32
THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A USER INTERFACE FOR
THE NS-3 SIMULATOR
Aurimas Liutikas, Adviser: L. Felipe Perrone
Department of Computer Science Engineering
Bucknell University
The existing network simulators are powerful, yet complex. A user of such a
simulator must have a close understanding of the inner workings of the
simulator just to be able to set up a trivial experiment. Automation tools
could ease up the set up process and also reduce the possibility of the
human error in a lengthy simulation study. This project extends an existing
effort to create the Simulation Automation Framework for Experiments
(SAFE) for ns-3 network simulator, which is sponsored by an NSF grant
lead by Prof. Perrone.
The main thesis for this project was that a well-crafted user interface can
help users to develop more credible simulation studies. I started building a
user interface called WebGUI for SAFE using the programming language
Python and the Django web application framework. I started this work by
extending the XML-based languages NEDL and NSTL, developed by
alumnus Andrew Hallagan (BCSE ‘11), which are used to describe
simulation models and experiments. My contribution uses annotated ns-3
experiment scripts to create HTML forms for WebGUI, automatically. The
user fills in these forms to set up an experiment, from which my code
generates NEDL and NSTL files. The experimental set up and configuration
information is stored in a database for persistence.
In my honors thesis project, I will extend this work to create a user interface
for experienced users that will support ns-3 command-line interactions. I
will also augment WebGUI to support the graphical visualization of
simulation results.
65
Biography
Aurimas Liutikas is a senior computer science and engineering student
at Bucknell. He is originally from Lithuania. He is the president of t he
Bucknell chapter of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi. He is also
a member of a student chapter of Association of Computing Machinery.
Prof. Zaccone and him are the creators of the iBucknell app for iPhones
and iPads.
66
Poster #33
SEDIMENT DEPOSITION NEAR BRIDGES IN PENNSYLVANIA
Brian Charland, Adviser: Jessica Newlin
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell University
Gravel bed streams across central Pennsylvania often have problems related
to large quantities of transported bed material. The natural movement of
sediment can be disturbed when bridge structures are placed across a
stream channel or a channel is modified due to an infrastructure project.
Observations of stream characteristics and qualities provide information
that help find out why sedimentation problems are occurring. Many sites
have large gravel bars and other deposits in their channels. The reason that
bridge ways often have sediment deposits under them is because the
channel often is widened during construction to meet flood flow
requirements. When the channel widens the water velocity decreases and
sediments either stop moving or fall out of suspension because of the
decreased shear stress in the widened channel. In the summer of 2011, the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) district offices
were contacted, to collect information regarding bridges with
sedimentation problems that had been mitigated with stream restoration
structures. From the information that was received from PennDOT, several
sites were identified for further investigation. Field observations were
gathered to describe the current condition of these sites. Based on field
observations, the stream restoration projects were either successes or
failures, depending on their ability to mitigate the stream sedimentation
problems. Often, it was found that the restoration structure was buried by
the sediment that it was designed to mitigate. Although some of the
restoration structures did work by either focusing or redirecting flow, or
stabilizing the banks. Based on this information we can better understand
what kind of structures work in certain conditions and recognize trends
that will help us improve the application of restoration structures to
mitigate deposition problems at bridges in the region.
67
Biography
Brian Charland is a junior civil and environmental engineering student at
Bucknell University. He is from Webster, NY, where he attended Webster
Thomas High School. Brian is an Eagle Scout, member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers, captain of the Bucknell Varsity Cross Country
and Track and Field teams, and an Army ROTC Cadet. This past summer
Brian was able to see Civil Engineering in action for the first time with
his research.
68
About the Bucknell Engineering Student Research Symposium
The Engineering Student Research Symposium was born out of the desire to
replicate, for students, the national-level conference experience without
leaving campus. Originally funded through the General Electric Faculty For
the Future program, all engineering students who have conducted research
with a Bucknell faculty member or at an off-campus program were invited to
submit abstracts for publication. Students then prepare their work in the form
of a poster to be shared an educated national audience (you!). This allows
students to exercise their presentation and networking skills in a manner
similar to that found at larger conferences without ever leaving campus.
Audience members will also benefit, by having a chance to learn more about
the exciting work pursued by Bucknell engineering students.
We hope that you enjoy this eighth Bucknell Engineering Student Research
Symposium, and we welcome your comments and suggestions on how this
activity might improve for the future.
We wish to thank Dean Buffinton, Stephanie McKinney, and General Electric
for their help bringing this symposium to reality.
Poster session organizers:
Dr. Margot A. S. Vigeant, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering and
Associate Dean of Engineering
Dr. Karen T. Marosi, Associate Dean of Engineering
Lois A. Engle, Manager External Relations
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