Stuart Adams

Louisiana State University

Building Technology

Faculty Mentor: John Ochsendorf

Direct Supervisor: Matt DeJong

Experiments on the Dynamics of Masonry Arches

Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures comprise many important historical structures found in earthquake prone areas. Analytical and numerical software is currently being developed to understand the failure mechanisms of URM structures under seismic loading. To further validate these new computer programs, experiments on small scale masonry arches and buttresses subjected to simulated earthquake loadings must be performed. Factors of interest in this study include scale, geometry, type of acceleration, and the addition of buttresses (stability structures). Through a comparison of the computer modeling results with this experimental modeling, improved accuracy of the software will be verified.

Porsche Buchanan

Spelman College

Biology

Faculty Mentor: Thomas Schwartz

Direct Supervisor: James Whittel

Expression Purification of Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a structure responsible for transporting RNA and proteins across the nuclear envelope. Despite 50 years of research on the structure, very little is known about the anatomic resolution of the NPC. Nup107 and 133 are two of the most well known proteins. Efforts are underway to produce vast quantities of these proteins for X-ray crystallography. X-ray crystallography is the only way to produce anatomic resolution, which requires milligram quantities of the proteins. There are many factors that affect the yield of protein in a purification This project will attempt to improve the first step of purification, Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMCA).

Theresa Dinio

University of California, Berkeley

Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Robert Langer

Direct Supervisor: Fan Yang

 Rapid Optimization of Gene Delivery to Human Embryonic, Adipose and Hematopoietic Stem Cells

In changing a stem cell’s genome, there is the potential use for cell-based regenerative therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes. However, effective and safe gene delivery to stem cells can be quite difficult. Viral vectors maintain several disadvantages including production and quality control, resistance to repeated infection, and safety. Previous research has introduced promising synthetic non-viral vectors that work well in gene delivery to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). This project seeks to: 1) illustrate the same optimal results in human embryonic, adipose, and hematopoietic stem cells, and 2) better understand the physical properties of the synthetic vector in these different environments.

Calvin Foster

Clark Atlanta University

Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Michael Driscoll

Direct Supervisor: Thomas McKrell

 Thermal Conductivity

We are running experiments that are testing the thermal conductivity of certain materials in an attempt to better Nuclear Reactors in the future.

Kristoffer Jensen

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Paula T. Hammond

Direct Supervisor: Avni Argun and Nathan Ashcraft

Layer-by-Layer Assembly for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells to Reduce Methanol Crossover

Fuel cell technology is a growing field that ventures to provide alternative energy in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly and readily-available manner. However, before mainstream implementation of fuel cell technology into society can occur, several obstacles must be hurdled in order to optimize fuel cell performance. One such obstacle is the inefficiency of proton exchange membranes. Research will be conducted on polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). This research intends to attain a favorable balance between ion conduction (which should be maximized) and methanol fuel crossover (which should be minimized) while concurrently attaining long-term operational durability. PEMs will be synthesized using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly by consecutively coating a substrate with multiple layers of alternating polymers. This research will also involve a search for polymers that are more effective and suitable for PEMs. Lastly, research will also be dedicated to the development of membrane electrode assemblies through LbL methodology.

Ta Kim

UCLA

Mechanical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Steven Dubowsky

Direct Supervisor: Peggy Boning

Planning of Space Robotic Systems

Robots will play a critical role in the development and the maindubowsky@mit.edutenance of large space structures. A team of robots must coordinate their movement and actions to assemble or repair individual parts of space structures, both flexible and rigidubowsky@mit.edud. Trajectories of space robots must be planned. This would require position, velocity, force and torque information and commands. Planning will involve designing and developing of trajectories using geometry and dynamic analysis. Robot trajectories will then be implemented using Matlab and Simulink, and then be verified experimentally. In addition, sensors are need to measure the state of the system in order to compensate for the high joint friction as well as controllers to regulate dynamic interaction. This information can be used in a closed loop control so that the system can obtain trajectories that are originally intended.

Christopher Lesesne

Morehouse College

Nuclear Science and Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Michael Driscoll

Direct Supervisor: Tom McKrell

Mathematical Modeling for Nuclear Reactor Fuel Configurations of Optimum Thermal Conductivity

The goal of this project is to assess existing theory, as well as suggest original ideas that address the issue of improving the thermal conductivity in nuclear reactor fuel elements. Virtually all nuclear reactors use uranium oxide in different forms for fuel. Changing the chemical composition of the fuel element(by mixing with highly conductive materials) and the way it is geometrically configured in the reactor core's fuel assembly can increase or decrease the fuel's thermal conductivity. These different fuel configurations can be modeled experimentally and mathematically to determine their respective thermal conductivities. Mathematical modeling for some configurations already exist, but these configurations could possibly be improved. Mathematical models for original fuel configurations can also be developed and then tested experimentally to determine their effect on thermal conductivity. Fourier's law for heating will usually be applied to a fuel element of a certain c! hemical composition and geometric configuration in order to develop an expression for its thermal conductivity. This can also be tested experimentally by measuring the thermal conductivity of a chemical arrangement that models the real fuel element (uranium oxide- powder,cylindrical pellets, etc). The mathematical model can then be compared with the experimental results to help determine which fuel element configuration will yield the greatest thermal conductivity.

Eric Mintz

University of Georgia

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Rebecca Saxe

Direct Supervisor: Liane Young

The Role of Emotional Processing in Moral Judgments

It has traditionally been held that moral judgments are the products of a high level process of moral reasoning. Recent fMRI research, however, indicates that emotional processing plays a dominant role in moral reasoning. The precise role of emotional processing in making moral judgments is not yet fully understood. The current study attempts to determine what type of moral scenarios elicit emotional processing and what role this plays in determining the outcome of the judgment. Specifically, we will be examining the effects of the presence of moral conflict and knowledge of an actors intentions. This will involve fMRI experiment in which subjects will be asked to make a number of moral judgments based on scenarios varying along these lines. Data from this experiment will be analyzed to examine the activation of emotional brain regions.

Jennifer Payne

Alabama A&M University

Neuroscience

Faculty Mentor: Mark F. Bear

Direct Supervisor: Gordon Smith

 Fragile X Syndrome: Inhibitory Avoidance Training

Brain development in the absence of FMRP gives rise to the major symptoms of FXS in humans (delay of speech, language, and motor development; as well as the development of autistic like features). Our research goal is to test Fmr1 knock-out mice in an Inhibitory Avoidance (IA) extinction task. We will inject the drug cycloheximide (which blocks protein synthesis); thus testing the involvement of protein synthesis in IA extinction. We will also inject MPEP (which blocks mGluRs); we will test mGluRs in the Fmr1 knock-out  and wild-type mice in an Inhibitory Avoidance extinction. 

Mariawy Riollano Cruz

University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Paula Hammond

Direct Supervisor: Paula Hammond

Incorporating Uncharged Therapeutics in Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Utilizing Cyclodextrins Carriers

Prosthetic implants such as coronay stents and urinay catheters have improved the treatment of medical disorders. However, these devices still cause post surgical problems that disables a patient's complete recuperation. To this extent combination devices have been developed in order to prevent pathology by offering sustained drug released from the implant at the exact therapeutically targeted site. Using charged cyclodextrins as charged carriers, I will be incorporating Dexamethasome (drug) into stable layer by layer (LbL) films with release profiles of seven days 37 C. I will be testing if cyclodextrin can indeed form LbL film, the optimal condition for LbL growth and its drug release.

Kevin Robinson

Florida A&M University

Mechanical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Asegun Henry and Shireen Goh

Direct Supervisor: Gang Chen

Using Dielectrophoretic force to attach a nanotube between a wollaston wire and a gold STM tip

Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are of great interest because of their material properties, most notably, their thermal conductivity (TC). Because CNTs have strong (stiff) interatomic bonds and a high degree of one-dimensional symmetry, it is suggested that CNTs may have a higher TC than any other naturally occurring material and could potentially be used in a wide variety of applications; possibly functioning as thermal superconductors.  There have been studies where individual CNT TCs are measured, but only a few CNTs were able to be measured because the experimental setups were difficult to repeat. This paper shows a way to directly measure CNT TCs, by attaching one end of the CNT to a STM tip and the other end to a Wollaston wire. Usually, this process is done inside a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). However, there are some problems with attaching CNTs to Wollaston wires under the TEM, namely: it is hard to make thermal contacts and tungsten deposition coats the entire CNT.  With this new technique, experiments will yield reliable and higher TC measurements.

Satyan Telikepalli

University of Kansas

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Jim Glass

Direct Supervisor: Ian McGraw

Developing applications to assist in multi-lingual language learning using speech recognition

Two important obstacles in learning a foreign language are vocabulary retention and the understanding of the language's grammar rules. However, the recent emergence of more sophisticated computer systems has brought on the possibility of using Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) systems to aid in the learning of a foreign language. The Spoken Language Systems (SLS) group at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence laboratory (CSAIL) has been developing technology that enables humans to interact with computers using natural spoken language, and have adapted these systems for language teaching applications. The goal of this project is to explore the possibility of incorporating the systems being developed at CSAIL into the Adobe Flash platform in order to support an interactive multimedia application that includes animation, resulting in more engaging dialog interaction activities.