A publication of the
Michigan Space Grant Consortium
Michigan in Space
October 2011 • Volume 13
Director’s Notes
Prof. Alec D. 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
New Website Address!
www.mi.spacegrant.org
MSGC Executive Board Members
Calvin College
Prof. Deborah Haarsma
616 526 6340
Central Michigan University
Prof. Kristina Lemmer
989 774 7532
Dicken Elementary School/
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Mr. Michael Madison
734 994 1928
Eastern Michigan University
Prof. James Sheerin
734 487 4144
Grand Valley State University
Prof. Bopaiah Biddanda
616 331 3978
Hope College
Prof. Peter Gonthier
616 395 7142
Michigan State University
Prof. Michael Velbel
517 353 5273
Michigan Technological University
Ms. Chris Anderson
906 487 2474
Oakland University
Prof. Bhushan Bhatt
248 370 2233
Saginaw Valley State University
Prof. Garry Johns
989 964 7145
Wayne State University
Prof. Gerald Thompkins
313 577 7520
Western Michigan University
Prof. Massood Atashbar
269 276 3148
Professor Alec Gallimore
University of Michigan
We look forward to the 2011 –
2012 academic year and would like
to announce the Michigan Space
Grant Consortium (MSGC) funding
opportunities as well as the 2011
Annual Fall Conference. Funding
opportunity announcements can be
found on the new MSGC website
at http://www.mi.spacegrant.org.
Funding is available for proposals
in the Undergraduate and Graduate
Fellowship, Research Seed Grant,
Precollege Education, Public
Outreach, and Higher Education
categories. Additional funds
are available for proposals that Associate Dean, Professor Alec D. Gallimore
target the recruitment of women,
underrepresented minorities, and people with disabilities. The proposal
deadline date is Friday, November 18, 2011. Should you have any questions
or concerns, please contact your Campus Representative or e-mail Bonnie
Bryant at blbryant@umich.edu or phone her at (734) 764-9508.
I am very pleased to announce that the University of Michigan students
that participated in the poster competition at the 2010 Great Midwestern
Region Space Grant Conference took two of the top three spots in the poster
competition for undergraduate work! More than 30 posters competed from
all over the midwest region (8 states). Jon O’Kins and Michael Heywood
were awarded second place for M-Cubed, RAX, and the nanosat pipeline.
Kevin Drumm and Danny Ficek won third place for High Altitude Solutions.
Congratulations to all!
The 2011 Annual Fall Conference is scheduled for Saturday, November
12, 2011. We are proud to announce that Professor Tony England will
be the keynote speaker. Professor England is a former astronaut as well
as a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan in the College of
Engineering. He will talk about NASA’s future and the future of human
space flight. Information and registration regarding the conference can be
found by clicking from the MSGC home page - http://www.mi.spacegrant.org.
We would like to have presentations on both MSGC ongoing or previous
programs (Fellowship, Pre-College Education, Public Outreach, Higher
Education Incentive, Teacher Training, Research Seed Grant, and K-12
Educator Incentive Programs) and non-MSGC supported but related activities
or other space science or aerospace-related research and/or development
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Director’s Notes.............................................. 1
NASA Center Internships Summer 2011......... 4
Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory
(S3FL) Internships Summer 2011................. 16
Summer Research Opportunity Program
(SROP) Summer 2011.................................. 19
The Michigan Initiative on Student NASA
Exploration Research Program (MISNER)
Summer 2011................................................ 25
Calendar of Events....................................... 33
Undergraduate Fellowship Awards 2011....... 34
Graduate Fellowship Awards 2011................ 39
Seed Grant Awards 2011.............................. 44
Precollege Education Awards 2011............... 49
Public Outreach Awards 2011....................... 51
Teacher Training Awards 2011...................... 52
The GOTHAM Boom Team........................... 54
Professor Alec Gallimore discusses research with a MTU student at last year's MSGC Fall
Conference.
projects. We are soliciting abstracts for short lectures (not longer than 15
minutes, however, specifics will be determined once we receive abstracts)
or poster presentations detailing the progress or results of your program,
research, or activity. The MSGC offers travel support to students currently
or recently participating in MSGC activities. For more details, please visit
the MSGC website: www.mi.spacegrant.org.
This year the MSGC supported 39 fellowships across the state of
Michigan, 15 NASA Center internships, 9 Michigan Initiative on Student
NASA Exploration Research (MISNER) Program Internships in high-tech
start-up companies in the state of Michigan, 3 internships at the University
of Michigan’s Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory, and 8
Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) internships for prospective
underrepresented minority. MSGC-supported students have provided an
abstract detailing their project or internship within this newsletter. NASA
Center internships included opportunities at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, Goddard Space Flight
Center, Johnson Space Center, Langley Research Center, and Marshall
Space Flight Center. The MISNER internship program provided internships
at Michigan high-tech businesses in Ann Arbor and near Houghton, Michigan:
ElectroDynamic Applications, EMAG Technologies, Soar Technologies,
Engineering Exploration Technologies, and Aerophysics. SROP internships
took place in the following University of Michigan departments: Aerospace
Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer
Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering,
and Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences.
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In these volatile economic times,
it is more important than ever to make
clear to your U.S. Representative
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, so 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 Representative,
the website easily answers that
question, too. To show your support
for 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
Carl Levin, also through his website:
Levin.senate.gov/contact/.
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 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 crucial that we provide
them with information that clearly
shows the impact that the Space
Grant Program is making across the
United States every day.
A bird's-eye view of the MSGC Conference Poster Presentation at the University of
Michigan.
Professor Alec D. Gallimore is now
the Associate Dean for Research and
Graduate Education
As of September 1, 2011, Professor Alec Gallimore started his new
(another!) role as Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education
in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dean
Gallimore’s portfolio includes over 3,000 master’s and Ph.D. students
in engineering, and the College’s $180M of annual research.
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NASA Center Internships
Summer 2011
The following are excerpts from the reports that we received from students
that participated in NASA Center Internships during the summer of 2011.
Elizabeth Barrios
Wayne State University
NASA Academy at Marshall Space Flight
Center
Elizabeth Barrios pours liquid nitrogen to
create the cold trap for the water.
This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to take part
in the NASA Academy program at Marshall Space Flight
Center. Overall, the experience was amazing! I made
contacts from various departments within NASA as well
as other space companies ranging from Teledyne Brown
Engineering to SpaceX that I know will help me in my future
career. The business trips to Florida and California were
definitely some of the most memorable experiences. I loved
being able to see the last launch of a space shuttle and
being able to tour Kennedy Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Scaled
Composites, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance. I also treasure the fact that
I now have really good, probably life-long, friends from across the country.
This was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and something
that I will never forget.
My research project had me working in an area known as In-Situ Resource
Utilization – utilizing materials already present in space to fabricate mission
materials while in space as opposed to launching those materials directly from
Earth. The team that I was privileged to work with concentrates on extracting
the oxygen and metals from various extraterrestrial regoliths. Their newest
method utilizes ionic liquids as a solvent and electrolyte to perform first a
solubilization of the regolith followed by electrolysis of the water produced.
My team has been quite successful in demonstrating this process in the
laboratory setting using lunar stimulant JSC-1 and an actual asteroid sample.
However, the next step in their project is to develop a system that is capable
of operating in the low-gravity environment of space.
My research focused on identifying ways that the oxygen extraction process
would be affected by the reduced gravity environment. Once the issues were
identified, solutions had to be found. I concentrated on the issue of not being
able to distill off the water vapor product produced during the solubilization step.
In space, there is an absence of buoyancy and therefore, distillation is simply
not possible. I discovered a method known as pervaporation which used a
selective membrane and a pressure differential to separate a desired material
from a mixture. I designed a testing apparatus and performed a series of tests
on the sulfonated Teflon membrane and 30% aqueous ionic liquids that were
chosen for my studies. I was able to successfully prove that pervaporation has
a high potential at being suitable for this process in a low-gravity environment
and was able to offer a possible implementation design for further studies.
This internship has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career
thus far! I am so proud of the work that I have produced and cannot wait to
do more research with NASA!
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Eric Boekeloo
University of Michigan
NASA Aeronautics Academy at Langley Research Center
Eric Boekeloo is shown in front of the
SR-71 Blackbird, the most advanced
member of the Blackbird family that
included the A-12 and YF-12, and was
designed by a team of Lockheed personnel
led by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, then
vice president of Lockheed’s Advanced
Development Company Projects, commonly
known as the “Skunk Works” and now a
part of Lockheed Martin Corporation.
This summer, I worked in the NASA Aeronautics Academy at Langley
Research Center. The Aeronautics Academy is an immersive, integrated,
multi-disciplinary program for college students with an interest in having a
career in aeronautics. I worked with nine other students from across
the country ranging from the east to the west coast. We lived together
which allowed for us to quickly get to know each other and work
effectively as a team. My team worked on the design and analysis
of an environmentally responsible aircraft for the 2020 timeframe.
Our project required us to design a cargo aircraft with advanced
technologies to reduce fuel burn, noise, and NOx emissions. I was
the hybrid wing body team lead. The hybrid wing body is an aircraft
configuration which differs from the conventional “Tube and Wing”
design in a few key areas. Instead of having a cylindrical fuselage,
one integrates the fuselage into the wing. This helps to reduce the
surface area of the aircraft, thereby reducing drag. Instead of having
a large tail, the HWB configuration uses elevons at the trailing edge
of the aircraft for control of both pitch and yaw. We incorporated many
new technologies into the HWB aircraft. A geared turbofan engine
reduces both the noise and the fuel burn of the aircraft. By mounting
the engines above the body, we were able to reduce the noise of
the takeoff. The HWB design has the potential to change the shape
of aircraft. The HWB design ended up reducing fuel burn by over
50 percent compared to the current generation aircraft. The noise
was reduced by about 15 decibels. NOx was reduced by about 50 percent.
NOx reduction is important, as it can lead to significant health problems for
people who breathe it in.
During my time at the Aeronautics Academy, I did more than work on a
project. The Academy is a leadership development program. In order to help
us develop, we met with a wide variety of industry and government leaders.
We met with Scaled Composites and Boeing from industry. It was exciting to
see how different these companies are, and how they operate. We met with
many NASA leaders from different centers including Langley and Dryden.
We presented our project to Dr. Jaiwon Shin (Associate Administrator for
the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate) at NASA headquarters. The
opportunity to present work to an industry leader such as Dr. Shin has helped
my presentation skills immensely. The Academy had weekly lectures about
leadership and different projects at NASA. This opportunity allowed me to
develop both teamwork and technical skills.
Shannon Colleen Bourke
Eastern Michigan University
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
This summer I had the privilege of interning at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. I worked in the Superconducting Materials and
Devices group. Scientists at JPL are currently working on the Background
Limited Infrared and Submillimeter Spectroscope (BLISS) that will fly on the
Japanese space telescope SPICA in 2018. Spectroscopy done the infrared
region of the spectrum can give us information about stellar nucleosynthesis,
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Shannon Colleen Bourke in front of the
cryostat used for cooling the salt pills at
JPL.
black hole accretion, and galaxy evolution, as well as determining the
distance to other galaxies and their components. Because BLISS will
be taking measurements from far away distances, the device must be
very sensitive. To increase the sensitivity it is necessary to cool the
instruments down to very low temperatures. This will decrease the
noise we receive from it, thus increasing its sensitivity. Instruments
that are a part of BLISS will need to be cooled to 50mK. To achieve
temperatures lower than 1K scientists use adiabatic demagnetization
refrigerators (ADRs). One of the important components in an ADR
is the salt pill. The salt pill is a chemical formula that is grown on a
series of wires and is thermally connected to the instrument that we
want to cool. The most important thing about the salt pill is that it is a
paramagnetic material, meaning that each molecule in the substance
has a small magnetic moment that can be aligned with an external
magnetic field. This summer I characterized a chromic cesium alum
(CCA) salt pill in terms of heat capacitance and thermal resistance.
I got to cool down the salt pill using a process that involved liquid nitrogen,
liquid helium, and an ADR. After obtaining data I wrote computer programs
in MATLAB to analyze the data and perform calculations to determine the
heat capacitance and thermal resistance of the CCA. I then compared my
results to results of other salt pills that had been previously analyzed. While
at JPL the coldest temperature that I cooled to was 29mK!
Maria Choi Lang
University of Michigan
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
With support from the Michigan Space Grant, I worked as an intern at the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA this summer. JPL’s Electric
Propulsion Group is one of the forefront researchers developing experimental
and computational modeling of Hall thrusters. Hall thrusters, which are a type
of electric propulsion that utilizes electric and magnetic fields to accelerate
ionized propellants as quasi-neutral plasma to produce thrust, are one of the
most commonly used electric propulsion devices in the aerospace field today.
My task, which was supervised by Rich Hofer (Electric Propulsion Group), was
to conduct a performance analysis of magnetic field shapes in a Hall thruster.
Maria Choi Lang with a 6-kW laboratory
Hall thruster in a vacuum chamber at NASA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
For Hall thrusters, the shape and strength of the magnetic field are the
dominant factors affecting plasma stability, thermal balance, performance,
and life. The focus of this project was the effect of changes in the shape of
the magnetic field on thruster performance, which was achieved through
modification of the applied field in a 6-kW laboratory Hall thruster. The
differences in the fields were enabled through the use of an auxiliary “trim”
coil that modified the magnetic field in the near-anode region of the thruster.
During the course of this project, I had the opportunity to engage in both
programming and field work. First, I assisted with the calibration and acquisition
of data for plasma diagnostics. With the use of a thrust stand, ion flux probe, ExB
probe, RPA, and emissive probe, we measured the thrust, ion current density,
ion species fractions, ion energy, and plasma potential for the two distinct
magnetic field configurations. Then, with the WaveMetrics Igor Pro software,
I applied an analytical model of the thruster performance and correlated with
the empirical data. The results from this analysis demonstrated that the use
of the trim coil enabled ions to draw additional currents through shifting the
ionization and acceleration layers downstream, thus producing more thrust
than the baseline case.
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Working at JPL this summer has truly made an impact in my life. It was a
particularly meaningful internship to me because, as it was my first project in
the electric propulsion field, my experiences with the Electric Propulsion Group
helped me to get a feel for what this work will involve. Not only was I able to
learn the fundamentals of Hall thrusters and plasma physics, I was also able
to apply my programming skills and prior laboratory experience to make a
meaningful contribution to the research efforts. As a result of this experience,
I improved my programming and presentation skills, acquired knowledge in
Hall thrusters and diagnostics, and networked with peerless engineers at JPL.
In addition, I enjoyed spending my weekends in nice, sunny weather before
I head out to Michigan! Thanks to MSGC for such an invaluable experience.
Tanya Das
University of Michigan
NASA Robotics Academy at Ames Research Center
This summer I had the opportunity to work as an intern at NASA
Robotics Academy at the Ames Research Center. Our project, the
Lunar Micro Rover (LMR), has been ongoing since 2006 and involves
the development of a cost-effective robot that can be easily assembled,
repaired, and customized for various missions. The LMR design
integrates modern commercial technologies into a micro rover design
which is capable of exploring planetary surfaces. The devices contained
within LMR allow it to support micro payloads, lunar surface exploration,
extended deployment, and remote operation. I worked with twenty other
college interns to develop the seventh iteration of the LMR, which will
soon be tested for flight readiness. I was thrilled to have the opportunity
to work on this project thanks to funding from MSGC.
Michael Zwach, Henrique Chan, and Tanya
Das pose with the Lunar Micro Rover
testbed (front) and Lunar Micro Lander
(back) in their workshop at NASA Ames.
Last year, I was assigned to develop the power system of the rover. This
summer, I continued perfecting the power system, but the majority of
my time was spent working on developing a dosimeter. A dosimeter is a
radiation sensor which measures the total ionizing dose of various types
of radiation. The lunar surface is subject to solar radiation events on a
regular basis, and detecting when such an event occurs is important
since radiation events can be severely harmful to electronics. After
extensive research on the subject, I was able to come up with a simple
dosimeter design based off of a single transistor and a readout circuit.
Basically, a single transistor, when irradiated, will output a voltage proportional
to the amount of radiation in the environment. The output voltage also depends
on temperature. Our project focuses on using commercial technologies to cut
down costs, so we tested four different commercially available transistors to
determine which of them responded the most to radiation.
After contacting researchers in the Biotechnologies Branch of Ames, we got
authorization to use a gamma irradiator on base to test the how much four
transistors respond to radiation and to test the effectiveness of our readout
circuit. We were looking for the transistor that would have the largest change
in voltage with radiation and a linear change in voltage with temperature. This
test was definitely the most exciting part of my summer. We were actually able
to collect data on how the transistor voltage levels changed with radiation,
model the voltage change with temperature, and conclusively determine that
the sensor design did indeed function as expected! This project was very
exciting and I am grateful to MSGC for making this opportunity possible.
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Pooja Desai
University of Michigan
NASA Johnson Space Center
Pooja Desai sitting in the shuttle mission
motion-based simulator used to train crewmembers.
During the summer, I interned in the Spaceflight Training Management
at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Spaceflight
Training Management supervises the training of crew members
in addition to flight controllers and instructors. Crew members go
through a very rigorous training process in order to prepare for their
missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Part of their training
occurs in a classroom setting with a formal instructor. A typical crew
member will have to sit in on at least seventy classroom lessons. In
the recent wake of budget cuts, Mission Operations Directorate (MOD)
is considering the idea of providing more efficient and cost-effective training
for its crew members. The team I was in, Distant Learning, is developing
online distant-learning lessons to address these issues. One of my projects
was to create an online lecture-based lesson about the payloads onboard
the ISS (a lecture-based lesson is a classroom lecture re-formatted to be
delivered online with additional resources and links). One of the things I
got to do in this project was to sit in on a classroom lecture with astronaut
candidates. The instructor of the lecture also gave me a tour of the payload
mockups used to instruct crewmembers. From the lesson and the tour, I
learned a lot about the research payloads aboard the station and I have
a greater appreciation for the ISS. In the process of creating the lesson, I
also learned about the factors essential for a high quality online lesson and
how to use new graphic and video-editing software, including Camtasia and
Adobe Photoshop. My second major project was revising the lesson plan
for an introduction lesson the International Space Station and updating the
power-point presentation. In this project, I learned about all the modules of
the space station and toured the ISS mockup facility used to train the crew
members. I got to see a team of instructors video-taping an emergency fire
scenario in one of the mockup modules.
Outside of work, I toured the space shuttle facilities and rode in the space
shuttle motion-based simulator used to train crewmembers in landing the space
shuttle. I also watched the last space shuttle launch on a big screen. In these
ten weeks at JSC, I have learned so much about human space exploration.
This experience has inspired me to find a career in space exploration, and I
would definitely like to come back to JSC and work there again.
Sally Haselschwardt
University of Michigan
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sally Haselschwardt stands with her mentor,
Tom Feild, the Mission Systems Engineer for
TDRS K, in the project office.
This summer, I worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Maryland as a systems engineer. I was assigned to the Tracking and Data Relay
Satellite (TDRS) project, where they are working with Boeing to build the next
generation of TDRS satellites, K and L. The TDRS satellites are a network of
geosynchronous satellites that provide continuous communications coverage
for low-earth-orbiting satellites to ground stations. TDRS K, the first in the new
generation, is in the verification and validation stage. This means that lots of
testing is being done and documented to ensure that all the requirements are
met. My mentor was Tom Feild, the Mission Systems Engineer for the project
and my co-mentor was John Staren, the deputy Mission Systems Engineer.
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Due to a change in the mass of the solar panels, it was thought that the
Attitude Control System (ACS) would no longer be robust enough to control
the satellite. I was asked to help review the findings of the Boeing team for
the robustness of their control algorithms. I worked with Scott Miller, an ACS
engineer at NASA, and Josh Valerius, another intern from George Washington
University, to learn how to characterize an open-loop system, linearize it
about an operating condition, and get it into state space form. From there
we designed a compensator to stabilize it. After the controller was designed,
I evaluated its robustness and sensitivity using Nyquist and Bode plots. The
majority of this was done with the help of MATLAB. The ultimate goal of the
project was to validate the Boeing model with Mu analysis. Though I didn’t
get the time to accomplish this, my partner in crime will be working for the
next two weeks to learn and apply Mu analysis. The learning curve was very
high and I enjoyed learning control theory in a hands-on manner.
Josh and I were privileged enough to visit Boeing Space Systems in El
Segundo, California for the July Monthly Project Status Review. While
there we were able to see the satellite while some of its antennae were
tested. In addition to our big project, we helped thermal engineers compile
and analyze some of Boeing’s simulation test results and aided John in
compiling changes to the spacecraft systems manual.
Kevin Huang
University of Michigan
NASA Robotics Academy at Ames Research Center
Kevin Huang tests the Lunar Micro Rover
at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
During the summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to join
30 other interns at the NASA Ames Research Center as a
member of the Ames Robotics Academy. Our project was the
design and construction of a Lunar Micro Rover capable of a
four-hour mission on the moon. The project originated in 2006,
as a collaboration between college students from around the
country. The goal was to create a Rover capable of a Lunar
Mission from commercially available products. Specifically, the
Rover had to be easy to build, inexpensive, easy to maintain,
and quick to repair. My particular task was writing code for data
logging, an autonomous recovery mode, and general Rover-side
maintenance. The data logging software was so that data from
the Rover’s sensors could later be extracted and analyzed. The
autonomous recovery mode is a safety measure in case the
Rover drops communication with the Lunar Ground Station. If
no signal is detected, the Rover will “play-back” its last executed
commands until a signal is found. Since I inherited unfinished
code from previous years, my final duty was ironing out lingering
bugs in the code.
About midway through the summer, I was lucky enough to get a trip to down
to the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards Air Force Base for a
satellite communications and maneuverability test. Our group was given the
immense privilige to fly down on a private NASA airplane and then set up our
testing area directly on the lake bed. There was nothing more satisfying and
nerve-wracking than watching the Rover drive around with my own code on
it. Even more satisfying was the knowlege that the Rover was being driven
by someone over 350 miles away! After our wonderfully successful tests,
we were allowed a private tour of Dryden flight research center before being
flown back later that day.
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Last but not least, NASA Ames attracts some of the most interesting people
I’ve ever met from all corners of the nation. Outside of work, the interns
socialized and enjoyed many fun activities including visiting Yosemite
National Park, rock climbing, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz beach. During
and outside of work, the friends and experiences I’ve had here will remain
with me for the rest of my life, and I would like to thank the Michigan Space
Grant Consortium for making this possible for me.
Evelyn Hull
University of Michigan
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Evelyn Hull shown at the front gate at
Goddard.
This summer I interned at Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Maryland. Over the course of the summer
I worked with my mentor, Mark Woodard, and Steve
Hughes to develop an Orbit Wizard tool for the General
Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT), an open source mission
analysis tool. I created a prototype using Matlab’s
graphical user interface (GUI) tool Guide that allowed
the user to choose from nine common standard orbit
types and specify values for a minimum number of
parameters, then have the GUI supply the rest of the
defining parameters for that orbit. For example, for the
sun synchronous orbit the user has the option to supply
any two of semi-major axis, mean altitude, eccentricity,
inclination, radius of periapsis, radius of apoapsis, and
semi-latus rectum, and the orbit wizard will calculate
all the remaining parameters. It would then write all
relevant parameters into a portion of a GMAT script file that the user could
add to the spacecraft section of any existing mission file. GMAT does not
use all of the calculated parameters in the orbit generation process, but are
generated anyway in order to supply the user with all possible information
that could be relevant to a mission. Once I got the majority of the orbit types
working properly and received feedback from test users, I selected six of the
orbits and began implementing them in GMAT.
Using wxWidgets, the C++ graphics library that is the basis of the GMAT GUI, I
created a new window in GMAT that is similar to the one I created in my Matlab
prototype, that allowed the user to find their orbit and directly load the relevant
calculated parameters into the GMAT spacecraft panel. The orbits that were
successfully implemented in this panel are Sun Synchronous, Repeat Ground
Track, Sun Synchronous Repeat Ground Track, Geostationary, Molniya, and
Frozen Altitude. The user can also specify an epoch format and value as well
as a value for initial local sidereal time and find the value for right ascension
of the ascending node (RAAN), or could specify epoch and RAAN to find
the corresponding initial local sidereal time. RAAN is undefined when the
inclination of the orbit is zero, which is necessary for the geosynchronous
orbit, so for that orbit I instead set RAAN and argument of periapsis (AOP)
to zero, as is GMAT’s convention, and allow the user to specify the desired
latitude for the spacecraft or initial local sidereal time and use those inputs
to calculate the true anomaly of the spacecraft which will define its latitude
in GMAT.
This Orbit Wizard is in the final stages of testing and debugging and will be
included in the next public distribution of GMAT.
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Logan Larson
Michigan State University
NASA Space Academy at Glenn Research Center
Logan Larson shown conducting an
experiment in microgravity aboard the
Zero G aircraft in Houston, TX. The
experiment tests several advanced filtration
methods designed for long-duration space
applications.
During the summer, I was lucky enough to be a part of the NASA Space
Academy at Glenn Research Center working with Dr. Juan Agui on advanced
filtration systems for long-duration space applications. Lunar regolith has
proven to be a major hindrance in previous NASA missions to the lunar
surface. The small, sharp, and sticky submicron dust gets in many adverse
locations, causing both problems within the lunar module and potential
health issues for the astronauts. Current filtration methods for mitigating
dust and other unwanted particles are insufficient for future long-duration
space applications due to their long-term inability to maintain their original
efficiencies without many necessary man-hours spent replacing the filtration
systems. For this reason, several advanced filtration methods were tested
on a parabolic flight rig to better understand their capabilities and efficiencies
in a microgravity environment.
To obtain a sufficient time in microgravity and ample results, the microgravity
was obtained aboard the Zero G aircraft at Ellington Field in Houston, TX.
The two tested systems – an inertial particle impactor and an indexing
media filter – should necessitate less maintenance to preserve their initial
efficiencies. The inertial particle impactor utilizes the idea that larger particles
contain greater inertia. This inertia does not allow the particles to follow the
air streamlines, causing the particles to collide into an impactor plate. The
indexing media filter is similar to current filtration methods, but rather than
needing to be replaced often, the filter is indexed, allowing a “fresh” portion
of the filter to be utilized at all times.
Other projects that I was able to work on included a Centaur 2 Digger
application and an electrospray filtration method which should soon be tested
within the GRC’s lunar dust filtration facility. I was also fortunate to have the
opportunity to travel many places as a part of the NASA Space Academy.
Besides traveling to Houston for the microgravity flight, I also had the chance
to travel to Florida to see Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, as
well as Washington D.C., West Virginia, South Pennsylvania, and Dayton
for the annual Dayton Air Show in Ohio. Outside of work, the NASA Space
Academy worked on another project, specifically a Practical High Altitude
Microgravity Experiment (PHAME) which was tasked with launching a high
altitude balloon and dropping a payload in order to achieve nearly 10 seconds
of microgravity. With designs and construction now completed, we anticipate
launching our first version in the very near future. Overall, it was one of the
best summers of my life. I had the opportunity to see and learn many new
things, as well as make many new friends dedicated to meeting many of the
same goals as my own.
Christopher Matthes
University of Michigan
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Sputter deposition is the process of ejecting atoms from a target material
due to the impact of gas ions, causing the resulting material to be deposited
onto a substrate and form a thin film. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s
(JPL) Sputtering Facility allows the creation of alloyed thin films using
multiple targets, which are used for research of fuel cell cathode catalysts
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with improved oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) capabilities. The objective
for this project was to enable better control of sputtering conditions through
the implementation of computer-operated settings, which were previously
manually controlled. This required hardware modifications for the gas-handling
and high-vacuum systems, while introducing a computer control and data
acquisition system to regulate various parameters of the sputtering process.
Specifically, the introduction of an electronically interfaced pressure sensor
and mass flow controller setup allowed for the regulation of desired parameters
using the electronically obtained data. Installation of the new system hardware
necessitated an application of design fundamentals to ensure proper assembly
of all components and to address additional mechanical obstacles that
surfaced through this process.
Vritika Singh
University of Michigan
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Christopher Matthes installing a DC
magnetron sputtering gun into a vacuum
sputtering chamber at JPL’s thin-film
research facility.
Vritika Singh works on a fiberglass
mounting structure to position two
applied magnets around a high power
magnetoplasmadynamic thruster.
Space propulsion began with powerful chemical rockets propelling the first
missions into orbit around the Earth and Moon. Since those first missions,
views of space and space exploration have evolved to include new
possibilities, and space propulsion has evolved to include electric propulsion
(EP). EP is a type of space propulsion that enables more efficient space travel
and a greater capacity for scientific instruments on-board spacecraft. This
allows space missons do conduct more in-depth science and exploration,
making these missions more valuable and efficient. One high power, high
specific impulse EP device is a magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster, which
uses electromagnetic forces to create thrust. MPD thruster
performance generally increases with increasing operating
current, but after a certain current threshold, performance
and lifetime actually decrease due to an instability condition
called “onset.” At onset, the plasma inside the thruster is
pushed to the middle of the anode, thus depleting the near
anode region of charge carriers and causing the anode
to heat up and erode. To mitigate onset, an applied field
magnet system was developed and validated through bench
testing and computer modeling. This system consisted of
two electromagnets of different diameters mounted on a
fiberglass structure. These applied magnets were configured
to produce two magnetic field topologies, and then magnetic
field strengths were recorded using a gaussmeter at various
positions. This data was then compared to computer modeling
of each configuration to validate that the magnetic fields
produced by the magnets were as expected and notice any differences and
asymmetry. Before conducting bench testing of the applied field magnets, the
self generated magnetic field inside the MPD thruster was mapped at varying
current levels using a Bdot probe. The applied field magnet system will be
implemented with the MPD thruster, and the magnetic field structure inside
the MPD thruster will be remapped with the influence of the magnets. This
magnetic field map will be compared to the map produced without the applied
magnets to study their influence on MPD thruster discharge characteristics.
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Harrison Smith
University of Michigan
NASA Lunar and Planetary Science Academy at
Goddard Space Flight Center
During the summer, I interned at Goddard Space Flight Center in
Maryland as a member of the NASA Lunar and Planetary Science
Academy (LPSA). The majority of my research was related to
figuring out what soil is composed of without having to drill into it. Our
techniques let us determine soil composition up to 50 cm deep in a
one-meter radius around our equipment. This research is important
because if deployed on a planetary rover we could find resources
useful for human exploration, or areas containing elements necessary
for life. Additionally, our LPSA traveled to a Martian analogue site in
eastern Washington state to conduct field geology research.
Harrison Smith (green shirt with backpack)
along Banks Lake in Washington State.
Harrison and his fellow interns are
measuring the layers between the striae
of the basalt columns in order to compare
them to the columns on Mars.
In order to determine elemental soil composition, we detected gamma
rays and slow (low-energy) neutrons from our soil sample. But because
most elements are not naturally radioactive, they do not emit gamma
rays unless excited. In order to excite the nuclei of atoms, we used a
fast (high-energy) neutron generator.
The experimental process is as follows: the neutron generator sits atop the
sample block and releases fast neutrons in all directions. Some of these fast
neutrons hit elements within the sample, and transfer energy to the elemental
nuclei (called an inelastic collision). If enough energy is transferred to the
nucleus of an atom, it becomes excited. The excited nucleus is unstable,
and in order to return to a stable de-excited state, it releases the excess
energy in the form of a gamma ray. The energy of the gamma ray released is
unique for every element. Thus, by using a gamma ray detector that records
the energies and counts of the detected gamma rays, we can determine our
sample’s composition.
But what happens to the fast neutrons that are transferring energy to the nuclei
in the sample? Eventually, the fast neutrons lose so much energy that they
become slow neutrons. Once this happens, they do not have enough energy
to excite any nuclei through inelastic collisions. Instead, these slow neutrons
are sometimes captured by the nuclei they collide with. The capture process
usually leaves a nucleus with enough energy to release a gamma ray, which
is detected in the same way as described earlier. However, there is another
way to glean information from the neutron capture process.
Certain elements are particularly good at capturing slow neutrons or slowing
down fast neutrons. By recording how many slow neutrons we detect while
the fast neutron generator is on, we can get an idea of how quickly the fast
neutrons are slowing down, and how quickly the slow neutrons are being
captured. As it turns out, hydrogen is important for both of these processes,
and thus slow neutron detection is a good way to detect the H concentration
of soil.
My research this summer involved understanding our fast neutron generator
and gamma ray and neutron detectors in order get more accurate data in less
experimental time. Additionally, I analyzed neutron data to verify that our test
sample had as much hydrogen present as it was supposed to.
Besides analyzing soil composition, I traveled to the Channeled Scablands
in Washington to do field geology research with the LPSA. The entire
region was carved out by a giant cataclysmic flood, and is well known by
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planetary scientists as a Martian analogue site. We investigated several
different locations, learning about the geological processes that are thought
to happen not only on Earth, but on other planets as well. Specifically, we
took measurements of basalt columns that formed from cooling lava flows
in order to compare their characteristics to the columns that have been
discovered on Mars.
Anna Strong
Hope College
NASA Ames Research Center
Anna Strong prepares samples of
Synechococcus elongatus 7942 under
sterile conditions for a mass spectrometry
reading (Optical Density at 750 nm) to
be used for a growth study analysis in
determining the peak metabolic growth
phase at which to measure gene expression
under various growth conditions.
Microbes responsible for transforming the earth’s atmosphere are of great
importance to space exploration, showing capabilities to withstand and adapt to
extreme conditions which enables terrestrial studies on survival mechanisms.
Despite their significance, little is known about the potential for
terrestrial life to thrive in space. To explore the effects of the
space environment on terrestrial microbes, we are currently
developing a fully automated, miniaturized microfluidics
system to measure in-situ gene expression on small satellites.
The instrument will enable: (1) bacterial culture growth,
(2) RNA extraction and purification, (3) hybridization of RNA on a
microarray, and (4) provide electrochemical readout. Validating
the processes of the instrument requires ground-controls to
be performed for various parts still under development. Thus,
the focus of this project is to assess the RNA extraction and
purification process as well as the expression levels of a
selected set of genes for Synechococcus elongates PCC 7942
grown under light and dark cycles. Current results indicate
the bead beating lysis method to be the best technique for
breaking open the tough outer cell wall of the bacteria. This
method produced 14% more RNA when compared to the Qiagen mortar/pestle
lysis method, and 3% more RNA when performed with the phenol-chloroform
protocol. Furthermore, the phenol-chloroform RNA extraction and purification
protocol allows for the greatest yield of total RNA. This extraction protocol
consistently produced 9-fold higher total RNA yield than the Qiagen protocol.
These procedures will be used as a gold standard to validate the instrument
for in situ gene expression analysis. Future work is required to perform RTPCR for the designated genes of interest and to compare measurement of
gene expression between the instrument and our gold standard protocol.
The design of the instrument will provide useful information on terrestrial
adaptations to conditions beyond our planet, test our ability for growing and
maintaining organisms in space as in-situ resources during long-duration
space exploration, and help identify deleterious effects that the space
environment may cause, which will give us the information necessary to
develop effective countermeasures against such effects. Modifications can
be made to the instrument for use in many different biological experiments
possessing a broad range of goals.
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Erica Wicks
Eastern Michigan University
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
This summer, I interned with the Modeling and Simulation section of NASA’s
Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. I worked with two other
interns to create a proof-of-concept for the proposed Integrated Spacecraft
Analysis (ISCA) tool suite. Currently, spacecraft designs
incorporate a number of subsystems, each of which requires
modeling software for development, testing, and prediction. It was
the goal of my team to create an overarching software architecture
to aid in deploying the discrete subsystems’ models. Such a plan
has been attempted in the past, and has failed due to the excessive
scope of the project. Our goal was to use new resources to reduce
the scope of the project, including using ontological models to help
link the internal interfaces of subsystems’ models with the ISCA
architecture. During my internship here, I created a programming
language-independent ontology of functions specific to the model
of the navigation system of a spacecraft. This ontological model
integrates versions of the navigation functions in C, Fortran,
Matlab, and IDL, and even helps a user create code to call these
functions from other modeling programs. The ontology also acts
as proof of the concept that ontological modeling can aid in the
integration necessary for ISCA to work, and can be the prototype
for future ISCA ontologies.
Erica Wicks during the initial design phase
of the ISCA Ontology.
However, while creating this model was extremely interesting, allowing me
to research alternative information storing and sharing structures, the most
fun and most interesting part of this internship was getting an in-depth look
at the complexity of spacecraft. My team and I met with experts from the
Attitude Control System to learn about how they developed and used their
modeling software. We got to study the software that is currently in use to
guide spacecraft, and help solve real-time problems using modeling software.
Not only was I able to see just how my work on ISCA could help save these
experts time and pain, but I was also able to feel a real sense of connection
between my ten-weeks of interning and the bigger, ‘our place in space’ picture.
Perhaps some of the ideas I helped bring to life will be used to model the next
Mars Rover, and I would like to thank MSGC for making that a possibility!
• 15 •
Student Space Systems Fabrication
Laboratory (S3FL) Internships
Summer 2011
The following are excerpts from the reports that we received from students
that participated in S3FL Internships during the summer of 2011.
Justin DeSousa
University of Michigan
Student Space Systems Fabrication
Laboratory
Justin DeSousa (left) prepares to deploy a
test payload aboard a microgravity flight.
During this summer, I worked as an intern in the
Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory
on the GOTHAM Boom project. GOTHAM, or
GPS Occultation Tomographer and High Accuracy
Magnetometer, is a small satellite that will be
used to study space weather. A magnetometer
will be placed at the end of an extendible boom to
measure magnetic field-aligned currents and ultralow frequency waves in the ionosphere. GOTHAM
Boom is a project tasked with developing the
extendible boom for this satellite. I worked on the electrical team, and was
primarily responsible for designing and building the electrical components
required to test the deployment of the boom during a microgravity test flight
in addition to programming many of these components. There were two
main sensors that were used, each of which was an inertial measurement
unit, or IMU. These were firmly attached to each end of the test payload.
Each IMU collected information about the movements of the payload and
boom; this allowed the boom’s movements to be determined. The two IMUs
were connected to a circuit board holding a microcontroller. This routed the
collected data to both internal memory and a wireless link, both of which were
used to store data. Although a large portion of the component selection had
been done previously, nearly all of the construction and assembly work on
these components had to be done. During the summer, I performed these
tasks, resulting in two useable test payloads. After these payloads were
completed, our team traveled to Houston to fly on a “Weightless Wonder”
microgravity flight through the “Grant Us Space” program. On this flight, we
tested the deployment of the boom, and attempted to measure deflections of
the boom while it is in a microgravity environment. Although the tests were
not completely successful, our team gathered useful data, and met a number
of the test objectives.
I learned a great deal from this project as I had little previous experience with
electronics, and nearly none outside of a classroom environment. Hands-on
experience, with how they work, their limitations, and the general requirements
that they have will be valuable in the future. Working outside of my comfort
zone pushed me, teaching me more than an ordinary classroom experience
ever could have. I now have experience with embedded systems, electrical
prototyping, data handling, and circuit design that I never would have gained
without this internship.
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Jonathan Las Fargeas
University of Michigan
Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory
This summer I, along with my colleagues, strived to improve the capabilities of
MCubed within the Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory. MCubed
is a 10cm cubesat built by the University of Michigan with a camera and a
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) payload on board. The goal of the
satellite is to take and downlink (send to the ground) pictures as well as have
the JPL payload process these pictures and have the satellite downlink the
results. I was a member of the command and data handling subsystem and
worked on various aspects of the flight software for MCubed as well as on
the software for the ground station.
Jonathan Las Fargeas during MCubed
integrated testing.
During the beginning of the internship, I added error checking capabilities
to the flight computer, making sure it would detect errors within one of its
partitions and switch to a redundant partition if an error was present. I then
completed the start-up process the flight computer would go through after the
initial boot-up. This entailed properly starting all communications software,
command scheduling software, and writing several watchdogs to ensure all
essential software was running. I went on to properly populate the telemetry
that would be beaconed by the satellite in flight and making sure that telemetry
was being decoded properly on the ground station side. I ensured that all the
antenna release functionality was in place, i.e., that the antennas would deploy
once the satellite was turned on for the first time while in orbit. Following this,
I altered a version of our downlink software (both on the flight computer and
ground station) so that it would be more resistant to dropped packets in flight.
Taking pictures in-flight is an important part of MCubed’s mission as is
being able to review these pictures on the ground, therefore, I analyzed and
implemented a variety of ways to encode images taken for different downlink
scenarios (such as lossless encoding when we know we have time to downlink
a bigger file, or a smaller lossy encoding when we want a thumbnail of the
picture as soon as possible).
As the summer went on, my work shifted from software development to
running a test version of MCubed (identical to the flight unit in most ways)
and ensuring proper functionality and fixing whatever problems appeared in
the flight software. Throughout the summer, I updated the command software
on the flight computer and the ground station to add new commands. I also
explored some of the extended capabilities of the ground station related
to automated command sending. This involved properly building groups
of commands, designed to be sent at the same time, and creating the
functionality to ensure that the satellite received all the commands. I also
further developed the software in order to run MCubed’s JPL payload, as
well as assisting in doing integrated testing for it.
This project was very exciting as this was in the final stage of MCubed’s
development and, as such, I was given the opportunity to experience many
changes that bought MCubed to full-flight readiness. I enjoyed working on a
multitude of aspects of the flight software, interface with other subsystems,
and perform integrated testing with flight hardware.
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Kutessa Garnett
University of Michigan
Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory
Kutessa Garnett creates side rails on the
CNC Mill.
The Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory (S3FL) at the
University of Michigan is committed to providing undergraduate
students with hands on experience in aerospace. Several
student projects are run through S3FL, including Michigan’s
CubeSat program. A CubeSat is miniature satellite that uses
easily accessible components to allow for university students
worldwide to participate in space exploration. Michigan’s CubeSat
is called MCubed. MCubed stands for Michigan Multipurpose
Minisat and this fall we are planning to launch our satellite. The
objective of MCubed is to obtain the highest resolution photo,
to date, of the earth using a single cubesat platform. The goal
is to have a least 60% land mass and a maximum cloud cover
of 20%. The MCubed team also has a second S3FL related
objective of creating a modular cubesat that can be manufactured
completely in house. Most cubesat teams design their own boards and pick
their components, but order housing units from outside sources. This can be
expensive and cuts down on student involvement. MCubed was completed
designed and built by students.
This is my second year working with MCubed and it has been an incredible
experience helping our team move from the design phase to build phase to
the launch phase. Last year, I helped design the battery mount and antenna
mount. I also looked into converting our 10cm x 10 cm x 10 cm model into a
30 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm cubesat. This summer I started manufacturing parts
that would go on a flight-ready unit. In order to do this, I had to first learn how
to use a 3 axis CNC Mill. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. A mill
is machine that resembles a drill press and uses a tool called an end mill to
carve designs or parts out of solid material. The types of solid materials that
I used this summer were aluminum alloys, hard plastics, and stainless steel.
In order to make parts, I would write a tool path based on CAD models and
operate the machine a high speeds to get desired surface finished. Sometimes
some of the parts that I was trying to create could not be completed on the
regular CNC mill and had to get special permission to use a more complicated
4 axis CNC mill. This was capable of faster speeds, which means that my
parts were created in minutes not hours. Using the mills, I was able to help
build a flight unit and a back up unit for us to send to NASA in preparation for
launch. I have learned so much from this experience and I am very grateful
to MISNER and S3FL for giving me this opportunity.
• 18 •
Summer Research Opportunity Program
(SROP)
Summer 2011
The following are excerpts from the reports that we received from students
that participated in SROP Internships during the summer of 2011.
Jeff Avery
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Jeff Avery (left) explaining the functionality
of the Performance Near Me component of
the MobiPerf Android application.
As the speed of technology and the number of smartphone
users increase, the various types of network performance (3G,
EDGE, WiFi, etc.) is becoming more important to users. Faster
internet connection and more reliable coverage have become
necessities instead of wants. Cell phone users, though, do
not fully understand the behavior of the network in which they
are connected nor do they comprehend how it should perform.
Performance Near Me (PerfNearMe) is an Android application
that is a component of the Mobile Performance (MobiPerf)
Android application, which is a network measurement system.
PerfNearMe gives users a visual report of how different types
of networks are performing in proximity to a given location. The
application communicates the performance of networks by listing various
network performance measurements about the networks in this given location
by pulling these measurements from a server and displaying them on a map
provided by a Google API. These measurements include longitude, latitude,
signal strength, upload time, download time, and DNS lookup latency to
name a few. The data is displayed on the map in the form of a pushpin that is
placed at the longitude and latitude where the MobiPerf application was run.
Users run the MobiPerf application, which sends the network performance
measurements to be stored to a server. The PerfNearMe application allows
users to view and compare the actual network performance of other's who
have the application to their own. The MobiPerf application is the first of its
kind for such a large number of users, over 99,000, and runs, the application
have been run over 400,000 times. It is now available, with the PerfNearMe
feature, as a free download on the Android Market.
I am grateful to have been awarded the opportunity to be a part of the MobiPerf
project and look forward to seeing how this application grows and the impact
this it could have on cell phone networks in the future. This summer has
been full of fun and learning events that have helped to shape my decisions
about wanting to earn a terminal degree. I am thankful for the Michigan
Space Grant Consortium, the University of Michigan, the SROP program
faculty, staff and participants for their aid, time and support. A special thanks
to my faculty mentor, Dr. Z Morley Mao, graduate student Junxian Huang,
and undergraduate student, Cheng Chen, whom I worked closely with, for
making this summer a challenging yet rewarding experience. To listen to
Jeff’s presentation, Network Performance Near Me, please visit: http://www.
engin.umich.edu/gradadmissions/sure/videos/2011AveryJeffrey.html.
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Keyla Badillo Rivera
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus
Keyla Badillo Rivera isolating neutrophils
from human blood.
This summer, I had the great opportunity of working in the
Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of
Michigan with Professor Lola Eniola-Adefeso. My research
consisted in staining neutrophils with different antibodies to
quantify the effect of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) in neutrophil
adhesion function. Neutrophils are the first cells to act in the
immune response. When they get activated, they adhere to the
endothelial cells in the blood vessel wall and then transmigrate
through it in order to reach the site of inflammation or infection.
In our lab, experiments running neutrophils through a flow
chamber over an endothelial monolayer have shown that this
process is negatively affected when neutrophils are incubated
with cannabinoid agonists, such as THC. Cells treated with
drug show significantly less rolling, firm arrest to endothelial layer and
transmigration through the endothelium. My investigation consisted of using
flow cytometry to quantify the presence of cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) on
neutrophils that had been stained with an antibody for CB2 receptor. I also
stained neutrophils to test for expression of LFA-1, Mac-1 and sialyl Lewis
X (sLeX), which have been shown to mediate the adhesion of neutrophils
to inflamed endothelial tissue. Normal neutrophils were compared with
neutrophils treated with cannabinoid agonists in two different concentrations:
300uM and 300nM. Also, activated neutrophils were compared to nonactivated neutrophils. Activation was done with fMLP. For the experiments, I got
to draw blood from human donors and then isolate the neutrophils. After this,
cells were incubated on ice with antibodies for each CB2, LFA-1, Mac-1 and
sLeX, and also with their respective isotypes as control. After incubation, cells
were washed with buffer and their fluorescence was measured using a flow
cytometer. Quantifying the amount of fluorescent particles on the neutrophils
leads to finding the site density, or the amount of antibodies per μm2 of cell
surface. When incubated with CB2 antibody, all trials produced very similar
results. Site density was always higher for the isotype control than for the CB2
antibody, meaning that the interaction of the antibody with the receptor it is
binding to is probably non-specific. A possible explanation is that cannabinoids
are not affecting neutrophils through the CB2 receptor, but more tests should
be conducted to reach sustainable conclusions. For cell adhesion molecules,
the most significant change was for Mac-1 expression in cells with highest
concentration of drug (300μM), which in both activated and non-activated
neutrophils is extremely diminished. These results are consistent with the data
obtained in the flow experiments. Neutrophils incubated with drug in a 300μM
concentration showed lower rolling and firm arrest, and no transmigration at
all. An impairment in Mac-1 expression, a molecule essential for the neutrophil
adhesion process, would explain this altered behavior. Future work is to be
done using different CB2 antibodies. Also, activation of neutrophils should
be done using cytokines, as in their natural environment, instead of fMLP,
which is a bacterial peptide. To view Keyla’s presentation, Effect of CB2 on
Neutrophil Adhesion Function, please visit: http://www.engin.umich.edu/
gradadmissions/sure/videos/2011BadilloKeyla.html.
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Roberto Colon
Purdue University
The 25th annual Summer Research
Opportunities Program (SROP) Conference
was held at Ohio State University during
the summer. Roberto Colon is shown
exhibiting his poster during the conference.
Hardware: High-speed axial reciprocating
probe (HARP) that was programmed this
summer inside its newly designed portable
case.
Hall Thruster testing uses electrostatic or Langmuir probes to measure electron
temperature, electron number density, plasma potential, and floating potential
in the thruster plume to guide improvements in thruster performance metrics
including efficiency and operating lifetime. As these probes move into the
discharge chamber of the thruster, where most of the relevant physics governing
these metrics take place, the plasma temperature and density increase,
leading to increased probe heating and ablation. The intense Hall current in the
acceleration region of the thruster channel literally eats away at the probe, to
the point where even probes made of pure tungsten are noticeably eroded after
a few minutes or hours. The High-Speed Axial Reciprocating Probe (HARP)
that this summer uses a high-speed linear motor to minimize the time the probe
spends in this harsh plasma environment. The HARP system recently underwent
a full upgrade including a total replacement of the linear motor controller,
essentially a programmable high-current amplifier, and the linear motor itself.
To bring this new system back online and optimize its performance a number
of different pre-existing problems were addressed. First, a shielded enclosure
for the linear motor was designed and built to protect it during extended test
cycles under vacuum. Second, the data acquisition process of the controller
was accelerated by increasing its frequency from 20 points per second to 20
points per millisecond. The maximum amount of data that can be stored from
each probe insertion was also increased. In addition, a digital
output signal was implemented in the algorithm that triggers all
external data acquistion systems that are used in Hall Thruster
testing. This trigger occurs simultaneously with the start of the
motion of the HARP. Third, the resolution of the position feedback
was significantly improved by outputting it through a digital channel
instead of an analog channel like in the past. Fourth, the amount
of time the probe spends in the plasma was reduced by 75% after
implementing a new algorithm for controlling the motion of the
HARP. Finally, a graphical user interface was created by making
use of LabVIEW in order to increase the control capabilities
of the system. This interface allows the user to execute highspeed probe insertions with selectable travel distance, velocity,
and acceleration; it also records the probe insertion trajectory
or position feedback to a specified file inside the computer. This new design
represents an efficient solution to the existing problem. Benchtop testing is
largely complete and inaugural testing of the new control system and enclosure
under vacuum is expected at the end of the summer of 2011. To view Roberto’s
presentation, Development of a High-Speed Axial Reciprocating Probe for
Hall Thruster Plasma Investigations, please visit: http://www.engin.umich.edu/
gradadmissions/sure/videos/2011ColonRoberto.html.
Angélica Cortés
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus
During the summer of 2011, I worked in the Department of Nuclear Engineering
and Radiological Sciences at The University of Michigan. My advisor for the
summer was Dr. Gary Was and I worked under the mentorship of graduate
student Shyam Dwaraknath. My work focused on studying the diffusion of
fission products in silicon carbide (SiC), which is integral to the success of
the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) concept. The fuel is in the form of
particles called TRISO (TRIstructural ISOtropic) particles. They are composed
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Angélica Cortés sets the furnace
parameters to carry out a Chemical Vapor
Deposition.
of an inner uranium fuel kernel surrounded by three layers of isotropic materials,
which are: the inner pyrolitic carbon layer, the SiC layer and the outer pyrolitic
carbon layer. The SiC contains the fission product and acts as a pressure
vessel. However, migration of fission products through the structure has been
observed resulting in a necessity to characterize and understand this diffusion
process. One cm2 SiC wafers procured from Rohm and Haas serve as the
substrate. They were coated with a layer of pyrolitic carbon via chemical
vapor deposition. The thickness of this layer was verified with Rutherford
Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), which is a form of solid surface analysis,
using a 1.7 MV Tandetron accelerator. Ion implantation of the fission product
(silver or cesium) follows using a 400 KV ion implanter. The implantation was
also verified using RBS. A layer of molybdenum was deposited on the sample
using Ion beam assisted deposition to prevent evaporation of fission product.
RBS was used again to characterize the sample. Annealing of the sample for 10
hours and 60 hours followed at 1600° C simulating real operation temperatures.
RBS was used to profile the penetration of the fission product into the substrate.
Preliminary samples were prepared using the silicon carbide substrate and
silver. These samples were annealed for 10 hours and 60 hours at 1600° C.
RBS was taken before and after the annealing at different times. A Gaussian
distribution was obtained for the concentration versus depth profile of silver on
SiC. A preliminary value for the diffusion coefficient of silver on silicon carbide
was 7.21E-22 m2/s. This value was smaller than the ones that are found in
the literature. Future work includes solving the diffusion equation with more
realistic boundary conditions for the silver preliminary samples, annealing
the Cesium samples at other times in order to obtain more data points, and
obtaining a consistent thickness for the layers of pyrolitic carbon deposited
on the SiC substrates. To view Angélica’s presentation, Cesium Diffusion in
Silicon Carbide, please visit: http://www.engin.umich.edu/gradadmissions/
sure/videos/2011CortesAngelica.html.
Katie Gessler
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Katie Gessler with the wheel assembly
used for the development of dynamics
demonstration material.
Current instruction of undergraduate dynamics, which is the study of
motion and the movement of mechanical systems and one of the core
mechanical engineering courses, is very textbook-based. The study of
the class has students solve problems based on textbook-drawn systems
or linkages, rather than on actual devices. The goal of this project is
to incorporate real mechanical systems into the dynamics class. The
chosen method to achieve this goal is to use inertial measurement
units, or IMUs. Each IMU contains an accelerometer and gyroscope
and measures acceleration and angular velocity when attached to a
mechanical system. The small size of an IMU (about the width of a
quarter) and its quick ability to collect data (less than two minutes from turning
the IMU on to data analysis) make it ideal for use in the classroom. The overall
goal of the project was to develop class material for undergraduate dynamics
so that the instructor can run an experiment on a selected device with the IMU,
analyze the data collected, and then pose a problem to students based on the
results of the experiment – all of this in class. This goal was accomplished by
selecting a mechanical system for study and developing problem statements
based on the results of the experiments run on the device. The wheel assembly
shown in the picture was chosen because of its presentation of many concepts
from rigid-body dynamics, such as kinetics, work-kinetic energy theorem, and
oscillatory motion, and its feasibility for use in the classroom. Each experiment
run on the wheel assembly was designed to test a different dynamics concept
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and was used to develop problem statements. These problem statements
include data collected from an experiment and challenge students to study
dynamics in a manner different from their typical textbook problem. To
view Katie’s presentation, Bringing Dynamics Alive in the Classroom: An
Experimental Approach to Teaching, please visit: http://www.engin.umich.
edu/gradadmissions/sure/videos/2011GesslerKatie.html.
Stephanie Gillespie
University of Miami
Stephanie Gillespie with her poster
presenting at the 25th annual Summer
Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
Conference at Ohio State University.
I spent my summer working with Dr. Silvio Savarese in the
Computer Vision Lab at the University of Miami. My project,
Visual Sonification for Visually-Impaired Users, focused on the
concept of switching the task of object recognition classification
from computers to humans. Large variety of objects within a
single class often requires a large database and does results in
less accuracy. Tall people, young children, people in beach attire,
and people in winter apparel are all classified as people but all
appear very differently in an image. The process we developed
involved a one-time training process and then a testing process
that could be run quickly every time a new image was input
into the program. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to create
a system to help someone visually-impaired “see” the world
through sound with only headphones, a small camera that could
fit on a pair of eyeglasses, and a small portable computer.
For the training process, we used the Bag of Words method. Features were
extracted from the images that were scale-invariant. All features from all
of the training images were grouped into code words, and a dictionary was
built to describe the center of the group of features assigned to each code
word. A histogram was built for each image by calculating the percentage of
features that fell into each code word of the dictionary. Each histogram was
converted to a sound, lasting one second and spanning various frequencies
audible to humans. Each unique image resulted in a unique sound with
slightly different pitches, frequency of oscillations, and melody.
For the testing, an image was broken into a grid of 9 sub-images and each
sub-image had a histogram built from features extracted and labeled into the
code-words. The grid approach was implemented to allow for localization of
an object within an image. After being converted to sound, we tested users
on their ability to correctly identify cars versus people after training on a
specific dictionary for 5-10 minutes. The tests were designed to analyze the
robustness of our method of converting histograms into sounds. In addition, we
hope to answer questions such as how accurate humans can be compared to
computers in object recognition, if a certain size dictionary has better results
than the others, what happens when an image has both a car and a person
in it, does accuracy increase if there are multiples of the same object in an
image, and if a user can identify when a sub-image does not have either a car
or person in it. If we can understand what makes a user successful in object
recognition and what makes a user fail, we can better design a system for
humans to “see” the world through sound with increased accuracy and more
detail than a computer could give.
While I knew very little in this field before this internship, the hands-on research
experience at the University of Michigan has inspired me to consider the field
of computer vision for my Ph.D.
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Chelsea Woods
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Chelsea Woods presented at the 25th
annual Summer Research Opportunities
Program (SROP) Conference held at Ohio
State University.
This summer I was a part of the Summer Research Opportunities Program
at the University of Michigan. I worked with the civil and environmental
department with a construction management specialization. The goal of
the research that I participated in this summer was to improve the safety
of excavations throughout the United States. We approached the problem
several different ways. The research that I worked on was focused on
incorporating a real time global positioning systems that could be programmed
into a platform called Second Life, in order to develop a means of signaling
an excavator in the real world when it was in a designated parameter of an
underground utility. This type of research is vital in order to prevent further
underground utility damage caused by excavations. Over the past decade and
a half, excavations have been the primary cause for pipeline damage. From
1991-2010, excavations have caused 24.3% of significant pipeline incidents,
153 fatalities, 553 injuries, and $528,133,416 in property damage. Before
anyone begins digging, they are required to call 811. After calling, workers
will come out and mark all of the underground utilities on the surface with
paint. This is a great safety precaution; however, once the excavation begins,
these markings are destroyed, and it is up to the operator of an excavator
to remember where these markings were. By implementing a system which
would allow the operators to view the underground utilities, it is believed
that pipeline damage can be drastically reduced. A virtual world containing
a geospatial database of underground utilities can be created. In this world,
a three-dimensional model of an excavator will mimic the movements of a
real world excavator through a real-time GPS tracking system. This real-time
simulation would be able to prevent pipeline accidents by sending a warning
signal to the excavator when it is within a close proximity to an underground
utility. Work is being done to convert planar locations of underground utilities
into the geospatial database required to assemble the virtual world. A threedimensional model has been created in a virtual online game called Second
Life, and is currently being programmed to execute the same movements as
a real world excavator. In conclusion, there is a vast network of underground
utilities that are crucial to humanity’s standard of living. Many of these pipelines
are going to need maintenance in the near future, which provides an opportune
time for the implementation of a digital based database of underground
utilities. This mapping system would offer a platform for a virtual world to be
built around, allowing excavation simulations that would improve the safety
of construction processes.
Sarah Paleg
Washington University, St. Louis
Sarah Paleg was also partially supported by the MSGC during her SROP
internship at the University of Michigan. Sarah is a third-year chemical
engineering student at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her
internship was in the Materials Science Engineering Laboratory and her mentor
was Dr. Rachel Goldman. To view Sarah’s presentation, Characterization of
Surface Features of MBE-Grown GaAsBi Semiconductor Films, please visit:
http://www.engin.umich.edu/gradadmissions/sure/videos/2011PalegSarah.
html.
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The Michigan Initiative on Student NASA
Exploration Research Program (MISNER)
Summer 2011
The following are excerpts from the reports that we received from students
that participated in MISNER Internships during the summer of 2011.
Charles Bardel
Michigan State University
EMAG Technologies, Inc. • Ann Arbor, MI
Antenna fabrication and verification is a very long and expensive process to
iterate designs in hardware. Electromagnetic simulation is a very important
aspect of a realistic iterative design process to understand how design
parameters affect directivity and auxiliary affects due to nearby components.
The primary goal of this simulation is to test different designs of antennas
to optimize for the targeted frequency range and bandwidth, antenna size,
and directivity. Unfortunately, there are no definitive methods to develop an
antenna based on all these parameters so iterative simulation is the practical
solution to meet most antenna design requirements.
Charles Bardel stands next to a horn
antenna that is used to validate the
simulated signals with FDTD in near field
and far field.
One method to simulate the electromagnetic fields is called the Finite
Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. This method is referred to as a
full-wave solver since it simulates both the magnetic and electric fields and
is able to handle complex material properties, such as different dielectric
constants, magnetic properties, and anisotropic properties. The formulation
for FDTD comes directly from Maxwell’s equations and uses the Yee cell.
In the update scheme, the electric fields update the magnetic fields and the
electric update the magnetic fields, and continuously alternates for each
times step. FDTD is a full-wave solver and thus can simulate a wide-band
signal only limited by the space/time discretizations. When this simulation is
animated along some cross-sectional plane, this method marches the field
in time, much like waves in water.
The downside of this algorithm is that it is extremely memory and
computationally intensive and scales very badly as the size of the domain
grows. Therefore, on a desktop machine system, the simulation domain is
limited to a few cubic meters for microwave simulations. The limit of the volume
domain that be computed is determined by the highest frequency of interest
in the source or the Nyquist frequency. Within the simulation domain, as the
highest frequency of the source goes higher then the spacial discretization also
increases by an inversely proportional relationship. This massive computation
turns into 4 nested loops for time, space in x, space in y, and space in z.
During my internship at EMAG, I worked on retrofitting an existing FDTD
electromagnetic solver and accelerating it on the Graphical Processing Unit
(GPU) architecture. It was implemented on a Tesla C1060 and exhibited a
minimum 10 and up to 100 times speedup per subroutine over the same CPU
code during the unit test procedures. The 100 times speed-up relative speed
up to the CPU was an situation where it seems as if the CPU cache lines
were saturated due continuous non-local data access required by a couple
subroutines. This was accomplished by moving all the computational data
onto the GPU and operating on the data on the card. In doing so, custom
templated C++ foundation libraries were created to meet the needs of this
project, and designed to be used for other solvers that are to be ported to
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the GPU. To be flexible enough for other solvers data structure formats, the
template classes were designed to have an easy way to add new translation
template specialization functions for any new data format to be moved to
the GPU.
On going collaboration between Michigan State University’s Nondestructive
Evaluation Lab (MSU NDEL) and EMAG will involve writing proposals to
EMAG’s sponsors for projects to scale this solver up to large compute clusters.
In addition collaboration will include designing a new Finite Element Method
(FEM) simulator that is accelerated by GPU.
Dave Chen
University of Michigan
ElectroDynamic Applications, Inc.
Dave Chen soldering in the high voltage
transistor switch for the PIMFID prototype.
For my internship at ElectroDynamic Applications (EDA)
I developed a chemical sensing system called a Plasma
Induced Micro Flame Ionization Detector (PIMFID).
The PIMFID uses a sensor chip that creates a high
voltage glow discharge through a gas sample and then
triggers a spectrometer to analyze the characteristics
of the discharge. Based on the frequencies in the
glowing discharge, intelligent assumptions can be
made about the chemical contents of the gas. The
chip was fabricated by the University of Michigan and
the spectrometer was commercially acquired but the control circuitry, data
acquisition, and functional coordination had to be done by EDA. I designed
and fabricated the board for the control circuitry which included a CPLD,
high voltage power supply, and high voltage transistor switching circuit. I
successfully acquired spectrums of Nitrogen samples using the available PC
software for the spectrometer, but PIMFID was envisioned as a hand-held
device. In parallel with my hardware development and prototype testing, I
was fortunate enough to work with another MISNER Intern, Jon Jubb, on a
custom written USB driver that is going to later be ported to a small (4 in. x
4 in.), single-board computer. The USB driver will be used in a number of
projects (such as PIMFID and FiberPlug) and it expanded EDA’s capabilities
in embedded systems. With proof of concept tests with hard data and a
good amount of work done on the software and hardware, PIMFID appears
to be ready to go from a Phase 1 to a Phase 2 “Small Business Innovation
Research” (SBIR) program.
I thoroughly enjoyed working at EDA because it is a good port for government
and university research to make it to the commercial market. I think it is
important that the space industry technologies make the leap from government
funding to commercial viability because it keeps the United States at the
forefront of technology and the economy. Also, a majority of the employees
at EDA hold PhDs and it is a great place to learn about space technologies
including propulsion, sensors, communications, and vacuum chambers.
Aside from the technological standpoint, since EDA is a smaller company
I learned a lot about the finances and management of a company which is
something I did not learn about at NASA internships. I plan on keeping close
ties with EDA throughout graduate school and I would highly recommend
other engineering students check out a company like EDA.
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Chase Estrin
University of Michigan
Engineering Exploration Technologies, LLC (EngXT) •
Ann Arbor, MI
This summer I had the pleasure of working with Professor Nilton Renno and
his electric field sensor, both at the University of Michigan and at NASA Glenn
Research Center (GRC). The sensor is an electric field mill composed of a
conductive rotating cylinder divided into four electrically isolated quadrants.
When the cylinder rotates, the charge must redistribute across the quadrants
producing a current proportional to the electric field. An important aspect
of this sensor versus other electric field sensors is that the system is not
electrically grounded. This allows for the sensor to take measurements even
when subjected to the impact of charged particles. The idea behind the sensor
is to look at charge build up during dust storms, dust devils, and wind-blown
sand and to determine what impact it has on atmospheric chemistry. Our
design requirements are being developed with a Martian environment in mind
as we are looking at having the sensor flown to Mars on the 2018 MAX-C/
ExoMars mission.
Chase Estrin is repairing fragile magnet
wire that connects to the motor; a crucial
part in getting one of the sensors up and
running.
In addition to the potential applications in space, Professor Renno has a
startup company in the North Campus Research Complex called EngXT.
Through EngXT, we are commercializing the sensor for use in the electrostatic
discharge industry and other potential industrial applications. The foreseen
markets include semiconductor manufacturers, lightning detection, and
power line field dispersion. While at Michigan, I ran several tests in the
Space Physics Research Laboratory’s (SPRL) copper room to characterize
the second generation of the sensor. My results were used to demonstrate
to potential customers how the sensor performs. My other responsibilities
included mentoring two high school interns in our lab. I taught them how to
assemble the sensors, allowing them to conduct a field campaign on the El
Dorado Dry Lake Bed outside of Boulder City, NV.
During the second half of my summer, I moved my research to GRC, where
I worked on repairing one sensor and writing a proposal to attain funding to
develop the sensor’s third generation. Before coming out to Glenn, I was
tasked to create assembly and disassembly procedures for the secondgeneration sensors. When first arriving at GRC, my mentor and I spent time
repairing some very brittle wires that connect to the motor. Due to strict
tolerances, theses wires are fragile and have to be manipulated a lot. I also
had the chance to help setup a test with our sensor to diagnose the electric
field of a solar panel behind a Faraday cage. A large portion of my time was
spent putting together a proposal to combine the benefits of the first two sensor
generations into an optimized design. I am receiving my Masters in Space
Systems Engineering, so this was right up my alley. I put together a Gantt
chart, work breakdown schedule, CAD models of concepts, and combined
work from contractors to make a complete proposal. The proposal is due
the week after I leave and hopefully GRC will start work on the next version
in March 2012.
I learned a lot of valuable skills this summer. I worked with all age groups,
from the high school students at Michigan to people on the verge of retiring at
GRC. A big takeaway is that prototypes are not meant to be tampered with!
This is what led to the headaches with the latest sensor. With the experience
I have attained this summer, I am more confident in my ability as an engineer
and am ready to enter the work force this winter.
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Sean Hatch
Michigan State University
EMAG Technologies, Inc. • Ann Arbor, MI
During my summer internship, I had the opportunity to experience a variety
of software development assignments. Just as my internship began, EMAG
was about to release the 2011 version of its flagship software package,
EM.CUBE. Leading up to the release, I improved a number of features, but I
spent the majority of my time with the visualization and plotting capabilities of
EM.CUBE. Once I felt comfortable with the stability of the data visualizers, I
added a number of features to the plotters. Overall, I ensured that all plotters
within the EM.CUBE feature were robust with improved reliability.
Most notable is the new calculation and annotation framework,
which allows users to mark graph metrics such as minimum,
maximum, and zeros on a plot. Currently, EM.CUBE 2011 users
should expect a vastly improved experience with respect to plotting
and data visualization.
EMAG’s online science and engineering toolset, CUBELAB,
also required changes prior to release. In particular, I created
a simplified user-interface, and significantly improved browser
cross-compatibility. Users will also notice most of the plotter-related
improvements discussed above.
Following EM.CUBE’s 2011 release, I started working on a projects
that required significant upgrades for EM.CUBE’s next release. I
am currently finishing-up a vastly improved Smith Chart visualizer.
These new features could have a significant impact on user
experience for future releases.
Sean Hatch is shown workong on EMAG’s
online engineering and mathematics
platform, CUBELAB.
My experience at EMAG was rewarding, exciting, and humbling. Working
during the two most contrasting stages of the software release cycle proved to
be an exciting challenge, especially since building features from the ground-up
required quite a different skill set as compared to improving existing code. I
am pleased that I was given the opportunity to contribute to a major software
package. During the upcoming year, I look forward to working remotely with
EMAG on some of the projects mentioned above.
Phil Hohnstadt
Michigan Technological University
Aerophysics, Inc. • Allouez, Michigan
My work at Aerophysics Inc. involved designing and building a trailer-mounted
test platform that would be used to perform field testing for a star tracking
instrument used to estimate the orientation of a spacecraft in its orbit. The
star tracker is used as part of the Local Space Imaging System (LSIS) that
Aerophysics is developing. This involved mounting a three-axis gimbal to a
trailer so that it could be hauled out to the test location, as well as designing
a housing for all the electronics used to control the star tracker and its related
instruments.
The test-bed trailer is now complete and being used successfully for testing
of the star tracker. The final design was to use a 5’ x 8’ utility trailer and
reinforce this with a wooden deck. A voltage regulator was installed on the
trailer to clean the power that was created from a portable generator before it
entered sensitive equipment. The electronics housing was an aluminum box
modified to support three board stacks, a power supply, and a connector panel.
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The three-axis gimbal was mounted to the trailer and the star
tracker was mounted to the gimbal. My work involved selecting
the trailer and performing the reinforcement. For the electronics
box I modeled the housing with all of the board stacks, designed
in the necessary modifications, worked with the machine shop
to perform the modifications, selected and ordered mounting
hardware and connectors, and assembled the final box
Phil Hohnstadt attaches the star tracker
used in the Local Space Imaging System to
the mobile test bed he developed.
In previous internships and in class projects, the design was
always spelled out for you, or you were walked through the
design process step-by-step with someone looking over your
shoulder the entire time. My first day at Aerophysics, I was
told, “Here’s the basic idea of what we’re looking for, go make it
happen.” Working at Aerophysics finally gave me the chance to
go off and design something given only the basic requirements.
I had the opportunity to work all the way through modeling the
design, choosing and purchasing the parts, working with a
machine shop, and even doing some hands-on work myself. It was awesome
to see something go from an idea all the way through production and be able
to see and work with the final product.
I think the most important thing that I gained from the internship at Aerophysics
was the technical experience. That was part of my resume that was not very
strong and seemed hard to acquire. My other work experiences involved
working with drawings and the like, but I was simply updating them based on
instructions given by another engineer – I wasn’t actually doing the technical
part of the work myself. Working at Aerophysics through the MISNER program
gave me the opportunity to perform every aspect of creating a part. It gave
me a chance to gain some real world experience and learn some of the
things that aren’t necessarily common sense or taught in classes – things
like how you mount a circuit board in a box or how big a cut-out needs to be
for a certain connector.
Jonathan Jubb
University of Michigan
ElectroDynamic Applications, Inc. • Ann Arbor, MI
Jonathan Jubb prepares to install one of
EDA’s arcjets inside a vacuum chamber for
testing.
Heat shield technology is a critical component for reentry vehicles and can
be crucial for any flight vehicle that operates for extended periods of time in
the hypersonic regime. Thermal protections systems (TPS) are used on these
vehicles to protect them from potentially harsh damage that can arise from the
high levels of heat they are exposed to. Thermal protection systems are mainly
ablative or non-ablative, meaning that some of the material is vaporized and
eroded, or not, when exposed to these high levels of heat. When a vehicle
is in hypersonic flight, a plasma shock is developed at the bow of the vehicle
due to the vehicle’s high speed through the atmosphere. ElectroDynamic
Applications, Inc. (EDA) has developed an integrated system and series of
tests to try and understand TPS performance, heat shield ablation rates,
and the plasma bow shock environment these vehicles are exposed to.
Additionally, this program will provide benchmark data that will be used to
improve and validate hypersonic radiation, material, and fundamental flow
models. The current project, deemed FiberPlug II, is a NASA Phase II SBIR
effort and will eventually be flown on both testing and flight missions. The
integrated system used in this project will consist primarily of optical fibers
embedded in a TPS test article to convey spectral data and measurements
to a commercial off the shelf (COTS) spectrometer and an arcjet electric
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propulsion device or plasma torch to simulate the plasma bow shock and
hypersonic flow the vehicle will experience during reentry. When coupled
with the spectrometer, the integrated system will provide the capability to
safely study the plasma bow shock environment and to measure heat shield
ablation rates in a real-time manner that is not currently possible.
My summer internship with EDA taught me valuable engineering skills as
it exposed me to nearly all aspects of the FiberPlug II project. During my
internship, I used my education to characterize the performance of arcjets
using different geometries, propellants, and propellant flow rates to ensure
that our in-lab arcjets were capable of meeting the proper hypersonic flow
requirements required for testing. Additionally, I was exposed to embedded
systems computer programming. This included creating both a device driver
computer program for the spectrometer and another computer program that
would integrate the spectrometer with the current test setup and match its
performance to fit the overall project test plan. Moreover, I was exposed to
the fundamentals of vacuum chamber testing including chamber operation,
chamber flanges, and vacuum pumps that were required for testing during
the FiberPlug II project, and I performed vacuum chamber tests in order to
characterize the vacuum pumps we were using for the project. The FiberPlug
II project will continue forward with testing and with developing a prototype
of the spectrometer and integrated system that will soon be used on both
testing or flight missions.
Patrick Theisen
University of Michigan
Soar Technologies, Inc. • Ann Arbor, Michigan
Natural and intuitive communication with other
people is a complex process. Relying on more
than just spoken words, our communication
draws from shared experiences and makes
use of physical gestures. This form of
communication is remarkably effective for
everyday interactions with other people, but
it poses significant challenges in the field of
autonomous robotics.
Patrick Theisen using the tablet application
he developed to communicate with
SoarTech’s autonomous robots.
To give a friend directions to the nearest
gas station, you might point in a direction
and say, “Drive this way, and then turn left
at the McDonald’s, you can’t miss it.” Your
friend would have no trouble following your
directions, but a robot would have a much
harder time understanding you. Unless the
robot has a camera pointed at you, it does not know in which direction you
are pointing. The robot cannot draw from the same experiences that you
can, and will not know what a McDonald’s looks like.
The robot might understand you if you told it to drive north for sixty meters, turn
left, and drive west for another forty meters, but this form of communication
is cumbersome and unnatural for human beings. Until we have software that
can perfectly interpret the nuances of both human speech and body language,
there must be something to bridge the gap between what we communicate
as humans and what autonomous robots can understand.
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I spent my ten weeks at SoarTech developing an Android tablet application
that tries to bridge this gap. In the past, SoarTech has worked with Pioneer
model robots as well as the University of Michigan robots that won the 2010
Multi-Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge in Australia. My
goal was to develop a flexible application that could easily be extended to
work with these and other robot platforms. Rather than communicate directly
with a robot, the application sends user data to a server for processing. The
server then uses the Soar cognitive architecture to make an intelligent decision
about what commands to give the robot.
I spent most of my time working on three main components of the tablet
application. As the robots move, they create a map of the surrounding area.
I used this map information generated by the robots to display a simulated
three-dimensional view of the robot and it’s surroundings on the tablet. The
user can then use the tablet’s touch screen to manipulate the map, select
objects of interest, give commands, and more.
The robots are also equipped with digital cameras. I displayed this live video
feed to the user on the tablet and, just as I did with the map, made it possible
for the user to select objects and give commands through the touch screen.
Finally, I added support for direct operation of a robot through the tablet’s touch
screen. Although autonomous robots are designed to function independent
of human interaction, there are some situations where it might be necessary
for a human operator to intervene. In this case, the application will display
a joystick control for the user to drive the robot directly instead of relying on
a path-planning algorithm.
Aaron Wendzel
Michigan Technological University
Aerophysics, Inc. • Allouez, Michigan
Prior to the 1990’s satellites were large bus sized systems
that had very little functionality. The development of
powerful and small microcomputers and sensors has
allowed the creation of a new generation of micro (<100kg)
and nano (<10kg) satellites that have the capabilities of
a multi-ton vehicle of only a decade earlier. Using small
vehicles in space also allows for new missions that were
not practical or possible with larger satellites.
Aaron Wendzel soldering part of a powerprocessing unit he designed at Aerophysics
Inc. The microscope is used to inspect the
small surface mount parts that are used in
the design.
There is one inherent problem with having a small satellite
and that is it has small fuel tank. To make this worse,
because small satellites are often secondary payloads on bigger launches
there are addition safety concerns for the primary payload. This often means
that the high power chemical thrusters like hydrazine can’t be used, also
because the small vehicles don’t generate the power of large satellites
conventional electric propulsion like arc-jets and ion drives can’t be used.
This has left cold gas thrusters as the de facto propulsion device for small
satellites. These devices are basically pressurized containers with a valve
and a nozzle, functionally not that different from an aerosol can. Cold gas
thrusters are safe, simple and require very little power, but the propellant has
a very low exist velocity meaning they are very inefficient. Electric propulsion
EP allows very high exist velocities but current technologies are not practical
at small scales. To address these problems Aerophysics working with NASA
is developing a new type field effect thruster (FET) that could be deployed on
very small spacecraft. Like most EP devices the thruster itself is only part of
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the propulsion system the other key part is the power processing unit. This
unit takes the satellite battery and solar cell power and changes the voltage
and current to the correct levels necessary for the thruster to operate. This
is the system that I spent the summer developing. This project started off by
me being shown half a server rack full of power supplies and data acquisition
systems and them being told to take all of that and put in the all so roomy
volume of a 1U CubeSat (10cm­­3.)
After the required period of “this is impossible” and “you’re crazy” I started
design process. Beginning by comparing several high voltage DC/DC
converters which would be the heart of the system, attributes like operating
voltage, control and sensing options as well as volume were compared
from several manufactures. After the DC/DC were chosen supporting
electronics like analog to digital converters were needed as well as a
powerful microcontroller necessary to monitor and control the several DC/DC
converters. To make development of the complete system easier I chose an
“Arduino like” ARM microcontroller development board. Since so many custom
PCBs were needed for the design I used a technique called panelization,
more common for production PCBs than prototypes, it involves placing several
PCB onto a larger sheet with cutaways or tabs that let the smaller boards be
removed from a larger panel. Since surface mount components were heavily
used in the design, assembly of the component onto the boards was almost
entirely done through a stereoscopic microscope. Oddly enough I found the
process of soldering the tiny parts to the PCB quite fun and relaxing. The
process of designing a complex system from start to finish is a long hard but
fulfilling activity, however when it comes to the space industry at the end of
every prototype design cycle there is one question that every project lead
will ask.” Hay, can you make that thing smaller?”
Christopher Wines
Michigan Technological University
ElectroDynamic Applications, Inc. • Ann Arbor, MI
Chris Wines next to the recovery system
in its fledgling stage after he finished
mounting the two intermediate xenon tanks
together.
This summer I worked as an intern at EletroDynamic Applications Inc. (EDA), a
research and development company. While at EDA, I helped develop and build
a prototype of EDA’s first product. EDA is contracted to recover and recycle
xenon gas that is exhausted into the large vacuum chamber at the University
of Michigan’s Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL)
during the testing of Hall Thrusters and other types of electric propulsion
devices. I was charged with the task of building a prototype xenon recovery
system that can recover xenon gas contained in a vacuum chamber at a
pressure of three-tenths of a Torr (four ten-thousandths of an atmosphere)
in an entirely automated process. The system does this by taking in gas
that is pumped out of a chamber by a turbo pump into an intermediate tank
until a pressure of 5psi is reached. Once the first intermediary tank reaches
pressure, the recovered gas is pumped into a second, larger intermediate
vessel by a hermetically sealed rotary pump. Once the larger intermediate
tank reaches a suitable pressure, the xenon gas is then pumped into a large
high- pressure gas cylinder using a gas booster. The recovered xenon can
then be filtered and reused. After a lot of hard work, the prototype xenon
recovery system is used to recover xenon from the large vacuum chamber at
PEPL. EDA also has an agreement to build one these recovery systems for
the Air Force Research Laboratory in California, making it EDA’s first product.
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I am very grateful for my time as a MISNER intern. I was
exposed to many different disciplines that I would not have
had any experience with otherwise in my undergraduate
studies as an electrical engineer at Michigan Technological
University (MTU). Most notably, I became familiar with pipe
and vacuum fittings and the practical aspects of high vacuum
testing. In addition, I was able to apply some of the things that
I learned in controls’ classes and other coursework at MTU.
I feel that it was a unique experience, and I was able to get
a glimpse of what working in the aerospace industry is like.
During the internship, I established a working relationship
between EDA and MTU. When I return to MTU, I hope more
working opportunities will come my way from EDA.
Chris Wines tests the recovery system with
compressed air.
The new MSGC Website is
www.mi.spacegrant.org
Calendar of Events
Saturday, November 12, 2011
MSGC Annual Fall Conference on Michigan’s North Campus.
Registration required. For more information and to register, please
visit: www.mi.spacegrant.org
Friday, November 18, 2011
Deadline date for proposals to the MSGC Fellowship, Pre-College
Education, Public Outreach, Teacher Training, and Research
Seed Grant Programs. This is an online proposal and review
process: www.mi.spacegrant.org. Programs targeted to women,
underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities are
strongly encouraged.
Wednesday, February 29 - Saturday, March 3, 2012
National Council of Space Grant Directors and Congressional visits
to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
• 33 •
2011 Fellowship
Undergraduates
Amber Conner preparing a halite sample
from Western Australia for microscopic
observations of fossilized extremophiles.
Amber Conner
Central Michigan University
Fossilization of Extremophiles
in Acid Saline Earth and Mars
Environments
Ephemeral acid saline lakes in
Western Australia are amongst the
most extreme environments on Earth
due to their low pH and high salinities
and are excellent analogs for Mars.
These lakes contain: (1) a novel
extremophile community of droughtand flood-tolerant acidophiles and
halophiles, and (2) rare fossilization
including entrapment in paired halite/
gypsum and iron oxide host minerals.
The proposed research will document
microbial suspects in halite and
gypsum through plane-transmitted,
reflected, and fluorescent light
petrography. Preliminary results
suggest that bacteria/archea and
algae exist, possibly in viable states,
within fluid inclusions in the halite and
gypsum. The recognition of these
extremophiles and the understanding
of their fossilization have significant
implications for the search for life on
early Earth and on Mars.
Steve Petro
Central Michigan University
Development of a Well
Characterized Plasma Source
for Diagnostic Probes
Plasma diagnostic probes are built and
used by students and researchers to
test plasma properties. Many of these
diagnostics are never tested on a
well-characterized plasma source in a
well characterized vacuum chamber.
The purpose of this research is to
develop both a well-characterized
vacuum chamber and microwave
plasma source which would allow
for the calibration of diagnostics
throughout research labs. A vacuum
chamber will be built and checked for
leaks using a helium leak detector.
After researching microwave plasma
sources, one will be built and tested
in the vacuum chamber. A microwave
plasma source is used because of its
high variety of operating conditions.
Samuel Howard
Grand Valley State University
Estimating organic carbon
storage rates in recent stream
sediment using cesium-137
activity, Ottawa County,
Michigan
Organic carbon is stored in recent
sediment through burial of vegetation.
Understanding the linkages between
organic carbon in sediments (SOC)
and carbon in the atmosphere (as
greenhouse gas CO2) is critical to
understanding the carbon cycle and
future climate change. I propose
to use cesium-137 to date recent
sediments. This allows me to
estimate the rate of SOC storage in
recent stream sediments. The aboveground nuclear bomb testing (ca.
1951-1964) deposited cesium-137
all across the globe as an unintended
byproduct. It is my goal to estimate
SOC storage rates by measuring
depth variations in cesium-137
activity in recent sediments. These
data will be used to calculate SOC
stored in post-1963-64 sediments for
three streams in Ottawa County. This
project will provide NASA modelers
and remote sensing scientists useful
field data to calibrate models of SOC
storage in terrestrial environments.
Kase Knochenhauer
Grand Valley State University
Lichenometry and
cosmogenic surface
exposure dating of possible
fossil talus deposits,
Devil’s Lake State Park,
Wisconsin
Using lichenometry and cosmogenic
(e.g., 36Cl) surface exposure dating,
we propose to test the hypothesis
that talus deposits around Devil’s
It is dirty work coring a site at Crockery Creek Park in Ottawa County. From left, Samuel
Howard, and fellow researcher, Adam Mulling (next page) with help from Nick, Hadley,
and Adam.
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Lake State Park (DLSP) are fossil,
periglacial deposits that are frozen
in space and have not moved
since ~18,000 years ago (Bull). We
will develop lichonometric growth
curves, (Bull 2003) calibrate this
with cosmogenic dating, and map
talus deposits in and around DLSP.
Two lichen species; Dimelaena
oreina and Aspicilia caesiocinerea
will be analyzed. (100s-1000s of
thalli diameter measurements will be
made) Cosmogenic surface exposure
dates will then be determined for
confirmation/calibration in the PRIME
Lab at Purdue (Schoonover, 2001).
The combination of these two dating
methods should provide accurate
formation dates for each talus deposit
(+/- 10s of years) to help determine
whether these are static or active
deposits.
Adam Mulling
Grand Valley State University
Carbon storage in postsettlement stream sediment
in Ottawa County, Michigan
Earth’s carbon cycle is an important
process, influencing both atmospheric
carbon dioxide content and the health
of ecosystems. One of the biggest
challenges in Earth system science
The cylinders are filled with the dirt that was
removed in circles shown in the photo to
the left (or whatever, Patrick). The samples
were first set out to dry before they were run
for cesium-137 activity at Hope College.
is to understand carbon exchanges
between atmospheric and terrestrial
carbon reservoirs. Soil organic
carbon (SOC) contains more carbon
than either terrestrial biomass or the
atmosphere combined. Humaninduced land use changes affect SOC
storage in recent stream sediments
(post ~1830 A.D. in our area). I
will complete a SOC inventory
for Ottawa County, using my own
data and existing measurements,
of SOC in post-settlement stream
sediments. Previous MSGC projects
have collected SOC data. Satellite
images and digital elevation models
will be used to map recent stream
sediments and estimate area and
thickness. By multiplying volume of
post-settlement sediments by mass
of carbon stored per cubic meter of
sediment I will estimate the amount
of SOC stored since 1830 A.D.
Caleb Billman
Hope College
Population statistics of radio
and gamma-ray pulsars
with the maximum likelihood
method
Adam Mulling stands in a creek at the
bottom of a ravine at Grand Valley State
University. The dark layer in the picture is
a paleosol which means this area was once
rich with organic material.
We propose to develop a new
diagnostic tool to test the parameters
from our Monte Carlo population
statistics code. Our team has
developed a computer code that
models the birth distribution,
evolution, and spin downs of pulsars,
providing them with radio and gamma-
ray characteristics and filtering their
fluxes through specific radio surveys
and gamma-ray telescopes. The
maximum likelihood method will be
used to define the regions of the
valid parameter space, giving us
confidence intervals for the multiparameter space. We are developing
a model that parameterizes the
spatial distribution of nearby neutron
stars as input into a full maximum
likelihood method model, which will
include pulsar characteristics, such
as period, period derivative, magnetic
field, viewing angles, and detection
sensitivities. Ideally, this will better
describe the initial assumptions
required within a parameter space
necessary to account for detections
performed in radio surveys and
recent Fermi detections.
Leah LaBarge
Hope College
Vegetation Modeling on
Coastal Sand Dunes
I am a geology and mathematics
double major at Hope College. This
coming summer I would like to do
research combining both of these
interests into one project. The
research would be part of a larger
effort to manage coastal dunes and
preserve their ecological diversity.
In my part of the project, I would
like to construct a mathematical
model of the interaction between
sand deposition and burial against
plant population. This model would
be composed of various differential
equations that describe different
dynamics of the vegetation on the
dunes. Another aspect of the project
would be the field work. I would like
to spend time surveying the dunes
and measuring the density of various
dune plant species. The results
would be used to validate the model.
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Cornelius Smits
Hope College
Implementation of an
8-Tetrahedral Robotic
Structure
In 2000, a research and development
team at the Goddard Space Flight
Center initiated the development of
tetrahedral structures, in order to
improve the capabilities of space
exploration vehicles. These structures
are made up of tetrahedral cells
with extendable and contractible
struts. The highly flexible robots can
navigate complex terrain too rough for
current exploration vehicles, allowing
exploration in regions never traversed.
This summer, our objective is to
improve and finish the hardware and
software used on the 8-Tetrahedral
structure. This structure will complete
a tumbling gait resembling amoebic
movement. This project is in
collaboration with NASA and is one
physical implementation of a series
of robotic structures. The robot is an
important physical prototype for the
robotics research and development
team at the Goddard Space Flight
Center and will be a fundamental part
of the development of the practical
use of the robot.
Caitlin Taylor analyzes data from an
experiment done on Beryllium 13 at the
National Superconducting Cyclotron
Laboratory at Michigan State University.
culminate in the publication of results.
These measurements will refine the
understanding of the nuclear force
and our understanding of the nuclear
physics that takes place in supernovae
which leads to the current distribution
of elements in the universe.
Caitlin Taylor
Hope College
Unstable Neutron-Rich
Nuclei: 13Be and 26O
Collaborative experiments involving
the Modular Neutron Array (MoNA)
and the associated high field magnet
plus charged particle spectrometer
(Sweeper) have become routine
at the National Superconducting
Cyclotron Laboratory. The analysis
of the event-mode data is equally
important. I will be responsible for the
analysis of the data for two different
unstable nuclei (13Be and 26O), I will
participate in the actual data taking
for a measurement of 24O, and I
will assist in the installation of the
new LISA neutron array. Of course,
the expectation is that this work will
Richard Gridley analyzes x-rays of defect
sizes of black bear parathyroid hormone
treated rats after 7 weeks of healing.
Richard Gridley
Michigan Technological
University
A Novel Treatment for
Fracture Healing
PTH infused hydrogel will be tested
as a fracture healing treatment in
Sprague Dawley rats. PTH has
already been approved for medical
treatments involving human patients
but the idea of directly applying the
drug to the fracture area has not
been. Our study focuses on applying
PTH infused hydrogel directly to the
fracture site, something that has not
been done before. An incision will be
made on the rat’s hind limb and the
muscle will be separated to expose
the femur. A 3mm defect will be
made in the center of the femur. The
PTH infused hydrogel will be placed
directly into the defect. After roughly
8 weeks the rats will be euthanized
and the femurs will be extracted and
tested for histological, radiographical
and MicroCT analysis. We expect to
see PTH infused hydrogel having a
significantly greater effect on healing
bone than hydrogel alone and empty
defect treatments.
Jill Kivisto
Michigan Technological
University
Oculus-ASR Nanosatellite
Oculus-ASR is Michigan
Technological University’s entrant into
the University Nanosat Competition.
The competition follows a two-year
life cycle which culminates in the
Flight Competition Review in which
a panel of government and industry
professionals selects one university’s
satellite for a launch opportunity.
The primary mission of Oculus-ASR
is to aid in the advancement of
U.S. Space Situational Awareness.
The nanosatellite will serve as a
calibration target by providing a
network of telescopes on the ground
the opportunity to gather spectral
data while in orbit, and compare
this data with data obtained while
on the ground. The differences
in these two data sets will allow
the algorithms and models that
are used to convert the telescope
measurements into useful data to be
calibrated. Secondly, Oculus-ASR is
outfitted with imagers and releasable
objects that aim to demonstrate that
space-to-space imaging is feasible.
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David Weyland
Michigan Technological
University
Effects of Parathyroid
Hormone on Postmenopausal
Mice
Brandi Lundquist prepares for
depolymerization of Chitosan to be sorted by
molecular weight.
Brandi Lundquist
Michigan Technological
University
Formaldehyde-Free
Living Environment by
Biodegradable Chitosan
Formaldehyde is a carcinogen, irritant
to the eyes and inflammatory to the
respiratory system. Formaldehyde
is found in processed materials like
carpet, paper, plywood, adhesives,
paint, and vinyl flooring, especially in
housing, offices, libraries and malls.
Environmental formaldehyde is found
in concentrations of about 6 ppb,
whereas manufactured homes can
reach 200 ppb. High formaldehyde
levels may be present in future space
flight, thus mitigation techniques
should be found. There are phenol
formaldehyde alternatives, but urea
formaldehyde is still used because it’s
an inexpensive, easy building block
for polymerization. The research
will be conducted in two parts. First,
different ratios of chitosan in polyvinyl
alcohol will examine the degree of
formaldehyde elimination and chitosan
will be depolymerized into various
molecular weights and the experiment
repeated, then tests will be done on
formaldehyde-containing samples.
I hope to find an environmentally
friendly way to eliminate formaldehyde
from household products.
By using postmenopausal mice
as a model for osteoporosis,
ovariectomized mice will be given
different doses of human parathyroid
hormone, black bear parathyroid
hormone, or vehicle to conduct a
dose-response study. Mice will be
given subcutaneous injections 5
times a week for an eight-week period
before sacrifice. Lumbar vertebrae,
femurs, and tibias will be studied.
Dynamic histology will be quantified
to determine bone formation rates;
strength testing will be conducted
using compression tests of vertebrae
and 3-point bending of the femur.
Tibias and lumbar vertebrae will
be scanned with µCT, which will
determine trabecular bone volume.
Lastly, bone mineralization will
be determined using ashing. The
purpose of the study is to determine
which treatment and dose is most
effective for treating osteoporosis
and has the potential to be turned
into an effective drug to treat human
osteoporosis, which may benefit
astronauts who lose bone during
spaceflight missions.
Greg McNish
Saginaw Valley State
University
Statistical Analysis of the
Weather Data
NASA satellites such as MISR and
MODIS are capable of collecting
massive data sets and provide
researchers with such huge data sets.
In this project, I will limit my study to
the weather data sets. Weather data
are inherently noisy. That is, they
have to be cleaned. The next step
would be to develop a statistical
model which would be appropriate for
the data set(s). I will apply functional
data methods such as a Bayesian
or a hierarchical Bayesian model to
analyze the data sets.
The results of this research will
be presented to the October 2012
meeting of the Michigan Space Grant
Consortium, and possibly in another
professional conference (such as
Joint Statistical Meeting-Stat. Comp.
Sec). At the conclusion, the outcome
of this research will be organized and
submitted to a professional journal for
publication (such as Proceedings of
Stat. Comp. Sec).
Amanda Pavlicek
Saginaw Valley State
University
Securing the Mission: An
Analysis on a Proposal of
NASA Mission Software
Implementation and
Execution-Using Petri Nets
Research will be performed on the
implementation and installation on
NASA mission software systems
and applications. Mission software
is based on bettering all phases of
a NASA space mission, in which
examples of such are ground and
flight data systems and on-orbit
performance management. This
category of software is accountable
for the scientific progress of a
mission and the safety of NASA
astronauts, space shuttle, and other
aeronautical equipment. While
some mission software systems
are successful in their objectives,
other software, especially systems
purposed in protecting NASA crews
in unpredictable situations, that
need improvement so the risk of
danger can decrease. The purpose
of this research is to improve the
validation and performance of mission
safety software. If any programming
implementation is necessary, it will be
initially written in the C++ programming
language using Petri-Nets. This will
help us enhance the security of future
NASA missions.
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Winston Spencer
Wayne State University
Characterization and
Calibration of an Air Flow
Measurement Device Against
a High Accuracy Sonic Nozzle
and Laminar Flow Element
Andrew Chou takes a break after his
presentation at the 2010 MSGC Fall
Conference.
Andrew Chou
University of Michigan
eXtendable Solar Array
System
The eXtendable Solar Array System
(XSAS) is a modular power generation
system currently being developed
at the University of Michigan for
use with CubeSats (a standardized
nanosatellite. With its deployable
solar array, XSAS offers a five-fold
increase in in-orbit power generation
over current CubeSat capabilities,
passive gravity gradient stabilization,
and the capability to incorporate
a high gain UHF antenna into the
system. During the summer of 2010,
testing was done aboard NASA’s
microgravity aircraft to examine the
deployment dynamics of XSAS at
various rotation rates. Data was
collected and analyzed to determine
forces, moments, and deflections
acting on the XSAS structure. The
design of the deployable structure
and latching mechanism was also
tested and verified. Current project
objectives include refining existing
models based on gathered data,
incorporating new design elements,
and developing the XSAS electrical
power system. These developments
will help determine the system’s final
design.
Winston Spencer works on soldering a BNC
Termination panel to extend the range of
test instruments in the lab.
The accurate determination of fluid
flow rates is crucial to the optimal
operation of many industrial processes
and research experiments. Many
techniques of flow measurement
have been developed for applications
having various fluid flow rates,
velocities, degrees of turbulence,
viscosities, corrosive properties,
temperatures and pressures. The
underlying physics behind the various
techniques must be understood
and mathematically defined. The
optimal choice of a particular flow
measurement device includes
practical considerations such as ease
of use, cost, functionality, accuracy
and precision. The objective of this
research project is to experimentally
determine the discharge coefficient
and characteristics of a venturi nozzle
such that it may be used for highfidelity flow measurements in an
engine laboratory. Tasks include
setting up a test rig and calibration
of the venturi meter against high
accuracy-sonic nozzle and laminar
flow element devices. The work
includes elements of engineering
fields including fluid mechanics,
electronics and experimental methods.
• 38 •
JerMel Stephens
Wayne State University
Matrix-Ionization Laser
Desorption (MILD) for
Structural Elucidation of
Small Molecules
Charge-remote fragmentation
(CRF) have considerable analytical
utility such that double bond(s) and
branching positions of fatty acids
(FA’s) are determined directly by
mass spectrometry (MS) using fat
atom bombardment (FAB). Other
applications include the analysis of
small molecules such as steroids,
prostaglandins, fatty alcohols, etc,
which are of current interests in
lipidomics and metabolomics. MILD
analysis is possible because of
the fundamental beauty of solid
state reactions producing a variety
of extremely reactive Li-donating
TCNQ charge transfer complexes
which is supported by gas phase
chemistry aiding effective ionization
of ionization-retarded molecules.
MILD MS and its utility for CRF on a
time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) instrument
permits structural characterization of
small molecules. We introduce here
the ball mill homogenization/transfer
for nearly manual-free MS sample
preparation, Making use of this
novel device permits straightforward
optimizations and instantaneous
sample preparation.
2011 Fellowship
Graduates
classification maps. This study will
incorporate ground elevation data
into the classification process in order
to investigate the benefits of using
LiDAR generated variables in wetland
change detection. This classification
method can then be adapted to
mapping change in other coastal
wetland regions. Image, elevation
and insitu botanical data has been
periodically collected for the study
site for 11 years, making this an ideal
area for this analysis.
Nicole Horne
Grand Valley State University
Structure and Function of
the Biofilm in the Biosand
Drinking Water Filter System
Zach Raymer using a spectroradiometer to
take white reference spectral measurements
for radiometric correction of hyperspectral
imagery.
Zach Raymer
Central Michigan University
An Investigation of the Use
of LIDAR to Improve Great
Lakes Wetlands Change
Detection Mapping
Change detection in Great Lakes
coastal wetlands is becomingly
increasingly important because it
allows us to monitor our changing
ecosystems. While areal imagery
remains a cost effective way to map
coastal wetlands, this technology
does not contain the spectral
resolution that newer hyperspectral
imagery offers. The spectral similarity
of many dominant wetland plant
species often makes change
detection a challenge. However,
by introducing landscape positions
(elevation) as an additional variable,
we have the ability to potentially
improve the accuracy of land cover
Freshwater is a shrinking resource
in large parts of the Earth (NASA
2009). Overuse and contamination
in underdeveloped countries have
resulted in unsafe drinking water for
millions of people. An inexpensive
remedy is to use Biosand Filters in
households, delivering safe potable
water – a UN Millennium goal (UNICEF
2008). Thousands of HydrAid®
Biosand filters manufactured in
Michigan are now used around the
world. Whereas physical filtration of
particulate impurities through graded
sand is well-known, there is poor
understanding of the active microbial
biofilm involved in ridding water of
harmful contaminants. I will address
this void by experimentally studying
the nature of the biofilm produced
by pristine and polluted waters using
modern microscopic, biochemical
and molecular tools to measure
changes in water-borne microbes,
carbon, and pathogens. Findings
will advance understanding of the
biofilm, establish scientific basis for
optimizing the Biosand filter system,
encourage sustainability of freshwater,
and improve human welfare.
Elizabeth LaRue
Grand Valley State University
The Evolution of Herbicide
Resistance in the Invasive
Eurasian Watermilfoil
Invasive species and our efforts
to control them impose major
disturbances to ecosystems, and the
development of information-based
management tools that minimize
both the effects of invasive species
and human disturbances from
control efforts is essential for the
sustainable preservation of earth’s
ecosystem. The Eurasian watermilfoil
is an ecologically devastating
invader that is extensively managed
with herbicides, but reductions in
herbicide efficacy are increasingly
reported by lake managers. In
my Master’s Thesis, I will use a
combination of laboratory herbicide
efficacy screens, field studies, and
genetic analysis to compare the
level of herbicide resistance in
different genetic lineages of the
invasive Eurasian watermilfoil. An
important broad implication of this
research is the potential to develop
a management tool that utilizes
genetic assays to predict herbicide
efficacy. Such a tool would help us
“understand and protect” aquatic
ecosystems by maximizing the use
efficiency of herbicides.
Elizabeth LaRue collecting invasive
watermilfoil hybrids on a Michigan lake.
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Amanda Syers
Grand Valley State University
Development of an Authentic
Place-Based Data Set for
Great Lakes Educators
A significant amount of place-based
water quality data sets have been
collected each year since 1986
for many parameters on the Annis
Water Resources Institute’s W.G.
Jackson and D.J. Angus educational
vessels. Preliminary and published
research suggests that these data
may indicate evidence of climate
change, the catastrophic impacts
of the Dreissena rostriformis, and
seasonal trends. Analysis of the data
will be conducted to confirm these
findings. Curriculum for K-12 use will
be prepared with the students’ firsthand data to encourage discovery
of trends, critical thinking skills, and
conclusions related to students’
local environment. These activities
will fill the direct need by teachers
to meet expectations based on
students’ immediate natural world
experiences. It will give them a
concrete connection to their
environment, reaching an audience
of over 5,000 students each year
who participate in educational vessel
programs.
Eric Norige
Michigan State University
Quality of Service in
Interplanetary Networks
Evaluation Framework
Interplanetary communication
provides new challenges in computer
networks. Among these is the
problem of Quality of Service (QoS)
- having multiple packetized “flows”
sharing the same communication
channel fairly and efficiently, giving
different priority to different flows.
Some flows require minimal end-toend delays, others require consistent
throughput, and still others can
use whatever bandwidth is left
over. These requirements exist
in traditional networks, with no
clear winner in the marketplace.
Interplanetary networks have much
higher latency, much more variable
reliability and limited processing
capabilities. Each of these adds
a new constraint to QoS solutions,
suggesting the search for innovative
solutions for this up-coming problem.
I will build a testing framework
to evaluate QoS algorithms for
use in interplanetary networking
environments.
Dulcinea Avouris
Michigan Tech University
Triggering of Volcanic Activity
by Large Earthquakes
Statistical analysis of temporal
relationships between large
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
suggests seismic waves may trigger
eruptions, although the causative
mechanism is not well constrained.
We are investigating the relationship
between large earthquakes and
subtle changes in volcanic activity in
order to refine the mechanism. Daily
measurements from OMI, onboard
the Aura satellite, provide volcanic
SO2 emission rates, allowing a time
correlation to be made between
seismic wave arrivals from a
given earthquake and the onset of
volcanic response. Averaged SO2
degassing at globally distributed
volcanoes will be used to calculate
a baseline threshold for comparison
with post-earthquake emission.
Seismic surface-wave amplitudes
and dynamic stresses are modeled
from the source mechanisms of a
global catalog of M≥7 earthquakes.
Arrival times and peak stresses will
then be compared to SO2 changes,
and analyzed for delay in onset and
duration of response, as well as
possible triggering thresholds.
Baron Colbert
Michigan Tech University
Using Nonmetals Separated
from E-Waste and Waste
Plastic Bags in Improving
the Mechanical Properties of
Asphalt Materials
Increasing quantities of non-metallic
electronic waste (e-waste) are
placing a burden on the environment
because of the rapid production
of new electronic devices. The
objectives of this study are evaluating
the effects which temperature and
particle size has on e-waste modified
asphalt material performance. Finally,
the optimum amount of e-waste
which will improve asphalt pavement
performance will be determined.
Successful implementation of nonmetallic e-waste requires a separation
and reduction process of e-waste into
powders and particles. The particles
will be blended into asphalt binders
producing modified asphalt binders
and mixtures. Modified electronic
waste asphalt binders were produced
by blending pulverized e-waste
plastics with virgin asphalt binder.
Electronic waste plastics included
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
and high impact polystyrene (HIPS).
Preliminary conclusions reached
are low quantities of plastic e-waste
asphalt binders meet low temperature
asphalt binder stiffness performance
specifications for soft asphalt binders,
Sarah Gray
Michigan Tech University
Improvement in bone strength
and mineral content in mice
with Duchenne Muscular
Dystrophy using black bear
parathyroid hormone
Disuse osteoporosis affects a wide
variety of individuals, including those
who have suffered spinal cord injury,
astronauts spending extended time in
a microgravity environment, and boys
with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
(DMD). All of these conditions
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uncouple the normal formation:
resorption response in bone. Since the
anabolic cells of bone (osteoblasts)
rely on mechanotransduction to
promote bone formation, a lack
of mechanical signals from basic
actions such as walking and balance
in a 1g environment leads to a
decrease in the formation of new
bone. Most current osteoporosis
treatments work only to inhibit further
bone loss, without restoring lost
bone. Parathyroid hormone (PTH)
is the only available treatment that
restores bone lost to osteoporosis,
and therefore has greater use for
disuse osteoporosis. Black bear
PTH may be a more potent treatment
since bears are the only animals
known to retain bone strength and
mineral content despite annual
periods of disuse (osteoporosis).
John Moyer
Michigan Tech University
Effect of Simulated Low
Gravity on Compressive
Material Properties of Porcine
Meniscus
tissue. The meniscus has been
shown to be a mechanosensitive
tissue that may lose structural
integrity without use, demonstrating a
strong need to test the effect of disuse
on meniscal material properties.
A dynamic compression testing
procedure has been developed to
compare the viscoelastic properties of
exercised and disused fresh meniscal
explants, with cell viability of explants
maintained. Viscoelastic properties
will be examined and significant
differences between loaded and
disused groups will be determined.
With a greater understanding of
how the tissue material properties
of the menisci react to zero-gravity
environments, better preventative
measures can be taken to preserve
the native architecture of the menisci.
Alicia Sawdon
Michigan Tech University
Production of Astaxanthin by
Haematococcus pluvialis for
Astronauts
Development of microalgal
photobioreactors has been considered
Previous research has shown the as one potential strategy to tackle
negative effect that disuse has on the critical life-supporting issues in space.
structure of bones and muscle within In this proposed study, a powerful
the knee, but minimal research has antioxidant--astaxanthin that occurs
been conducted to better understand naturally in freshwater microalgae
the role of mechanical loading on the Haematococcus pluvialis will be
maintenance of healthy meniscal extracted and used as nutriceutical
supplements. Unlike
commercially used twostage photobioreactor
culture systems, a onestage cultivating process
will be developed for the
production of astaxanthin
from Haematococcus
pluvialis. For the
proposed one-stage
microalgal culture
system, carbon
dioxide exhaled from
the astronauts will be
delivered into microalgal
photobioreactors
exposed with high
irradiation. Under such
John Moyer in the Soft Tissue Mechanics Laboratory at
Michigan Tech.
Alicia Sawdon growing Haematococcus
pluvialis. The red Algae cells have been
stressed to produce Astaxanthin.
stressful conditions, high CO2
concentration and light intensity,
it is expected that astaxanthin will
be induced and accumulated in
Haematococcus pluvialis that is
continuously cultured in the onestage photobioreactor. Various
operating variables such as CO2
concentration, light intensity, and
cell inoculation density will be
investigated, determining the most
desirable combination to achieve the
optimal astaxanthin production.
Eric D’herde
Oakland University
A Numerical investigation of
the effects of flow pulsations
on the drag force over
structures
Flow over bluff bodies in general
and cylindrical shapes in particular,
is a fundamental fluid mechanics
problem. As the velocity of the
incoming flow increases, a complex
time-periodic flow pattern, associated
with a specific frequency, and known
as a Karman vortex street, arises.
Understanding the effects of naturally
oscillating flows on bluff bodies,
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such as risers, stacks, wings in stall
configuration, etc. is particularly
important, because regularly
oscillating dynamic forces are
potentially damaging to structures.
To find new ways to control the
amplitude of the drag force on bodies,
such as cylinders, or airfoils, we
intend to run a systematic numerical
study of the effects of unsteady
incompressible flows on the drag
force. Several values of amplitude
and frequency associated with the
unsteady flow will be investigated.
The study will provide correlations
between the natural frequencies, the
imposed periodic flow amplitudes
and frequencies, and the resulting
drag force.
Iverson Bell
University of Michigan
Enabling Ultra-small Sensor
Spacecraft for the Space
Environment
Based on integrated circuit
technology, the potential of ultrasmall spacecraft at the levels of
semiconductor integrated circuits
(10-100 mg) and hybrid integrated
circuits (10-100 grams) is being
investigated both individually and
as a distributed swarm. These
small “chip” satellites, or ChipSats,
have the potential of leveraging the
technology development of highly
capable microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) and could be
substantially less expensive to bring
into orbit. However, ChipSat wafers
have a high area-to-mass ratio
and no propellant, so they have an
orbital lifetime of no more than a
few days in low Earth orbit due to
atmospheric drag. An investigation
will explore the use of a miniaturized,
semi-rigid electrodynamic tether
(EDT) to ensure propulsion without
contributing significantly to ChipSat
mass, onboard power, or atmospheric
drag relative to thrust. EDT dynamics
and current collection will be studied
using simulation software tools and
ground-based experiments.
Eleanor Coyle
University of Michigan
Fabrication of Nanostructured
Inorganic Thermoelectric
Devices Synthesized
by Electrospinning and
Thermoelectric Property
Measurement
Chris Berry aligns optics in a terahertz
spectroscopy system.
Chris Berry
University of Michigan
High Performance Terahertz
Sources for Space-Based
Spectrometry
The proposed research covers
the design, implementation and
characterization of a novel plasmonic
terahertz radiation source which
enables a radical performance
enhancement compared to the stateof-the-art terahertz sources. The
proposed device utilizes plasmonic
photoconductors to achieve high
quantum efficiencies, while providing
high output power levels. Additionally,
by operating at telecom pump
wavelengths, the proposed terahertz
source offers a cost-efficient, lightweight and compact solution for
portable spectrometry systems. The
proposed source will operate ideally
as a local oscillator in space-based
terahertz spectrometry systems
enabling highly sensitive and compact
chemical detection systems for
identifying the chemical constituents
of stars, nebulae, and galaxies.
Thermoelectric devices will likely
play a key role in enhancing the
capabilities of future portable power
generation systems. However, most
thermoelectric materials in current
use are based on exotic materials
and suffer from low efficiency
and high cost. The efficiency
of a thermoelectric system is
parameterized by its figure of merit
ZT, which depends on the Seebeck
coefficient, electrical conductivity,
and thermal conductivity. Maximizing
ZT is challenging because optimizing
one parameter often adversely
affects another. The approaches
proposed here aim to increase the
figure of merit ZT for zinc oxide and
silicon by providing independent
control over the thermal and electrical
conductivities. Overall, ZT values > 2
and thermoelectric device efficiencies
η > 20% may be achievable with the
different thermoelectric materials
considered in this work.
Eleanor Coyle with the compression molder
used to prepare bulk samples.
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Roland Forenz
University of Michigan
Development of a 100 kW
Nested Hall Thruster
With the space shuttle’s imminent
retirement, the US space program is at
a crossroads. NASA has re-directed
its efforts from returning to the moon
to researching advanced concepts
and traveling to more distant targets.
Reaching the itinerary’s reasonable
and worthwhile destinations, such
as Mars, will require lighter, more
efficient spacecraft propulsion. At
the high powers required by these
new missions, conventional singlechannel Hall thrusters become
prohibitively large, with excessive
thruster footprints and mass. Nested
channel Hall thrusters (NHT), which
have exhibited 50% mass savings
compared to their single channel
counterparts, present a solution to this
challenge. This research will focus on
the development of just such a high
power NHT. By the time of funding
(spring/summer 2011), the assembly
and testing phase of the project will
have begun. The grant will offset the
expenses of research, such as the
purchasing of auxiliary equipment.
Catherine Walker
University of Michigan
Application of Terrestrial
Ice Sheet and Rift Basin
Models to the Outer Planet
Icy Satellites: Implications for
Enceladus’ South Pole
Observations by Cassini show that
the South Pole of Saturn’s Enceladus
experiences active resurfacing,
featuring long trans-polar rifts
(“tiger stripes”) that release water
plumes into Saturn’s E-ring. The
nature of the ongoing activity is
not well understood, and theories
have focused on plume and heat
generation rather than on surface
processes. Recent Digital Elevation
Mapping (Schenk and McKinnon,
2009) shows the south pole region
to be a shallow basin, indicating
enhances many combustion
properties, such as, flame stability and
combustion efficiency by promoting
molecules to excited quantum states.
The excited molecules create freeradicals, molecular fragments, and
reduce the activation energy of
various elementary reactions within
the mechanism.
Catherine Walker examines the structural
breakdown of ice crystals under a cryomicroscope after submitting them to
planetary tidal forces while inside the
Planetary Tides Simulation Facility at JPL’s
Ice Physics Lab.
that surface processes may also be
important. We suggest the hypothesis
that processes that formed the south
pole basin are analogous to either
those that produced terrestrial basins
or those cause rifting and fracture in
terrestrial ice sheets. We will apply
models of terrestrial ocean and
continental rift basin formation and
ice dynamics models to Enceladus’
conditions to determine if common
processes and physics can be used
to explain both terrestrial basin
tectonics and Enceladus’ activity.
Devon Washington
Wayne State University
Exergetic Analysis of a
Hydrogen
Combustion
Mechanism
Involving
Electronically
Excited
Oxidizers
Applying the adiabatic assumption
and neglecting viscous effects, a
tubular plug flow reactor model
developed in CHEMKIN will be used
to assess the influence plasma has
on exergy destruction. Gaussian
will be employed to calculate the
thermodynamic properties of the
excited species and the reaction rates
will be obtained from literature. The
mechanism will be modeled with the
species at their ground and excited
states, and a comparison of the
exergy destruction distributions will
be made. An explicit understanding
of this effect may lead to new
combustion optimization parameters.
Kyle Batzer
Western Michigan University
Electrophysiology
Measurement and
Stimulation System
The WMU Neurobiology Engineering
Laboratory is investigating the
electrical activity of neural networks
cultured on microelectrode arrays
(MEAs). A low-cost prototype for
measurement and stimulation of
The aim of this
research is to
examine the impact
plasma has on
exergy destruction
due to chemical
reaction. Plasma Devon Washington shows mole fraction distributions of a hydrogen
assisted combustion combustion mechanism involving electronically-excited species.
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electrical activity capable of
supporting four MEA electrodes has
been developed based on previous
work. The prototype enables lownoise acquisition of electrode voltages
and generation of stimulation signals
either defined by the user or based
on a time history of culture behavior.
Knowledge gained by developing
this prototype will be applied to
developing a fully functional system.
With this system the information
processing capabilities of biological
neural networks will be studied and
current models for neural network
behavior will be validated.
Douglas Downer
Western Michigan University
Field-portable Impedance
Spectrocopy System
In recent years Impedance
Spectroscopy has gained popularity
in becoming a viable method for the
detection of pollution and biological
agents both inside and outside the
laboratory. Impedance Spectroscopy
measurement equipment can be
implemented inexpensively with offthe-shelf circuit components and have
proven to be effective at detecting
even the most trace quantities
of heavy metals and biological
pathogens when paired with micro or
nanoscaled sensors and adsorptive
binding agents. The focus of this
research project will be to implement a
hand-held, field-portable Impedance
Spectroscopy System that will use
external, detachable electrochemical
cells and/or electrodes, either
commercially available or still under
development, to perform a wide
range of Impedance Spectroscopy
experiments. This system will build
on the hand-held systems already
being produced in Europe and will
add AC sweep analysis and more
user experiment/interface options to
the host of voltammetry experiments
already offered.
2011 Research Seed Grant Program
Award Recipients
Deborah Haarsma
Calvin College
Brightest Cluster Galaxies
and Core Gas
A galaxy cluster contains thousands
of galaxies, with typically one large
galaxy at the center called the
Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG).
The space between these galaxies
is filled with a large cloud of hot gas
which emits X-rays. I have recently
embarked on a study of galaxy
clusters and BCGs, publishing my
first papers in this area last spring.
In a sample of 33 clusters, we
discovered a correlation between
the gas density at the X-ray center
and the star density at the BCG
center. I propose here to further
investigate this relationship in a
sample of 90 clusters. Preliminary
results suggest that a key issue will
be the precise criteria used to select
the BCG, so the project will include
development of a selection algorithm
and measurement of BCG light
profiles to aid in selection.
Lawrence Molnar
Calvin College
Asteroid collisional families in
the Koronis zone: a rigorous
test for collision models
One key to the geological history
of the Earth and Moon is the flux of
impactors from the asteroid belt. Great
strides have been made on this topic
in recent years, both to determine the
full complement of physical processes
relevant to asteroid formation and
delivery to the inner solar system
and to inventory the asteroid belt as
input to and a check on the physical
models. The greatest unknown that
remains is how the material properties
of an asteroid affect the outcome
of asteroidal collisions. Ideally, this
could be determined by comparing
the observed outcome of actual
collisions with those of sophisticated
numerical simulations. This has not
been possible, however, because
the circumstances of the collision
(impactor mass, speed, and angle)
are not independently known. Hence
the problem is underdetermined.
Dr. Larry Molnar (left) and undergraduate student, Sam Van Kooten, standing by our
telescope which we have used to observe some of our asteroid subjects.
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Kristina Lemmer working in her plasma diagnostics laboratory at Central Michigan University.
Kristina Lemmer
Central Michigan University
Development and Testing
of a Microwave Plasma
Source for Plasma Diagnostic
Characterization
Faculty Research and Creative
Endeavors Office. Future research
projects will include the development
of advanced diagnostics for testing
electric propulsion devices and other
plasma sources.
There is a need for a wellcharacterized vacuum chamber
and plasma source for plasma
diagnostic characterization. In
research laboratories throughout
the country and world, graduate
students and researchers build their
own plasma diagnostic probes for
testing plasma properties. Often,
these probes are not characterized
or calibrated on a common source
in a well- characterized vacuum
chamber. Thus, the establishment of
such a chamber and plasma source
is the primary focus of the research
to be performed with this Michigan
Space Grant Consortium Research
Seed Grant. The money from the
grant will provide funding for faculty
summer salary and travel to present
results at the International Electric
Propulsion Conference in September,
2011. In addition, this research will
provide necessary building blocks
for future proposal submissions to
the Naval Research Office, the Air
Force Office of Scientific Research
and Central Michigan University’s
Brian Yurk
Hope College
Developing and testing
mathematical models of
burial and erosion-dependent
dynamics of plant populations
in coastal sand dunes
This project supports collaborative
research between mathematicians
and geoscientists (faculty and
undergraduate students) to develop
and test mathematical models
of burial and erosion-dependent
dynamics of plant populations in
coastal sand dunes. In particular, this
work will combine field experiments
(burial and erosion measurements
and vegetation surveys) with
mathematical modeling and remote
sensing data to investigate how
patterns in vegetation population
densities change over time and
how they depend on physical
processes in sand dunes. Burial
and erosion are important drivers
of plant species composition and
population dynamics in coastal sand
dunes; at the same time vegetation
plays a major role in controlling
sand dune activity and morphology.
Understanding this interaction is
crucial for managing coastal dune
complexes, where maintaining the
ecological diversity and aesthetic
value of coasts with active dunes
is often pitted against development
efforts and protecting human-made
structures from migrating dunes. The
mathematical models that we develop
will be used to understand the
interaction between vegetation and
dune processes, and to investigate
different management and landuse scenarios. We expect that the
Caption: (From left to right) Professors Ed Hansen and Brian Yurk with students, Connor
Mulcahy and Leah LaBarge (MSGC Fellowship recipient) working on mathematical models
of sand burial-dependent population dynamics of dune grass.
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preliminary results that we obtain
through this project will lead to long
term funding of the project through
the National Science Foundation.
Suzanne DeVriesZimmerman
Hope College
Using Plant Macrofossils
to Determine
Paleoenvironmental
Conditions in an Allegan
County, Michigan Peat Bog
Paleoenvironmental indicators from
peat bogs can be used as proxies
for past climate conditions. Plant
macrofossils are one such proxy
that can be used to reconstruct
the succession of vegetative
communities in a bog, and hence, to
reconstruct the paleoenvironments in
which those communities grew. We
propose to use plant macrofossils
from cores of a selected Allegan
County peat bog to track longer term
“irreversible” paleoenvironmental
changes associated with autogenic
changes (changes produced
independently of external influences,
such as hydroseral succession or
terrestrialization) and shorter term
“reversible” paleoenvironmental
fluctuations associated with allogenic
changes (changes produced in
response to external influences,
such as changing environmental or
climatic conditions). Differentiating
these paleoenvironmental factors
will allow us to further develop the
climate history of the lower Great
Lakes Basin and to understand
the natural variability within this
area since deglaciation occurred
approximately 13,000 years ago.
An understanding of the natural
variability in climate in this region
will be valuable in evaluating the
impact of future climate change and
will contribute to NASA’s Mission to
Planet Earth program This research
will also support the development
of a center for plant macrofossil
research at Hope College.
A peat bog core is carefully extracted from
the Livingstone sampler after being collected
from Miner Lake Bog in Allegan County,
Michigan. Shown are Nathan Erber (right
front), Dr. Edward Hansen (left front) from
Hope College, and Dr. Timothy Fisher (back
right), from the University of Toledo, and
Joseph Blockland, his graduate student.
John Durocher
Michigan Technological
University
The effect of cognitive stress
on orthostatic tolerance
during lower body negative
pressure
Cognitive stress (9) and lower body
negative pressure (LBNP) (5) can
independently lead to orthostatic
intolerance in humans. In fact,
more than 50% of astronauts are
reported to have reduced orthostatic
tolerance when returning to earth
after spaceflight (1). Presumably,
this is mainly due to the effect of
gravity shifting blood volume back
towards the feet after prior exposure
to a microgravity environment, but it
is possible that cognitive stress is a
key contributor. To our knowledge the
combination of cognitive stress and
orthostatic challenge (i.e., LBNP)
has not been examined, but this
may have important implications for
astronauts. Therefore, the primary
purpose of this study is to determine
how cognitive stress influences
responses to orthostatic challenge.
We hypothesize that mental stress
will decrease orthostatic tolerance
during LBNP. We also hypothesize
that tolerance to LBNP will be further
compromised in females during
mental stress based on previous
reports that women inherently
demonstrate increased incidence
of orthostatic intolerance (4). We
will measure beat-tobeat arterial
blood pressure (Finometer), heart
rate (3-lead electrocardiogram),
respiratory rate (pneumobelt), and
cerebral blood flow (transcranial
Doppler) during a 5 minute baseline,
progressive 3 minute stages of
LBNP (10 to 15 mmHg per stage) to
presyncope, and a 5 minute recovery
in the supine position. Our results
may be of particular importance to
Dr. John Durocher and a research assistant demonstrate the experimental instrumentation
for examining mental stress during an orthostatic challenge (i.e. lower body negative
pressure). Simultaneous cognitive and orthostatic stress may compromise an astronaut’s
ability to maintain cerebral perfusion upon return from spaceflight.
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astronauts if any type of emergency
landing occurred postspaceflight,
as the need to deal with gravity and
stress simultaneously would be at
the forefront. Furthermore, any sex
differences detected could be of
importance to female astronauts
(~30% of all active astronauts).
Determining the combined
physiological responses to stress
and gravitational force may lead
to better treatment, or prevention,
of orthostatic intolerance following
spaceflight.
Kazuya Tajiri
Michigan Technological
University
Water Management in
Unitized Regenerative Fuel
Cells
In order to realize the sustainable
energy society where every house
or community has its own renewable
power plant, it is essential to store the
extra energy in some form. Hydrogen
is one of the candidates for the
energy storage materials because it
is readily used in fuel cells to produce
electricity and emission is ultimately
clean. Therefore, the development
of the hydrogen production methods
has been desired. A unitized
regenerative fuel cell (URFC) is a
device used in both directions, from
electricity to hydrogen, and from
hydrogen to electricity. According to
the operational mode, URFC shows
distinct water transport behavior.
In fuel cell mode, in order to avoid
the flooding, high water drainage
from catalyst layer to gas channels
is preferable. In electrolyzer mode,
on the other hand, water should be
easily supplied from gas channels to
catalyst layer. To compromise these
different requirements, it is important
to study the water transport property
in the porous diffusion media which
are located between the gas channels
and the catalyst layer, and to optimize
the structure of the diffusion media.
The objective of this study is to
understand the liquid water behavior
and to propose the optimized
porous diffusion media structure
and characteristics used in URFC.
Ex-situ materials characterization
and URFC in-situ diagnostics will
be conducted to obtain the physical,
kinetic, and transport properties,
and a model will be developed to
describe the transport and kinetics
in URFC. Then, the developed
model will be used to investigate the
diffusion media optimal structure
and characteristics. This research
will have technical significance in
the space application as well. The
compactness and the simple system
configuration are suitable for onboard energy generation in space.
Mohammed-Reza Siadat
Oakland University
Accuracy Analysis of
Augmented Reality
for Teleoperation and
Telemedicine
Augmenting the reality, visible to
human eye, by models of invisible
objects of interest makes some
impossible missions or difficult tasks
fairly easily doable. This fact is more
pronounced when the mission takes
place remotely. Such systems are
potentially of interest in aeronautics
and space science. This proposal is
focused on prototype development,
accuracy evaluation and validation of
an Augmented Reality (AR) system
at Oakland University. The accuracy
of AR is of critical importance in many
applications, e.g., Computer Assisted
Surgery (CAS). Error analysis will be
performed to evaluate the contribution
of each individual component
of the proposed prototype. The
maximum tolerable inaccuracy is
in the order of 2 millimeter in many
CAS applications. Remedies will
be proposed and implemented to
achieve acceptable accuracies. To
this end, a more accurate scheme for
camera calibration will be devised.
This step is of extreme importance
as in most AR applications accuracy
of camera modeling is the bottleneck.
A robot arm will be used for tracking
purposes in this project. The design
and method of this prototype can
be extrapolated to medical robotics
(due to the kinematic similarity) and
neuronavigation systems.
Kenneth Kearns
Saginaw Valley State
University
Effect of nanoscale
confinement on the thermal
properties of molecules
relevant for organic
photovoltaics
The ability to maximize the efficiency
of organic photovoltaics is of prime
importance to eventually realize
this technology. Recent work has
suggested that using nanostructures
may be an effective way to optimize
device performance for organic and
hybrid organic/inorganic devices.
[1] The thermal properties of the
nanostructures for this type of device
architecture have not been well
studied. For instance, how molecular
Dr. Ken Kearns (standing) and
undergraduate student Steve Hurney
meticulously preparing DSC pans for
nanoscale confinement studies of molecules
relevant for organic photovoltaics.
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Ann Jeffers
University of Michigan
Solution Algorithm for
Simulating ThermoMechanical Snap-Through of
Composite Laminate Shells
packing of the crystal changes with
confinement has not been well studied
for organic photovoltaic molecules.
Additionally, how the melting point
changes with confinement is not
known. If the melting temperature
decreases with confinement as
predicted by the Gibbs-Thompson
rule, the nanostructures will melt
and the potential increase in device
efficiency due to the nanostructures
will be lost. By using controlled pore
glasses (CPGs) of different pore
diameters ranging from 7 to 700 nm,
we aim to confine device relevant
materials in the glass and determine
how thermal properties vary with the
pore size of the CPG using differential
scanning calorimetry.
Jason Pagano
Saginaw Valley State
University
Semiconductor Materials
from Silica Gardens
Silica gardens are a reactionprecipitation system consisting
of hollow silica tubes that form
from aqueous silicate solution upon
placement of metal salt crystals.
As a model case, it is therefore
a good target for understanding
tube formation in geological,
corrosion, and biological systems.
Studies over the past decade have
seen a profound progress toward
unraveling the physics behind radial
selection and reaction dynamics by
quantitative experiments. However,
the development of synthetic
methods for the production of
speciality materials is a current
research challenge. The specific
objectives of the seed proposal
are two-fold. First, we will explore
possible synthetic strategies toward
the synthesis of metal oxide and/or
metal chalcogenide semiconductor
precipitation tubes. Second, we will
attempt to elucidate the structural
features and chemical composition
of post-synthesized semiconductor
silica tubes.
A sol-gel testing rig for creating 100-200
micron uranium and plutonium spheres for
space nuclear power sources. Currently,
preliminary testing with a non-radioactive
cerium surrogate is being performed in
the Neutron Science Laboratory by Jeff
Katalenich and Professor Mike Hartman
in Michigan’s Nuclear Engineering
Department.
Michael Hartman
University of Michigan
Development of a Universal
Powder Fabrication Process
for Space
Nuclear Power Sources to
Support NASA Exploration
Missions
For the past 50 years, nuclear power
sources utilizing decay heat from
radioisotopes have provided NASA
vehicles the electricity needed to
explore our solar system. Recent
investigations into the current
process for fabricating radioisotopic
power sources for NASA missions
have resulted in a call to develop
safer methods with broader utility.
The proposed research investigates
the merits of competing powder
production technologies to meet
NASA’s needs while streamlining the
fabrication process.
• 48 •
Thin-walled shell structures made of
composite laminates are susceptible
to buckling instabilities, particularly
in the presence of a temperature
field. Computational methods for
modeling the stability of shells
exposed to thermal effects are
inadequate, as load-controlled
algorithms fail to capture the
softening response during snapthrough while displacementcontrolled
algorithms cannot account for
thermal and mechanical loads
that act nonproportionally on the
structure. To address limitations in
current methodologies, the proposed
research seeks to formulate a novel
solution algorithm for modeling
the thermal stability of composite
laminates. The proposed algorithm
uses optimization theory to minimize
the potential energy in the system
while imposing constraints on
loads and displacements. Inelastic
deformations and temperaturedependent material properties will be
included in the model, and thermal
and mechanical loads will be allowed
to vary non-proportionally over the
domain. This seed project will focus
on the theoretical formulation of the
proposed solution algorithm and
consider issues related to accuracy,
convergence, and computational
efficiency. If successful, the study
will yield preliminary data that will
be used to support future proposals.
2011 Pre-College Education Award Recipients
Sara Maas
Grand Valley State University
STEPS Camp 2011
Science, Technology and Engineering
Preview Summer Camp (STEPS) is
an all-girl day camp introduction to
the world of science, technology, and
engineering. Campers participate
in activities that give them hands-on
experience with high-tech engineering
equipment and processes. STEPS
is an opportunity for girls to learn
more about what engineers do in
an informal, non-threatening, and
fun environment. Outstanding
staff personnel, with extensive
backgrounds in science, engineering,
education, and mentoring, lead the
activities. Program activities include
designing, manufacturing, and flying a
radio-controlled airplane. Students will
also explore science and engineering
topics while learning team building
and other social skills. Each camp
schedules a number of recreational
activities that can include swimming,
geocaching, and a climbing wall.
Participants will tour Grand Valley’s
engineering facilities and see several
manufacturing processes. The
STEPS Camp Program was awarded
augmentation funding.
Dr. Vicki-Lynn Holmes (left) delves into
LiveScribe technology for Meta cognitive
teaching with a K-12 Educator.
Alec Gallimore and
Bonnie Bryant
University of Michigan
MSGC K-12 Outreach Program
A volunteer helps a camper from the Red
Team cut a notch in her airplane wings
during plane construction.
Vicki-Lynn Holmes
Hope College
Teaching Algebra Concepts
through Technology (TACT2)
The Hope Colleges Mathematics/
Education Departments in partnership
with Ottawa Area Intermediate School
District hosted Phase_1 of a three
year Algebra workshop that sought to
link increased teachers’ mathematics
knowledge of functions to teacher
instruction and student mathematics
achievement. Thirty-seven Algebra I
teachers participated in the three-day
workshop designed to develop and
increase their expertise in Function
skills and pedagogy for all students,
including at-risk, ELL, and special
education while satisfying the National
Common Core standards. These
teachers created function unit plans
that incorporated research based
pedagogy and the interactive virtual
manipulative HeyMath!, which they
will implement during Phase_2 of the
study. Preliminary results from prepost assessment showed teachers’
pedagogical content knowledge
increased 30% and function
knowledge increased 13%. TACT2’s
effectiveness was corroborated
by the teachers’ end of workshop
ratings: 96% overall effectiveness,
88% met pedagogy goals; 83%
increased content connections; and
100% reported TACT2 worthwhile.
The TACT2 Program was awarded
augmentation funding.
This program was designed to
supplement classroom activities with
science lessons we have developed
along with hands-on activities.
Instructors for the program are Michigan
undergraduate and graduate students
that bond quickly with K-12 students
that are not much younger than they
are. This successful combination
gives 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,
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 and different students.
We request funding from the MSGC
in order to continue serving the needs
of community targeting women and
minorities with this successful program.
The MSGC K-12 Outreach Program
was awarded augmentation funding.
Mark Moldwin
University of Michigan
UM-LSNC: The Physics of
Flight
We propose to develop, test and
implement a High School level
physics-activity that uses the Ann
Arbor-based Leslie Science and
Nature Center’s (LSNC) raptors to
engage and excite students. The
Physics of Flight program will become
a regular LSNC Education on the
Wing Program that brings the science
activity to SE Michigan High Schools.
The cost-effective program (the
LSNC staff go to the school instead
of the students taking a field trip to
the LSNC) has reached thousands
of students over the last few years.
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• 49 •
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The latest on the MSGC rocket built by Mr. Bill Bertoldi, educator at Kingsford High School,
and his class. “The first time we flew the MSGC rocket, we blew out a side on deployment of
the chute,” says Mr. Bertoldi. “It was a paper tube rocket covered in fiberglass. Since that
time, we have worked on a rocket like it with a cannon inside to allow dual deployment on a
rocket that normally would not dually depoly. We have test-flown it and it works well.” The
first flight carrying the name of the MSGC was at the launch on September 25 at the former
Groveland Mine near Randville, Michigan. Stay tuned for more photos in the next issue of,
Michigan in Space and on the MSGC website. Mr. Bertoldi has been a MSGC Pre-College
Education award recipient in the past and has presented at the MSGC Fall Conference.
This project will be the first LSNC
program devoted to the physical
sciences and directly addresses
aerospace engineering and space
science. The UM-LSNC partnership
will involve faculty and undergraduate
students in developing and testing a
National Science Content Standard
and Michigan High School Science
Content Expectations (HSCE) aligned
inquiry-based activity with the science
education staff of LSNC.
Michelle Reaves
Wayne State Univeristy
High School Engineering
Training Institute (HSETI)
2011-2012
mathematics and science. The basic
program starts with approximately
30 students in their first year of
high school, and advance them
through four modules (i.e. years) of
summer workshops, academic year
programs, and industrial experiences
until they are ready to enter college.
HSETI’s goal is to improve women
and minority involvement in
mathematics, science, engineering
and other technical disciplines. The
educational and technical training of
these students will help to encourage
and prepare them for career choices
in engineering. The HSETI Program
was awarded augmentation funding.
Michelle Reaves
The High School Engineering Training Wayne State University
Institute (HSETI) was established to Women in Engineering
increase the number of minority Training (WET) 2011-2012
and female students in engineering.
The program prepares students to
enter college and study engineering
at a level competitive with other
students. This preparation includes
familiarizing participants with the
university environment, exposing
them to engineering through a
variety of hands-on experiences and
industrial orientations, and enhancing
their academic skills in the areas of
The Women in Engineering Training
(WET) program was developed
response to the urgent need to initiate
programs that would increase the
pool of females in engineering in the
United States.
The WET program is designed
to increase the number of middle
school girls to enter college and study
• 50 •
engineering at a level competitive
with other students. This preparation
includes familiarizing participants
with the university environment,
exposing them to engineering through
a variety of hands-on experiences and
industrial orientations, and enhancing
their competitive position as they
head for college. The WET program
is a four-week summer experience
for 30 girls that present math, science
and engineering from the female’s
perspective. The program has been
designed, with input from women
faculty and students at Wayne State
University, to further motivate these
young ladies in the direction of
selecting a technical field for a career
choice after high school graduation.
The WET Program was awarded
augmentation funding.
Michelle Reaves
Wayne State University
Young Men in Engineering
Program (YMEP) 2011-2012
The Young Men in Engineering
Program was developed to nurture
the interest of underrepresented
minority males in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics
(STEM). There is a desperate
need to increase the number of
underrepresented minority males that
select engineering or other STEM
fields as career options. We recruited
30 middle school underrepresented
minority males to attend a fourweek educational program focused
Science, Engineering, and Math. We
provided a highly intense academic
curriculum, as well as, workshops
to improve interpersonal skills while
students are on campus. The male
instructors acted as role models for
the students. We offered courses
in Science, Engineering, Astronomy,
English, and Life Skills. The goals
of the program were to increase
the amount of underrepresented
minority males graduating from high
school, and significantly increase their
chances of earning a college degree
in a STEM field. The YMEP Program
was awarded augmentation funding.
2011 Public Outreach Program Award Recipients
Steve Patchin
Michigan Technological
University
Mind Trekkers STEM Road
Show
Michigan Technological University’s
Center for Pre-College Outreach
proposes to conduct the inaugural
Science and Engineering Festival to
be held on the first day of the Houghton
County Fair on Thursday August 25,
2011 featuring its MIND TREKKERS
road show. Experts agree that more
U.S. students must be inspired to
pursue careers in mathematics,
science and engineering. The S&E
Festival will educate, excite and
engage entire communities and
introduce students to aptitudes that
will fill the future workforce. The event
will feature a wide variety of dynamic
hands-on STEM based activities
varying in complexity, academic
base, and age appropriateness.
This event will take place at the
Houghton County fair under four
40’x 60’ circus tents from 4 pm to 9
pm. In collaboration with other Fair
promotions, over 10,000 visitors, with
a minimum of 5,000 K-12 students
and teachers are expected to attend.
Alec Gallimore and
Bonnie Bryant
University of Michigan
MSGC K-12 Outreach
Program
This program was designed to
supplement classroom activities
with science lessons we have
developed along with hands-on
activities. Instructors for the program
are Michigan undergraduate and
graduate students that bond quickly
with K-12 students that are not much
younger than they are. This successful
combination gives 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.
Professor Mark Voit of MSU addresses the Jackson Science Café on the topic of Giant
Galaxies in the Universe.
From the feedback we receive from
educators, 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 multiday, all-day events working with the
same group of students and different
students. We request funding from the
MSGC in order to continue serving the
needs of community targeting women
and minorities with this successful
program.
Jacqueline Tardif
University of Michigan
Mars Rover High School
Design Project
The Mars Rover Team holds an annual
design contest as an important part
of our outreach to local high schools.
The purpose of the contest is to spark
interest in Mars exploration and to
educate students about the work
done by NASA and other space-faring
organizations. The contest is also
designed to help students develop
valuable skills in conducting research
and designing complex systems.
Working individually or in groups as
large as an entire class, students
are asked to come up with a design
adhering to a handful of specifications,
and are encouraged to use their
creativity and innovation to formulate
a more cohesive concept design.
They then write a report explaining
their design. Teams with the top five
designs are invited to the University
of Michigan to present their projects.
Projects are judged based on the
reports and presentations and the
top three teams are awarded prizes.
Mary Howard
Caroline Kennedy Library
Science for Girl Geniuses!
We will be introducing girls in grades
5-8 to the science of space through
two programs. These programs will
introduce them to concepts of space
explorationXXX and give them an
basic understanding of why this can
be such a positive influence on their
lives and how space impacts their
lives.
Melody Gower
Jackson Community College
Science Café
Melody Gower will partner with
Jackson Community College (JCC)
and JCC Assistant Professor of
Biology, Laura Thurlow, to continue
an existing MSGC funded series of
informal science lectures presented
to the Jackson community. Jackson’s
high minority population and low
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• 51 •
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economic/educational rank within
Michigan emphasize the need for
these presentations. Evidence also
suggests the current series has a
growing positive influence on children.
Approximately seven JCC preservice teacher students, acting as
table hosts, facilitate discussions
while they gain teaching experience.
The lecture format is a “Science
Cafe”. Presenters are typically UM
and MSU professors.
Science Cafés are informal lectures
and question/answer sessions with
a scientist. Venues are usually
restaurants, and Cafes are targeted at
people with no science background.
Each Cafe is organized around a topic
such as space science, earth science,
or life science. Video segments
are often shown and supplemental
material is typically distributed.
Liz Raduazo
Jackson County ISD
Astronomy Camp 2011
A s t r o n o m y C a m p 2 0 11 i s a
partnership between Jackson County
Intermediate School District Math/
Science Center, Jackson Community
College and Albion College. It will
be located at Camp McGregor which
has an observational dome equipped
with telescopes and CCD imaging.
Participants will also have full access
to the Peter Hurst Planetarium.
Astronomy Camp will be open to all
State of Michigan middle and high
school students. We will serve up
to 20 students during the summer of
2011. We will be recruiting students
from the entire state with special
emphasis on the Jackson Public
Schools; a high needs district with an
underrepresented minority enrollment.
Students will live at the camp for four
days and three nights while exploring
many aspects of astronomy. The
camp program is aligned with state
and national science benchmarks and
will provide an opportunity for students
to use telescopes, the planetarium,
a CCD camera, a planisphere and
computers.
2011 Teacher Training Program
Award Recipients
Janice Tomask
Central Michigan University
Enabling Teachers to
Learn About and Teach
Nanoscience
Nanoscience is emerging as an
important field with enormous
potential to transform countless areas
of technology and society. Teachers
must be educated in this important
topic so that they may inform students
and provide the next generation of
skilled nanoscience workers. An
online continuing education course,
Nanoscience for Teachers, has been
developed and is offered through the
ProfEd program at Central Michigan
University. With the current state of
the economy, the cost for tuition and
fees can be a deterrent to teachers
who do not have district aid for their
continuing education requirements.
This proposal seeks to provide
teachers with scholarships that will
enable them to enroll in Nanoscience
for Teachers, and to obtain the muchneeded educational training so they
can bring this knowledge back to their
classrooms.
James Sheerin
Eastern Michigan University
Here Comes the Sun An Interdisciplinary Course
We propose to develop a new entrylevel interdisciplinary course for preservice teachers designed to meet
state K-12 science education and
teacher certification requirements
using NASA resources integrated
into each lesson module. Particular
emphasis will be placed on application
of new knowledge to the exploration
of the role of the sun in our geospace,
Earth and solar systems. Extensive
use will be made of data from NASA’s
latest missions to the sun, including
STEREO, SDO, and IRIS scheduled
for launch 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. Each lesson
module will feature group activities
suitable for individual levels of the
K-12 classroom. Course modules
will be designed to meet the science
education needs of pre-service
teachers and prepare them to partner
with NASA.
Brent Krueger
Hope College
Implementation and ongoing
support for computationallybased investigative lessons
in high school classrooms
Computational science and modeling
(CSM) has evolved into an essential
component of scientific investigation,
often providing a critical connection
between theory and experiment.
While CSM is an important research
tool across all fields of science, it
has been only sparing incorporated
into science curricula at the
undergraduate level, much less in
high schools. I propose a workshop
for high school teachers in which
they are trained to use computational
chemistry tools and inquiry-based
methods and in which they develop
lessons for use in their classrooms.
Assessment results from the 2009
and 2010 workshops demonstrate
large gains in teacher confidence
regarding both computation and
inquiry. Assessment results from the
2009-10 academic year show that
39% of high school students report
an increased interest in pursuing
education after high school, 25% in
pursuing a career in computers, and
29% in pursuing a career in science.
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• 52 •
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Participants in Professor Brent Krueger’s Molecular Modeling Workshop for high school
teachers. Professor Krueger is in the back row, far right. Also a 2011 MSGC award
recipient, Dr. Vicki-Lynn Holmes (front row wearing a hat).
Joan Chadde
Michigan Technological
University
Exploring the Geology of
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula:
A Field Trip Guide
This project engages teachers in
learning Earth Sciences via handson, geology field trips in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan described
in a new field guide, “Exploring
the Geology of Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula: A Field Trip Guide for
Grades 4-12 Educators.” The guide
will also be the focus of a summer
teacher institute where expert
geologists will use the guide to
introduce teachers to UP geology.
The project will support graphic
design and printing of the field
trip guide that will also be posted
online for easy access by educators
throughout Michigan and the Midwest.
The project will be coordinated
by the Michigan Tech Center for
Science & Environmental Outreach
in collaboration with Michigan Earth
Science Teachers Association,
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore,
and Porcupine Mountains, Fayette,
and Tahquamenon State Parks,
along with Michigan Tech Dept of
Geological Sciences.
Douglas Oppliger
Michigan Technological
University
Underwater Remotely
Operated Vehicles for
Teaching STEM Concepts –
A Workshop for Teachers of
Underrepresented Students
It is critical that more Michigan
students become interested in
science, technology, engineering
and math, especially those
traditionally underrepresented in
STEM. This is a project continuation
proposal to introduce teachers in the
Metro Detroit area to a unique and
novel approach to teaching STEM
concepts. The funds will support a
teacher-training workshop similar to
one the MSGC supported in 2009.
The workshop proposed here will
be designed to reach teachers of
minority students in and around
Detroit. The workshop will be for
8 schools, each of which will send
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 has great potential to
connect with students in Great Lakes
area because of the relevance of the
lakes to their lives and well-being.
Engineering and math skills come into play as teachers from the tip of the Upper Peninsula
experience project-based learning through a Square One and Michigan Tech sponsored
workshop via a Teacher Training award from the MSGC. Dr. Doug Oppliger from MTU
was the award recipient.
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• 53 •
The GOTHAM Boom team
posed for a picture in their
flight suits in the hangar
preparing for flight.
The GOTHAM Boom team posed for a picture with
Sara Malloy of the Reduced Gravity Office, their
mentor Tess Casswell, and of course the University of
Michigan flag the last day of flight week
Alexander Fox and Shane DeMeulenaere test boom deployment during a zerogravity period
The flight teams and crew from Wednesday, July 13 stop for a picture following their flight.
• 54 •
Stephanie Gowell experiencing her first
parabola as the plane transitioned into
lunar gravity.