MIT's Undergraduate research Opportunities Program

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Project Openings

Below are currently advertised UROP projects available to MIT, CME and cross-registered Wellesley College undergraduates. All projects, regardless of mode (pay, credit, or volunteer) are expected to be worth MIT academic credit and be supervised by MIT faculty. Projects appear on this list in the order they have been received.

NOTE: These projects do not represent all available UROPs as many faculty do not submit project listings for this site. Rather, they expect interested students to contact them based on their general research to discuss potential UROPs.

Available UROPs

5/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: CSAIL
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Russ Tedrake

Project Title: Autonomous Fork-lift

Project Description: The robotics groups in MIT CSAIL are currently working on a autonomous fork-lift platform which could revolutionize Army logistics by autonomously loading and unloading trucks (keeping soldiers out of harms way). We have a position open this summer for a student to help fabricate and control a forklift prototype.
Prerequisites: The ideal student would have experience in one or more of the following areas: mechanical design, machining and fabrication, electronics and power systems, control theory, and control software design.

Contact: Prof. Russ Tedrake, russt@mit.edu, http://groups.csail.mit.edu/locomotion/.

5/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: CSAIL
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Russ Tedrake

Autonomous Fixed-Wing Perching

We are in the middle of an ambitious project to demonstrate that an advanced control system can enable an airplane to land on a perch in much the same way as a bird. We have a position available for a summer intern to help with the instrumentation of these vehicles as we transition from our indoor demonstration to an outdoor demonstration.

Prerequisites: Ideal candidates would have experience in electronics and possibly experience with aerodynamics and/or model RC airplanes.

Contact: Prof. Russ Tedrake, russt@mit.edu, http://groups.csail.mit.edu/locomotion/.

5/14/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Ken Wexler

Children's acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL)

The Wexler ab/Normal Language Lab (http://wexlerlab.mit.edu) is looking for a Summer UROP (for credit or volunteer). Our lab is interested in language and how it is instantiated in the brain. We study first language acquisition, but also aphasia and autism a.o. and work with both children and adults. The research project for which we are now seeking help focuses on children's acquisition of American Sign Language (ASL). Help is needed to prepare stimuli: we are using short videos and simple animations and composing a small computer-based test program out of that.

Prerequisites: web development skills; HTML and Javascript; Flash experience or ability to learn quickly; visual creativity! Helpful but not necessary: familiarity with and/or interest in linguistics, ASL and Deaf community. Contact: Vanja de Lint, vdelint@mit.edu. Please write if you would like to schedule a meeting or simply have questions (and include a copy of your CV/resume).

5/14/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Department of Chemical Engineering and
Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Paula T. Hammond

Multilayered Thin Films for Drug Delivery and Transdermal Immunization

UROP position is available in a multidisciplinary project to develop new drug delivery system using multilayered polymer thin film.

Student will learn and perform 1) thin film assembly and characterizations and 2) drug and protein release experiments and characterizations. Student will use the techniques such as ellipsometry, profilometry, AFM, FT-IR, fluorescence spectroscopy, UV/vis and many more if desired.

As an optional side project (or as the primary project if interested), a UROP could also explore these films as antibacterial surface coating and also perform bacterial cell culture. Methods for improving the efficacy of these films will be investigated.

Students should be self-motivated, enthusiastic and expected to actively
participate in discussions on the project. Also, we are expecting to write a
scientific publication in the end of the summer.

Previous lab experience in chemistry and/or biology would be preferred but the position is open to any motivated individuals who are eager and ready to learn a new field.

Contact: Byeong-Su Kim (bskim19@mit.edu; Bldg 66-525).

5/14/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Marketing
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Sharmila C. Chatterjee

Consumer Credit Crisis: Role of Credit Terms Confusion in the Current Housing Market Crisis

This study postulates that Truth In Lending Act (TILA) mandated disclosure practices are not effectively informing consumers about their rights and responsibilities as credit users. Thirty years of research confirms that lenders are complying with the TILA in solicitations and contracts. TILA has been considered successful in terms of compliance on the part of lenders in notifying clients about credit terms. However, most studies have looked at "awareness" of TILA mandated disclosures as opposed to "comprehension" of TILA mandated disclosures. This study examines if consumers comprehend lending terms or are they only aware of the terms without understanding the implications of the lending terms on their financial position. Findings have important implications for public policy. Students will get a chance to get involved in the data entry and analysis stage of this very timely study given the current housing market crisis. Students will also get exposure to how survey research is conducted and the issues involved in survey research. Project is available for UROP credit as well as funding.

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of Excel. Interest in data analysis. Student will be trained in statistical package that will be used. Knowledge of SPSS or SAS is a plus.

Contact: Prof. Sharmila C. Chatterjee, schatterjee@mit.edu, I am on international travel between May17th and June 4th with limited e-mail access. Hence, all interview meetings will take place only after June 4th.

5/14/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Humans and Automation Lab (Aero-Astro)
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Mary L. Cummings

Tabletop User Interfaces for Emergency Response

We are investigating mechanisms for synchronous collaboration between tabletop and handheld devices, for coordinating members of a distributed team. We require a UROP to aid in the design of interfaces for these devices, and to develop software to implement them. The student will also help to develop our simulation of an urban search and rescue scenario (essentially a 3D game) to test the system with users. This is a paid UROP position for summer 2008. Dates are flexible. See the link below for more information on this project.

Prerequisites: Programming experience with Java is essential. Experience with multithreading, communications (sockets and RMI), Java2D, Javascript, and C# will be beneficial. Development experience with Eclipse, SVN, and JUnit will also be useful.

Contact: To apply, or to ask any questions, contact Mark Ashdown, <ashdownm@mit.edu>, phone: 617-253-2337. For more information on this project see http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/labs/halab/openings.html.

5/14/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab- Tangible Media Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Hiroshi Ishii

Bodyscape & Kinetic Sketchup

The Tangible Media Group in the MIT Media Lab is seeing EECS and MechE UROPs for an actuated textile mesh project. The project involves creating a shape change form-generating surface using a combination of hard and soft mechanical components in an intricate mesh actuated with nitinol, shape memory wire. There are UROP positions available in 3 different areas. The first is working with microcontroller programming (AVRs) and hardware design controlling shape memory alloy (nitinol) elements. The second is programming a GUI and on-screen simulation environment mimicking the mechancial behavior of the nitinol elements. The third is for mechanical design of the kinetic elements including CAD drawings and possible 3D printing and fabrication in our machine shop (training can be given). Please have some related experience or interest and a willingness to learn in one of the above areas. We are looking for self-motivated students who are able to manage their own sections of the project in exchange for alot of autonomy and creative and technical input into the project, we like to think of our UROPs as collaborators. The Tangible Media Group is a fun and offbeat place to work, combining technical rigor with design and artistic creativity. Positions available for Summer with possibility to continue UROP through summer and beyond.

Prerequisites: not required but beneficial: hardware: AVR programming + embedded hardware experience software: Java + Open GL mechanical: CAD (Autocad or Solidworks).

Contact: Amanda Parkes, amanda@media.mit.edu.

5/14/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab/Hyperinstruments Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Tod Machover

Trainer Piano

WANTED: Trainer Piano UROP HELP BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSICAL INTSTRUMENTS! http://web.media.mit.edu/~lewiston

We are looking for a fast-learning, energetic UROP to join our team working on the Trainer Piano. Similar to a player piano, the Trainer Piano utilizes haptic guidance to actively move your fingers through the correct motions while you learn to play the piano. Initial responsibilities will include: - Fabrication and installation of electromagnets into piano keys - Design and fabrication of a sliding cradle system This is a great opportunity for a MechE-inclined undergrad to get design (SolidWorks) and fabrication (Water Jet, Laser Cutter) experience.

Contact: Craig Lewiston, lewiston@media.mit.edu, with a copy of your resume and a short paragraph about your interests and why you would be a good fit for this UROP.

5/13/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: CSAIL/EECS
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Nicholas Roy

Maps for human-robot interaction

A large amount of research has been done on how to get a robot to autonomously construct a map of its environment: such a map can be very useful for performing tasks within that environment. However most map representations are designed for use by the robot alone. We're interested in autonomously constructing representations of the environment that facilitate human-robot interaction: for example, we would like a human to be able to give directions to a robot using normal English instructions, and have the robot reliably reach the human's intended destination.

Prerequisites: We're looking for a UROP to assist with this project over the summer. Prior experience with either C, Java, Python or Matlab is strongly encouraged. Course experience in robotics or probability is beneficial but not required.

Contact: Emma Brunskill, emma@csail.mit.edu.

5/12/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chemical Engineering/Langer Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Robert Langer

Tissue engineering and Biomaterials for Vocal Folds

We are looking for a UROP for summer 2008 (the position may continue for Fall 2008 depending upon performance) in the Vocal Fold tissue engineering sub-group in the Langer Lab. The project description follows: Scar formation in the vocal fold tissue results in the loss of vocal fold pliability and significant increase in the tissue stiffness leading to a mild to extreme degradation in the quality of voice. We are working with clinicians the MGH Voice Center to develop therapies for restoring the pliability to a scarred, stiffened vocal fold tissue.

We will investigate two approaches to address the aforementioned problem:

1. Biomaterials: We are preparing soft hydrogel-based biomaterials to be injected into the vocal fold tissue. Lead gels have been identified and current work will aim at developing these hydrogels so that they can be translated to the clinic. The project will offer opportunities to learn techniques such as photopolymerization, mechanical characterization using rheometry, and chemical characterization using Mass spectrometry, NMR, and GPC. Furthermore, the project will involve working with clinicians in order to facilitate the transition of this technology from the lab to the clinic.

2. Tissue Engineering: We are also preparing hydrogels that promote the attachment and proliferation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). The project work involves help with hydrogel synthesis and modification, stem cell isolation and characterization, and in vitro and in vivo construct characterization. The project offers opportunities to learn variety of cell and tissue characterization techniques such as DNA and protein assays, immunostaining and imaging, FACS, RT-PCR, etc.

Prerequisites: Ideally sophomores and juniors with some prior experience of working in labs will be preferred. Experience with cell culture and characterization will be a plus. Commitment to the work, good analytical skills, and interest in the project are the most important criteria for selection.

Contact: If you are interested please e-mail me with your Resume/CV. Sandeep Karajanagi, sandeepk@mit.edu.

5/12/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab/ Tangible Media Group
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Hiroshi Ishii

Interactive Table-top system

We have an opening for a UROP student to continue work on an interactive table-top platform and explore new concepts within
the Tangible Media Group.(http://tangible.media.mit.edu)

The platform we are developing will be able to identify and track objects
and detect manipulation of the objects, such as opening and
closing of a bottle. This is great opportunity to work with and learn
about RFID as well as antennas.

UROP tasks will include:
Designing new table-top sensor concepts as well as continuing the
development of an existing platform we call "musicBottles". Development platform includes the PIC microcontroller (we also use the Atmel AVR for some other projects) and interfacing to a variety of other hardware modules that have already been completed. We have already developed firmware libraries to record and playback audio files and controlled colored lights, and are now exploring various small UHF RFID modules and build several clever RFID sensors.

Skills/Requirements:
EE Student or Any Student with Firmware Experience We are looking for a student with significant experience and skills with firmware development, preferrably at the assembly language level, with the PIC microcontrollers. Knowledge of C and use of the C-compilier also important. MIT lab 6.115 or hobby experience desired. Basic knowledge
of electronics (6.002, 6.101, 6.111) is also useful. Fluency with math
and basic electromagnetics also a plus. We are looking for a responsible student who is able to work independently and possibly open to continuing project into future semesters.

Please contact: Dr. Rich Fletcher (fletcher@media.mit.edu).

5/12/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering/LMP
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Ramesh Raskar

High Speed 3D Tomography Machine

We are building a portable machine to perfom optical tomography at high speed. Such machines can compute 3D representation of scanned parts (such as blood flow in wrists or muscle activity) in real time allowing detailed analysis of higher-level human activity. The goal is to build, perform mathematical simulation and analyse reconstructed 3D volumes.

Prerequisites: Experience with circuit board design and electronics, PIC programming. Experience or interest in signal processing. Programming in Matlab and C++.

Contact: Prof. Ramesh Raskar, raskar(at)media.mit.edu,
Website: http://web.media.mit.edu/~raskar/

5/12/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering/LMP
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Ramesh Raskar

Second Skin, a bio-I/O platform (Optical motion capture)

We are building a wearable fabric to support millimeter accurate location and bio-parameter tracking at thousands of points on the body. Such a fabric can compute and predict 3D representation of human activity and use them for a closed-loop control to augment human performance. The goal is to support a detailed analysis and control of higher-level human activity. The basic technology uses a new optical motion capture method we have recently developed. The first phase of the project involves building next generation optical communication tools.

Prerequisites: Experience with circuit board design and electronics (especially photosensors and emitters), as well as PIC programming.
Related Video: http://web.media.mit.edu/~raskar/prakash/.

Contact: Prof. Ramesh Raskar, raskar(at)media.mit.edu,
Website: http://web.media.mit.edu/~raskar/

5/12/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering/LMP
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Tonio Buonassisi

Improving Solar Cell Yields by Investigating the Fundamental Mechanisms of Wafer Breakage

To drive solar energy to the mainstream, cost reductions must occur. One means of achieving these cost reductions is to use less silicon, i.e., to decrease the thickness of the silicon wafers (used in 90% of today’s commercial solar cells). Unfortunately, thinner wafers tend to break more easily when handled, resulting in processing yield losses (higher production costs). To improve processing yields with thinner wafers, one must fully understand the mechanisms involved in wafer breakage, from a statistical and microstructural point of view.

The student involved in this project will conduct laboratory work and perform data analyses to understand the mechanisms of mechanical breakage of wafers. This work will involve three-point-bending tests of wafers, using high-speed cameras to capture wafer breakage in real time. The ideal candidate will be a dedicated, determined, patient, resourceful, and detail-oriented individual who takes pride in her/his work. This research has the potential to make an important contribution to the solar cell community. There is also a high likelihood of being cited as an author on future papers. This UROP is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to the solar cell research community at MIT.

Student has the option of working for credit or for pay.

Contact: Professor Tonio Buonassisi (buonassisi@mit.edu).

5/12/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering/LMP
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Tonio Buonassisi

Improving Solar Cell Yields by Investigating the Fundamental Mechanisms of Wafer Breakage

To drive solar energy to the mainstream, cost reductions must occur. One means of achieving these cost reductions is to use less silicon, i.e., to decrease the thickness of the silicon wafers (used in 90% of today’s commercial solar cells). Unfortunately, thinner wafers tend to break more easily when handled, resulting in processing yield losses (higher production costs). To improve processing yields with thinner wafers, one must fully understand the mechanisms involved in wafer breakage, from a statistical and microstructural point of view.

The student involved in this project will conduct laboratory work and perform data analyses to understand the mechanisms of mechanical breakage of wafers. This work will involve three-point-bending tests of wafers, using high-speed cameras to capture wafer breakage in real time. The ideal candidate will be a dedicated, determined, patient, resourceful, and detail-oriented individual who takes pride in her/his work. This research has the potential to make an important contribution to the solar cell community. There is also a high likelihood of being cited as an author on future papers. This UROP is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to the solar cell research community at MIT.

Student has the option of working for credit or for pay.

Contact: Professor Tonio Buonassisi (buonassisi@mit.edu).

5/8/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: HST
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Collin Stultz (EECS/HST)

Collagen unfolding and degradation

Collagen degradation is an important step in the progression of cancer metastasis, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. We are investigating alternative therapies that may slow the rate of collagen degradation in these diseases by identifying compounds that stabilize the structure of collagen. Our UROP will conduct experiments using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and fluorescence assays to gauge the effectiveness of these compounds.

Prerequisites: All majors welcome. Student should have working knowledge of organic (5.12 or equivalent) and biological chemistry (7.05/5.07 or equivalent). Previous experimental experience would be a plus, but is by no means necessary.

Contact: Please send CV/resume to Paul Nerenberg (psn@mit.edu).

5/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Tangible Media Group/MIT Medialab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Hiroshi Ishii

Shadowbox

More and more objects and environments exist both on-line and off-, requiring the separate design of web and physical appearances to become one and the same. The Shadowbox is a platform for the design of physical-digital products where classic form-giving is coupled to the addition of hyperlinked information which can be retrieved on-line. A simple webcam serves to capture the object being built and gestures with a laser pointer serve to add digital links to the object. Once captured these hyperlinks detailing specific information about an object can be retrieved at a later date by placing the object in the Shadowbox to retrieve the linked content. Shadowbox works through a web site coupled to a computer vision system built using OpenCV running through Python.

Prerequisites: The Shadowbox project seeks UROPs interested in learning about Python/Java Programming, Web Development and Computer Vision.

Contact: Leonardo Bonanni (amerigo@media.mit.edu) http://leo.media.mit.edu.

5/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Tangible Media Group/MIT Medialab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Hiroshi Ishii

Wetpaint

A work of art in a museum affords little about its history, both culturally and physically. Wetpaint is a project that seeks new interaction paradigms for interacting with visual art in a museum or gallery in ways that allow for individual exploration and interpretation of individual artworks. Based on a mirror physical-digital architecture, a work of art on Wetpaint allows museum visitors as well as on-line visitors to scrape through the layers of history of an image to see how it has changed over time. As well as witnessing physical transformations, Wetpaint scrapes through the layers of interpretation that have given the artwork meaning through audio clips nestled within the physical layers. Finally, Wetpaint allows visitors to leave their own comments and interpretations to add them to the ongoing cultural dialogue that defines the importance of a work of art. Wetpaint substitutes the static, curator-driven paradigm of museum exhibits with a democratic user-based model (based on a blog). It works through a Java Swing graphics application that accesses artwork in a Flickr collection and interacts through the Flickr API to maintain multi-layered image collections as well as to manage bidirectional audio commenting online and off.

Prerequisites: The Wetpaint project seeks UROPs interested in learning about Wed Development, Art History, Java Programming and the Flick API.

Contact: Leonardo Bonanni (amerigo@media.mit.edu) http://leo.media.mit.edu.

5/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Tangible Media Group/MIT Medialab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof.Hiroshi Ishii

Sourcemap

Sourcemap is a web-based tool for designers to investigate and document the global supply chains and material provenance of consumer products. Using an open and free wiki-style approach, Sourcemap is the first tool for professionals and novices alike to understand the global social and environmental impact of industrial production. The web platform creates visualizations of global supply chains alongside life-cycle assessments and carbon footprint calculations. Our system is growing to include travel planning, event organization and to output 'sourcemaps' in a variety of formats for use in the physical and digital worlds.

Prerequisites: The Sourcemap project seeks students interested in learning about Web Development, Environmentalism, Life-Cycle Assessment and Product Design.

Contact: Leonardo Bonanni (amerigo@media.mit.edu) Visit Sourcemap at http://sourcemap.org.

5/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab/ Affective Computing Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Roz Picard

Wireless Biosensors

We have multipe openings for UROP students to help design and build some wireless biosensors for measuring a variety of physiologial
parameters, including skin conductance, heart rate (PPG and ECG),
accelerometers, and other new variants. The sensor boards are
attached to our radio modules which operate using the IEEE 802.15.4
protocol to create a wireless ad hoc network. We also have data logger capability that allows the sensor data to be stored locally on the module, and then uploaded automatically the following day when the user comes in range of a base station. We have a variety of active research collaborations with medical and health reserchers around the country exploring conditions such as Autism in children as well as sleep disorders and others. Certainly other commercial applications are also of interest, ranging from nursing homes elder care to video games (Microsoft XBox is a sponsor of our lab).

UROP tasks will include:

Laying out, assembling, and testing sensors
We have existing biosensor designs, but more advanced students have the opportunity to design their own sensor circuits if desired. For those students who are interested is software as well, there are also opportunities to integrate these sensors with mobile phones and web server applications.

Skills/Requirements:
We are looking for students with strong interest in analog hardware or emebedded systems (firmware), and who enjoy the challenge of building/designing something small and low power with minimal parts. Our boards are all surface mount with 402 components, so attention to detail is a plus. Interest in biosensors and/or biomed applications is also a plus. Some aesthetic/design sensibilities are also useful since these sensors need to be comfortable and worn by people for extended periods of time.

We have openings for both entry level and advanced students. We are looking for responsible students who are able to work independently and possibly open to continuing the project into the fall term.

Please contact: Dr. Rich Fletcher (fletcher@media.mit.edu) (and mention for which project you are applying).

5/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Hugh Herr

UROP Openings in Biomechatronics Group

The Biomechatronics Group is looking for summer UROPs in
prosthetics and human locomotion. The position can continue into subsequent terms.

Artificial Gastrocnemius

The UROP will design and build a device to be worn by below the knee amputees which connects to an active foot and simulates the gastrocnemius muscle during running. The UROP will also continue the development of a similar mechanism for walking which currently exists in prototype, potentially merging the two devices into a single versatile design.

Applicants should have a strong background in mechanical design and be
experienced in machining. Experience with embedded firmware
development in C a plus.

Contact Grant Elliott (gelliott@mit.edu) and Ken Endo (kene@mit.edu).

5/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Hugh Herr

UROP Openings in Biomechatronics Group

The Biomechatronics Group is looking for summer UROPs in
prosthetics and human locomotion. The position can continue into subsequent terms.

3D Motion Capture and Gait Analysis

The UROP will run a series of experiments on human locomotion in a motion capture room, performing both the motion capture of human subjects and the analysis of the resultant data. Of particular interest are transient events, such as stepping onto a curb, turning, or being perturbed during normal walking.

Applicants should have programming skills in C and MATLab. Experience with SQL a plus.

Contact Todd Farrell (mtf@media.mit.edu) and Michael Eilenberg (emichael@mit.edu).

5/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Deb Roy

Visualization of Financial Data

The MIT Media Lab Center for Future Banking is seeking Summer UROP Students interested in visualization and data mining of large amount of financial data in novel ways. We are doing an exciting research jointly with Bank of America and we are looking for creative minds with strong analytic skills. People with coding experience are preferred. You will be able to learn various visualization tools and data mining skills.
Prerequisites: Experience with graphical tools, user interfaces, 3D modeling, prefuse, processing preferred. Coding experience required.

Contact: Dr. Marko Popovic at marko@media.mit.edu, Please CC kwan@media.mit.edu, and dawei@media.mit.edu when you contact Dr. Popovic Website: http://cfb.media.mit.edu/.

5/6/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Energy Initiative
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Leon Glicksman

A UROP Investigating the Feasibility and Impacts of Green Roofs

This UROP will create a new resource on campus for MIT Operations staff seeking information on green roofs and their possible applications on campus. A green roof consists of vegetation planted on a roof of a building which is generally implemented to enhance energy conservation, stormwater management, or building aesthetics. Possible tasks are listed below. Supervisors are happy to work with a student to customize the project to suit his or her interests. - Collect current literature, data and other resources on green roofs into an indexed, easy-to-use resource for Operations staff. - Summarize and analyze current literature for conclusions on the impacts of green roofs. - Create a framework process and tools, if possible, for analyzing a proposed or existing building at MIT for green roof potential. - Draft a possible protocol for a pilot experiment of green roofs at MIT. Investigate possible existing sites on the MIT campus for the pilot and investigate the resources needed to implement such a project. This position is equivalent to a part-time summer UROP, scheduling of hours is flexible.

Prerequisites: An interest in architecture and natural systems. A background in either of these areas is useful but not necessary. Student should be ready to work independently. This UROP is funded through the Campus Sustainability UROP Program. CS UROPs work with both a faculty supervisor and an operations advisor who is involved in campus facilities. For more information, go to http://lfee.mit.edu/urops and go to the Campus Sustainability UROPs section. This UROP can also be taken for credit.

Contact: If interested, please send a resume and a 1-2 sentence statement of interest to Beth Conlin, bconlin@mit.edu.

5/6/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Chem E
Faculty Supervisor: Prof Gregory Stephanopoulos

Metabolic Analysis of Critical Illness

This summer research opportunity is located at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Shriners Hospital in Boston. The focus of the work is the metabolic assessment of mice. The position for the summer requires a person who can cheerfully work at somewhat irregular but specific times as required by the project. This position requires working with a team on an existing project. By participating in this project the student researcher may learn how metabolism is assessed in animals and what major challenges face researchers. The student researcher will perform routine tasks that may include measuring oxygen consumption, CO2 production, and glucose metabolism in mice. A major focus of our work involves stable isotopic tracer techniques for quantifying the rates of synthesis of key compounds in metabolic pathways. Mass spectrometry techniques are a central aspect of the assays we use. Thus, the student researcher will have an opportunity to learn how isotopic methods and mass spectrometry are used to estimate metabolic rates. In addition, there will be opportunities for the ambitious student to develop a new assay for evaluating mouse metabolism. Our group combines metabolic physiology at MGH and metabolic engineering at MIT Course X to develop new approaches to understanding critical illness. The summer position begins as soon as the term ends. Pay is $9/hour. It may be possible to extend this project for credit during the academic year.

Prerequisites: Useful but not required 1. experience handling animals 2. human physiology course.

Contact: Dr. Joanne Kelleher, jkk@mit.edu.

5/6/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab - Human Dynamics Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Alex "Sandy" Pentland

Understanding Human Behavior using Wearable Sensor Badges

Human behavior in the real world has been difficult to quantify, but the
emergence of wearable sensors has enabled scientists to study behavior at a scale never thought possible (http://hd.media.mit.edu/sensible.html). Our research group has developed Sociometric badges that enable us to not only collect behavioral data over long periods of time, but also enable feedback mechanisms through visualizations with the goal of actually changing individual and group behavior. Possible project areas include: behavioral data analysis, badge platform development, visualization, phone programming, and running real world experiments.

Prerequisites: C language, Java, or high level of experience with other programming languages. Desired: Python, Matlab, PHP, phone programming experience.

Contact: Daniel Olguin Olguin (dolguin@mit.edu).

5/6/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab | Ambient Intelligence Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Pattie Maes

Shape Changing Surfaces

The goal for this urop project will be to design and implement shape changing surfaces for human computer interaction. http://ambient.media.mit.edu/projects.php?action=bymember&id=9. We are currently developing three new interfaces: Shutters, Sprout I/O and Surflex, which use smart materials and embedded electronics to change shape in response to human interaction. The goal for this urop will be to design and program the control electronics, as well as physically and virtually build several aspects of these projects. The candidate will have a chance to get involved in world class research and to co-author scientific publications based on this research.

Prerequisites: Interested candidates should have some experience with programming and/or electronics, but most importantly they should be self motivated, good at solving technical problems and interested in learning new technologies. Some experience with computer graphics is also a plus.

Contact: Interested? Please contact Marcelo Coelho marcelo@media.mit.edu.

5/6/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab - Sociable Media Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Judith Donath

We: The Sociable Media Group We: Are using visualizations to study how individuals and communities manifest themselves online We: Are building next-gen interactive visualizations using massive data sets We: are looking for You: You: MIT undergraduate student You: Interested in info vizualization, interaction design or game design You: Comfortable with at least 3 technologies from the list below*

Prerequisites: PYTHON, JAVA, C++, OPENGL, DIRECTX, OGRE3D, JME, JAVA 2D/3D, PYGAME, GLSL, HLSL, PROCESSING, FLASH, MAYA, MEL, SQL, GIT, SVN * (comfortable with at least 3, we teach you the rest of it).

Contact: Alex Dragulescu, dragu@media.mit.edu, http://www.sq.ro/urop.

5/1/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: SENSEable City Laboratory
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Carlo Ratti

WikiCity: How Can a City Perform as an Open-Source Real-time Control System <http://senseable.mit.edu/WikiCity>

How can a city perform as a real time control system? The WikiCity project deals with the development of real-time location-sensitive tools for the city. It follows the Real-time Rome project that was developed for the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture and which aggregated data from cell phones, buses and taxis in Rome to better understand urban dynamics in real-time (s. also http://senseable.mit.edu/realtimerome).

In general, the WikiCity can be considered a new platform for storing, exchanging and processing data which are location and time-sensitive, in the line of ongoing deployment of Web 2.0. As such, it would be a significant leap forward towards a pervasive 'internet of things' to support human action and interaction. (s. also http://senseable.mit.edu/WikiCity).

We are looking for EECS UROPs who are interested in this new research field and who would like to develop new tools for exchanging and processing location- and time-sensitive data or connect environmental monitoring mechanisms to the WikiCity concept.

Competencies
* visual Java programming
* interface design
* interest in composition of distributed services
* (ontologies and semantic web)

or:
* Java programming
* real-time data analysis
* geospatial technologies and related APIs
* open standards

Contact: Please e-mail senseable-applicants@mit.edu with a resume ASAP (at latest June 9th).

5/1/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Judith Donath

Mycrocosm

The Sociable Media Group is looking for a student to work over the summer (and possibly longer) on a visual micro-blogging web service (http://mycro.media.mit.edu) that we are developing that allows users to share small chunks of personal information from their daily lives in a graphical form. In this project we are exploring alternate forms of self expression and representation on the internet. Students with interests in social web technologies, user interface design and information visualisation may be particularly interested but all are welcome to apply. Possible areas of work include: adding social networking features, SMS and mobile input, API s for moving data in and out of the site, integration with the Facebook platform, designing visualizations and web UIs.

Prerequisites: You should be comfortable programming in a high level language, being a fast learner also helps. Visual design skills are a plus but not a requirement.

Contact: Mahugnon Yannick, yannick@media.mit.edu.

5/1/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: David Reed

Ad Hoc Network Performance Research

Our group has several applications and protocols that run over WiFi ad-hoc networks. We are looking for a mature programmer who has the enthusiasm to run real world network experiments. The student will be wrapping the existing protocols (written in Python) and set up experiments with different conditions for file transfer and real time streams in indoor and outdoor settings, to log and measure the performance. The student will gain experience with development on mobile platforms, get a better understanding of the wireless networking challenges and mobile computing.

Prerequisites: Comfort with Linux or UNIX like system preferred. Experience in Python a plus.

Contact: Pol Ypodimatopoulos <ypod@mit.edu> Kwan Lee <kwan@media.mit.edu>.

5/1/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: David Reed

Administration and visualization of mesh network testbed

We have a mesh network testbed that numbers about 100 wireless nodes (mostly XO laptops + regular PCs) that is used for protocol development and testing. One goal is to build a management and reporting tool that will deploy code to be executed and collect experiment results. It should also provide reports on node connectivity and statistics and it should be tolerant to intermittent network connectivity. Finally, an existing web-based network visualization tool [1] needs to be extended to support functions like file sharing and messaging. [1] http://lyme.media.mit.edu/cerebro/index.php/Image:Cerebro2.png.

Prerequisites: Linux (bash+python) programming (web development desirable).

Contact: Pol Ypodimatopoulos <ypod@mit.edu>.

5/1/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: David Reed

Social/mesh network application development on N95/iPhone

We are building a next-generation social networking platform using a mesh network of humans carrying mobile devices. Our platform is extensible by means of an API [1] so that user applications can be built similarly to Facebook, but also offers exciting new features such as list of people that are physically around and their physical network layout, alerts on the presence/absence of users, view from remote mesh networks, participation of "digital furniture" in the mesh network (eg. storage/processing power embedded in walls). The following sketches (courtesy of current UROP student) show some initial designs for displaying the network layout on the user's mobile device [2] and a sample chat application with other users [3]. The goal of this project entails 50% programming of simple social applications on a mobile phone (such as chat, file sharing, usage of shared "digital furniture") and 50% UI design for the limited screen real estate offered by the mobile phone. [1]: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Cerebro [2]: http://lyme.media.mit.edu/cerebro/images/Design-sketches6.png [3]: http://lyme.media.mit.edu/cerebro/images/Design-sketches4.png.

Prerequisites: Python, ability to take up programming on mobile phones (6.033 desirable).

Contact: Pol Ypodimatopoulos <ypod@mit.edu>.

5/1/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: David Reed

Extend "Cerebro" mesh network platform to Mac/Windows

Mesh networking is an emerging type of communication in urban and rural environments. Cerebro (http://cerebro.mit.edu/) is a scalable, light-weight platform that allows 802.11b/g devices to form a mesh network and offers presence information in mesh networks. It was built for and runs on the OLPC XO laptop (python), but currently works on any Linux platform (x86, embedded ARM) where python is available. The goal of this project is to develop extensions to Cerebro that will allow it to seamlessly run on Mac and Windows platforms. This entails identifying and porting the OS-specific parts (eg. access to file system) to the target platform and testing mesh network functionality on regular 802.11b/g devices. You will evaluate the performance of your work on our mesh network testbed which includes a mixture of hardware platforms. This work may result in the publication of a paper.

Prerequisites: Network programming, (6.033 desirable)

Contact: Pol Ypodimatopoulos <ypod@mit.edu>.

4/30/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Lifelong Kindergarten Group/Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Mitchel Resnick

Computer Clubhouse Village Website

We're looking for several UROPs to implement new features for a youth-oriented community website. The core parts of the site are written in Ruby on Rails. We are looking for UROPs to add features like RSS feeds, a collaborative game, and to improve current interfaces by using AJAX for more interactivity and better handling for different media types such as videos. You will be involved with implementing features to improve the community experience and foster collaboration between members on the site. The Computer Clubhouse Village is a website for youth (aged 10-18) and adult mentors where they can share and discuss their projects (anything from poetry, to 3D models, to Flash animations and beyond). It is accessible to members of the Clubhouse Clubhouse Network (http://www.computerclubhouse.org/), a network of over 100 after-school and informal learning centers in 20 countries around the world.
Prerequisites: Experience with web programming is required. Knowledge of Ruby, Rails, or AJAX a plus.

Contact: Interested students should send a resume and statement of interest to Chris Garrity, chrisg@media.mit.edu, Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab.

4/30/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: BCS / CSAIL
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Tomaso Poggio

Image and video database creation for man, neurons and machines

The main task will involve the collection of images and videos from the web and their manual annotations. The images and videos will be used to evaluate the recognition performance of a neurobiologically inspired computer vision system as well as humans and multi-unit activity recorded in an awake monkey. This position is a great opportunity to gain exposure to exciting research combining psychology/human psychophysics, animal electrophysiology and state-of-the-art machine learning and computer vision. No previous experience required.

Contact: Thomas Serre, serre@mit.edu, http://web.mit.edu/serre/www/.

4/29/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab: Ambient Intelligence Group
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Pattie Maes

Hero Reports: Mapping Civic Courage

Whether its suspicious activity or local crime, government corruption or mortgage foreclosures we are often asked--directly & indirectly--to pay attention to the breaches of trust. The problem, however, is if we only see the breaches of trust, we risk missing the bridges. HERO REPORTS builds structure to these bridges. It is a social network of many forms (website, facebook application, sound recordings, print campaign, graffiti art, video performance ) that asks people to pay attention to heroic activity, and to report it. By collecting and organizing everyday acts of heroism, we can provide resources for physical manifestation. These resources can expand how we evaluate the economic value of communities. The emphasis at this stage is to develop hero maps. Along with crime maps, these hero maps inform a metric for real estate assessment.

Prerequisites: Position requires experience in php/MySQL. Must also be able to work off-site (aka work from home) with a high degree of online communication. The most important task will be assisting in site functionality, in conjunction with developing a mulit-faceted social network. If you care about strangers, understand a local newspaper and want to make a facebook application this is for you. Interest in New York City, design or art also relevant.

Contact: Alyssa Wright, alyssa@media.mit.edu.

4/29/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Center for Collective Intelligence
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Thomas Malone

Energy/Climate Model Census Project

We are seeking a summer UROP to work on a project that will assemble a census of existing energy/climate models. The student will undertake research on the Web and in academic journals to identify the leading energy/climate models, and develop a wiki that will document key characteristics of these models. We will be especially interested in models that can presently be accessed and run via the Web. This work will be part of a larger project that seeks to employ the techniques of collective intelligence to address the issue of global climate change. For more on the project, see http://cci.mit.edu/research/climate.html.

Prerequisites: Position will require strong research and writing skills. Interest in and familiarity with modeling, especially energy/climate modeling, and in the issues associated with global climate change, is desirable. Familiarity with Web 2.0 technologies, especially wikis, will also be helpful, as well as general programming skills, to assess the technical details of a model.

Contact: Interested students should contact Peter Gloor pgloor@mit.edu and Robert Laubacher rjl@mit.edu of the Center for Collective Intelligence.

4/29/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Barry Vercoe

Business Development in India

Are you interested in BUSINESS? Are you interested in INDIA? The Media Lab is looking for UROPs to work on a business development project this Summer. Please contact us for more details.

Prerequisites: - Experience or strong interest in market research, business development. - Excellent analytical skills, creative ability, high degree of initiative and self-motivation. - Familiarity with the Indian market is a plus.

Contact: Contact: Mihir Sarkar (mihir@media.mit.edu). Please include a resume (or a description of your skills) and a paragraph describing your motivation and relevant experience.

4/29/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Energy Initiative
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Stephen Intille

Innovation to Affect Energy Use by Building Users

Building user behavior is an essential component of energy efficiency on MIT's campus and worldwide. This UROP can undertake two projects that investigate the building-user relationship, and test strategies that can increase user and building efficiency. Project 1: Nearly 30% of CO2 emitted from MIT comes from lighting and about 15% of unoccupied academic rooms remain lit after hours. The UROP will conduct a pilot project in Buildings 56 and 16 to investigate the effectiveness of computer-mediated feedback mechanisms to affect behavior change in lighting. The project will include the following tasks, of which as many as possible will be completed during the summer: The student will contact, recruit and register building users as subjects. The student will develop, test, site and install computer vision apparatus to monitor building lighting and implement feedback using computer vision data. The student will analyze lighting data to determine changes in usage relative to control group.

Project 2: Indoor thermal climate and air quality are important issues affecting energy use and health. The UROP will develop a thermal comfort surveying strategy for MIT building users targeting information about occupant s opinion of the temperature and air quality of their workspace. The UROP will also conduct a relevant literature search. The UROP will not need to implement the survey, but may pilot survey methods. This survey will be part of the application for LEED certification of the new Sloan building. Creativity in survey content and delivery is welcome.

Prerequisites: Strong programming skills (C#, Java, or C++). Interest in energy conservation and behavior change. Experience or coursework in computer vision, experimental design, and server-side programming would be helpful. The supervisors are happy to talk with students about their interests and best tailor the project to their skills. This UROP is funded through the Campus Sustainability UROP Program. CS UROPs work with both a faculty supervisor and an operations advisor who is involved in campus facilities. For more information, go to http://lfee.mit.edu/urops and go to the Campus Sustainability UROPs section. This UROP can also be taken for credit.

Contact: If interested, please send a resume and a 1-2 sentence statement of interest to Beth Conlin, bconlin@mit.edu.

4/24/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Barry Vercoe

Real-Time Network Music Performance (2)

System Integration for Network Music Performance Thanks to the Internet, musicians located in different countries can now aspire to play to play together in real-time as if they were in the same space. However, the time delays due to the inherent latency in computer networks are unsuitable for real-time musical applications. To address this, we propose an online musical collaboration system that combines machine listening and machine learning to represent, transmit, and generate music over computer networks. Trained for a particular instrument, here the Indian tabla drum, our system recognizes drum strokes at one end and sends hierarchical symbolic structures over the network. At the receiving end, our system predicts the next strokes by analyzing previous phrases, and synthesizes an estimated audio output. Objectives: - Design a GUI - Build testing capability into the software package - Develop software modules - Test and setup the hardware and software system - Design and setup the audio and lighting system for remote performances.

Prerequisites: - GUI package (e.g. FLTK, GTK, Cocoa) - Good programming skills in a high-level language (e.g. C, C++, Python) - Background in Digital Signal Processing is a plus - Familiarity with the tabla is a plus All positions require a strong interest in music technology, a high-degree of initiative and self-motivation. Positions start in June and may be continued over the Fall term (for pay or credit). This work will result in a public demonstration of the system during an official Media Lab event.

Contact: Mihir Sarkar (mihir@media.mit.edu) Please include a resume (or a description of skills and interests), a paragraph describing your motivation and relevant experience (classes or projects), and the position you are interested in. For more information, please visit http://web.media.mit.edu/~mihir/.

4/24/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Barry Vercoe

Real-Time Network Music Performance

Visualizations for Network Music Performance Thanks to the Internet, musicians located in different countries can now aspire to play to play together in real-time as if they were in the same space. However, the time delays due to the inherent latency in computer networks are unsuitable for real-time musical applications. To address this, we propose an online musical collaboration system that combines machine listening and machine learning to represent, transmit, and generate music over computer networks. Trained for a particular instrument, here the Indian tabla drum, our system recognizes drum strokes at one end and sends hierarchical symbolic structures over the network. At the receiving end, our system predicts the next strokes by analyzing previous phrases, and synthesizes an estimated audio output. Objectives: - Develop visualization algorithms and interfaces - Design "aesthetically-pleasing" visualization techniques based on an incoming stream of audio data and network packets - Include remote video feeds (like teleconferencing)

Prerequisites: - GUI toolkit (e.g. GTK), graphical programming language (e.g. OpenGL, Processing), or graphics package (e.g. Jitter) - Familiarity with Digital Signal Processing and/or Networking are a plus All positions require a strong interest in music technology, a high-degree of initiative and self-motivation. Positions start in June and may be continued over the Fall term (for pay or credit). Examples of previous work are necessary to be considered for this project. This work will result in a public demonstration of the system during an official Media Lab event.

Contact: Mihir Sarkar (mihir@media.mit.edu) Please include a resume (or a description of skills and interests), a paragraph describing your motivation and relevant experience (classes or projects), and the position you are interested in. For more information, please visit http://web.media.mit.edu/~mihir/.

4/24/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Barry Vercoe

Sound Design with Everyday Words

Data Analysis and Machine Learning for Sound Design Musicians often describe the quality of musical sounds with words such as "bright" or "warm". Our project investigates the relationship between auditory perception and language in this context: we are interested in finding whether people use a common terminology to describe timbre or if their choice of words is linked to their musical or cultural background. We deployed an online survey in which over a 1000 participants were asked to find words to describe the sounds they heard. We are now analyzing whether the words they used correlate with timbral features. Our objective is to design an audio processing engine that can automatically tag sounds in a database for retrieval purposes. It could also synthesize or modify sounds according to descriptive words instead of technical parameters. Objectives: - Structure and parse database records - Extract audio features from sound files - Apply statistical techniques and pattern recognition algorithms - Analyze and discuss results - Future work: evaluate appropriate sound synthesis techniques; design and develop a sound synthesizer based on the previous findings.

Prerequisites: - PHP, mySQL (or ability to learn them quickly on the job) - Familiarity with Sound Synthesis, Digital Signal Processing, and/or Machine Learning techniques are a plus All positions require a strong interest in music technology, a high-degree of initiative and self-motivation. Positions start in June and may be continued over the Fall term (for pay or credit). This work will result in the publication of a paper.

Contact: Mihir Sarkar (mihir@media.mit.edu) Please include a resume (or a description of skills and interests), a paragraph describing your motivation and relevant experience (classes or projects), and the position you are interested in. For more information, please visit http://web.media.mit.edu/~mihir/.

4/22/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Division of Health Sciences and Technology / Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies / Cancer Research Center
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Sangeeta Bhatia

siRNA Delivering Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

The overall goal of this project is to design siRNA delivering nanoparticles that target and knockdown oncogenes in tumors. To accomplish this, high-throughput screens of GFP and luciferase knockdown in a model cancer cell line will be conducted using a variety of different polymer siRNA formulations. The student will take a primary roll in setting up, carrying out, and analyzing the data from these screens.

Prerequisites: Available for training end of April and beginning of May and interested in volunteering full-time during Summer. Wet lab experience desirable, but commitment and strong work ethic are most important.

Contact: Todd Harris (tjharris@mit.edu) for more information.

4/22/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Biological Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Bevin Engelward

High Throughput Assay for DNA Damage and Repair

We are seeking a student to develop custom image analysis software to measure DNA damage levels in single cells. The desired software will be able to read images taken automatically from an epi-fluorescence microscope, and it will identify and analyze individual cells that have been processed using a single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). The output will be a set of parameters that quantifies the amount of DNA damage in the cells. This effort is part of a larger project to develop a new assay for DNA damage and repair.
Prerequisites: The student should be proficient in a common programming or scripting language (MATLAB, Java, Python, C++), and familiarity with image analysis in biological samples is preferred.

Contact: David Wood, dkwood@mit.edu.

4/22/2008
Summer 2008
MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. David Reed

Group Communication System on iPhone

We are building a distributed group communication system and have a prototype. We are looking for some summer UROPs who feel comfortable coding in Xcode/iPhone SDK or willing to learn quickly with some experience. The UROP must also have some sense of good UI design. We are also trying to build a self control credit card and would like to prototype on the iPhone. We are looking for a fairly independent developer who can work in a team setting. Please send us your resume.

Prerequisites: C, 6.170.

Contact: Kwan Lee, kwan@media.mit.edu, Dawei Shen, dawei@media.mit.edu.

4/22/2008
Summer 2008
Chemistry
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Stephen J. Lippard

Molecular sensors/chelators for neuronal zinc

Zinc is a ubiquitous and indispensable element in the human body mainly as tightly bound form in metalloprotein/enzyme, serveing as essential structural and catalytic components. Labile (loosely bound or chelable) zinc pools are present in certain mammalian organs including the brain, retina, pancreas and prostate, of which the functions are not yet clear at molecular level. The current project is to develop chemical tools including fluorescent sensor, MRI probes and functional chelators for zinc, in one aspect to study biological roles of zinc, particularly focusing on the neuronal zinc in hippocampus, the center of learning and memory. In another aspect, we are developing these molecular tools as potential diagnostic or therapeutic modalities for diseases related to disruption of zinc-homeostasis, such as brain injury and Alzheimer s disease.

Prerequisites: A UROP position is available for a motivated chemistry, chemical engineering, or bio-engineering student to work on the project above mentioned. The intention to learn synthetic chemistry, photophysical analysis, cell culture, fluorescence microscopy and MRI will be encouraged for the students upon his/her interests and the progress of the project. Previous research experience in organic synthesis is preferred.

Contact: Please email Dr. Xiao-an Zhang at xiaoanz@mit.edu.

4/17/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Frank Moss - Director of the Media Lab

Multimodal Medical Workstation - Integration with Personal Health Record

We are developing technologies to radically rethink how patients can contribute to their healthcare. We have developed a prototype of a multimodal (speech and touch) collaborative workspace for point-of-care medical documentation and patient education. It is a collaborative workspace in that doctor and patient can both see and manipulate data, and it is a point-of-care system in that all of the information from the medical encounter is documented during the encounter. The goal is to totally redesign the paradigm for interaction with electronic medical record systems so that they are less intrusive the doctor-patient relationship and more assistive. We are seeking a student to assist in the integration of a personal health record framework as the data model for the system discussed above. A personal health record is one that is owned and access-controlled by the patient. Currently, personal health records are offered by Microsoft HealthVault, Google Health, and IndivoHealth. We will weigh the advantages of each of these options and choose the most appropriate partner. The student will work directly with me, John Moore, an engineer and medical doctor who is now a graduate student at the Media Lab under the supervision of the director of the Media Lab, Frank Moss. The work environment will be friendly and relaxed, but at the same time we want to work effectively to produce something that will be a part of a system aimed to improve the lives of patients and doctors!

Prerequisites: We hope to find a student with significant programming experience in python and XML. Interest in the medical field is not crucial, but this experience will likely be very valuable to anyone interested in working in the medical field in any capacity. The goal will be to have integration of the core personal health record data by the end of the summer term. The criteria for selection are flexible for any student who has a strong motivation to work on this project, so please talk to me if you are interested. Thanks so much for your consideration.

Contact: John Moore - jom@mit.edu.

4/17/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Media Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Frank Moss - Director of the Media Lab

Personal Health Agent

We are developing technologies to radically rethink how patients can contribute to their healthcare. This project focuses on the development of a software agent that will assist a patient in expressing a medical complaint prior to visiting the office. A UROP student has already developed a natural language interface to allow a patient to specify the reason for a medical visit. The system uses tagging, chunking, and parsing and is able to determine the nature of the complaint as well as other important attributes. The project will now progress to a conversation system for confirmation of the results from the natural language stage. The confirmed results will be compiled into a corpus that will be used to allow the system to develop a statistical model. The system will also incorporate a collective intelligence component through the use of a semantic network that already contains a great deal of basic knowledge (OpenMind database http://torg.media.mit.edu:3000/) and that is continually populated with new application specific knowledge. We are seeking a student to continue the development of this project during the summer term. The student?s initial role will be to integrate communication with the OpenMind database into the software agent. The role will expand to contribute to advancement of the natural language processing and conversational system stage. The student will work directly with me, John Moore, an engineer and medical doctor who is now a graduate student at the Media Lab under the supervision of the director of the Media Lab, Frank Moss. The work environment will be friendly and relaxed, but at the same time we want to work effectively to produce something that will improve the lives of patients and doctors!

Prerequisites: The student should have significant programming experience in Python. Interest in natural language processing is key and likely we will be interested in someone who has taken a course in the subject. Interest in the medical field is not crucial, but this experience will likely be very valuable to anyone interested in working in the medical field in any capacity. The goal will be to have the student bring the project to fully functioning demo state by the end of the summer term and to have begun preliminary user studies. The criteria for selection are flexible for any student who has a strong motivation to work on this project, so please talk to me if you are interested. Thanks so much for your consideration.

Contact: John Moore - jom@mit.edu.

4/17/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering/ Thorsen Microfluidic modeling and design laboratory
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Todd Thorsen

Microfluidic device for Polymerase Chain Reaction

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular biological method for in vitro amplification of nucleic acid molecules. Use of microfluidics offers advantages in terms of cost of fabrication, time for amplification, reduced consumption of biological samples, disposability and fidelity. The project involves fabrication of microfluidic device for carrying out experiments on PCR. PCR is a temperature controlled reaction which requires precise temperature control. A design of the device has been proposed and we intend to carry out experiments to evaluate the performance of the device. The project involves design of experiments, designing and implementing temperature controller, measuring temperature distribution in the microfluidic device and analyzing PCR products.

Prerequisites: We are seeking a candidate from one of these departments; mechanical engineering, bioengineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering and materials science and engineering. Strong motivation and commitment towards research required.

Contact: For more information about the project contact Sumeet Kumar (sumeetkr@mit.edu). Visit Lab web page as well (http://web.mit.edu/thorsen/www/).

4/17/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Intelligent Tranportation Systems Lab/ Civil Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Moshe Ben-Akiva

Enhancement of Traffic Simulator (MITSIMLab) for Application to Congestion Pricing

MITSIMLab is an open-source simulation laboratory developed by the MIT Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Lab. It has been used by both researchers and private consultants for conducting detailed transportation systems analyses for Boston's "Big Dig" project, and other large networks such as Des Moines, the Lincoln Tunnel (NYC) and Stockholm. The congestion pricing strategy is to charge drivers an additional fee or tax during certain periods of time and at a restricted area. In a variety of countries, congestion pricing has quickly been seen as an efficient method available to reduce congestion in urban areas, such as Singapore, London and New York. The research task is to enhance MITSIMLab under congestion pricing scenarios. It includes improving current travel behavior models for travel route and departure time choices and programming them in MITSIMLab.

Prerequisites: Requirements: The candidate should have some programming experience with C++ and basic knowledge of statistics (probability, linear regression).

Contact: Lang Yang E-mail: langyang@mit.edu, Phone: 617-252-1111, MIT Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab (1-249).

4/17/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Professor Dick K.P. Yue

Vortical Flow Research Lab

I have immediate and summer UROP openings in my lab, the Vortical Flow Research Lab (VFRL). VFRL is a group of about 20, which specializes in theoretical and computational fluid mechanics generally in the marine and ocean contexts. It is part of the Center of Ocean Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. You may find some of my projects at the VFRL web site, http://mit.edu/vfrl/www/ (which, unfortunately, is only somewhat up to date and rather short on details).

I am interested in students at all levels with preference for those with strong computer/programming skills and interest in ocean engineering , naval architecture, wave dynamics, ocean fluid mechanics.

Contact: Students interested should email (yue@mit.edu) with an extended cv that includes relevant courses/grades and past research/work experiences.

4/17/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: ME&BE / Mechanobiology Lab
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Roger Kamm

Design of a live cell imaging chamber for studying cell migration

Our lab has developed a new microfluidic bioreactor for studying cell migration in 3D, including endothelial, brain and cancer cells. This experimental system allows for direct visualization of the cell response to controlled biophysical and biochemical factors, and thus enables studies critical to the understanding of, for example, cancer cell mobility during tumor metastasis. The described project focuses on the design of a live-cell imaging chamber for acquiring real-time images of cell migration in 3D. The chamber will be integrated onto a microscope stage, which will have the same functionality as a “normal incubator”. This project involves material and sensor selection and the development of a control strategy for regulating temperature, humidity and CO2 concentration. This UROP opportunity will provide experience in lab equipment design, tissue culture, image analysis and biological assay design.

Prerequisites: Experience in product design is a plus, but not required. Possible to continue after the summer if a good research match develops.

Contact: Please contact Ioannis Zervantonakis at zervanto@mit.edu, if interested. Also, please visit the lab website http://web.mit.edu/meche/mb/ .

4/16/2008
Summer 2008
Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Intille
MIT House_n

Audio Icon Design

Musically inclined? Make appealing audio icons for phones for a mobile phone and health project. The MIT House_n Research group is looking for a musically-inclined student to help us design audio icons for a mobile phone application designed to help people stay healthy. We need someone to develop sets of very short audio icons with distinctive, appealing themes that can convey different types of messages and moods to mobile phone users quickly and effectively.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate ability to create/compose music/sounds/icons. The work can be done anywhere. This is a short term project with sporadic, flexible hours.

Send a resume to Dr. Stephen Intille (intille@mit.edu) to apply or get more information.

4/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Broad Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Polina Golland (CSAIL)

Visualization and mining for high-throughput experiments

CellProfiler Analyst is our software package for visualizing and mining high-dimensional measurements of millions of cells from microscopy-based screens. This project involves implementing new visualization and mining techniques into CellProfiler Analyst. The specifics will depend on your own qualifications and interests. Most of your work will be incorporated into the CellProfiler open-source software package.

Prerequisites: Python programming.

Contact: Vebjorn Ljosa (ljosa@broad.mit.edu) http://www.broad.mit.edu/imaging/.

4/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Broad Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Polina Golland (CSAIL)

Shape features for cell morphology

Our CellProfiler software package for processing and analysing large sets of microscopy images is in widespread use across the world (see www.cellprofiler.org). This project involves implementing new features that measure that shape of cells, and then evaluate experimentally the features' ability to capture interesting morphological phenotypes of cells. Most of your work will be incorporated into the CellProfiler open-source software package.

Prerequisites: computer vision, Matlab programming.

Contact: Vebjorn Ljosa (ljosa@broad.mit.edu) http://www.broad.mit.edu/imaging/.

4/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Broad Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Polina Golland (CSAIL)

CellProfiler cell image analysis software

The Imaging Platform at the Broad Institute analyzes large sets microscopy images. Our CellProfiler software (see www.cellprofiler.org ) package for processing and analysing microscopy images is in widespread use across the world. We are looking for a student with strong programming background to help with numerous aspects of the software. We have a number of quite flexible projects in mind; the specifics will depend on your background and interests. Most of your work will be incorporated into the CellProfiler open-source software package.

Prerequisites: Experience with programming in one of Python, Matlab, or Java. Some knowledge of one of the following can be useful, but is not required: signal processing, image processing, computer vision, statistics, linear algebra, stochastic processes, machine learning, cell biology.

Contact: Vebjorn Ljosa (ljosa@broad.mit.edu) http://www.broad.mit.edu/imaging/.

4/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Broad Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Polina Golland (CSAIL)

Algorithms for cell segmentation

Our CellProfiler software package for processing and analysing large sets of microscopy images is in widespread use across the world (see www.cellprofiler.org). Most analyses depend on properly segmenting the cells in each image. This project involves implementing new segmentation algorithms from the literature and compare their performance to the techniques already existing in CellProfiler on real sets of micrographs. Most of your work will be incorporated into the CellProfiler open-source software package.

Prerequisites: Image processing, signal processing, or computer vision; Matlab programming.

Contact: Vebjorn Ljosa (ljosa@broad.mit.edu) http://www.broad.mit.edu/imaging/.

4/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Broad Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Polina Golland (CSAIL)

Cell segmentation based on transmitted light micrographs

Our CellProfiler software package for processing and analysing microscopy images is in widespread use across the world (see www.cellprofiler.org), but it currently works best with fluorescent micrographs. Robust support for segmenting cells (or other objects) in transmitted light micrographs would open the door for many new biological discoveries. This project involves combining the information in a transmitted light micrograph with the information in a phase contrast or or differential interference contrast micrograph in order to segmenting cells or other objects better. Most of your work will be incorporated into the CellProfiler open-source software package.

Prerequisites: Image processing, signal processing, or computer vision; Matlab programming.

Contact: Vebjorn Ljosa (ljosa@broad.mit.edu) http://www.broad.mit.edu/imaging/.

4/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Broad Institute
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Polina Golland (CSAIL)

Image server for microscopy images

The Imaging Platform at the Broad Institute analyzes large sets microscopy images. Because the image sets are collected as part of many different projects, by different people, using different equipment and software, there are several file formats, and the files and metadata are organized in many different ways. This project involves writing an image server (based on an existing, rudimentary version) that receives requests for images over HTTP (indexed by a clean, stable URL), locates the relevant raw images files, converts them to the desired format, merges channels as desired, and returns the image to the client. The client could be a web browser or an application program such as CellProfiler or CellProfiler Analyst. Most of your work will be released as open source software.

Prerequisites: Experience with Python programming and Unix.

Contact: Vebjorn Ljosa (ljosa@broad.mit.edu) http://www.broad.mit.edu/imaging/.

4/15/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: CECI
Faculty Supervisor: Jud Harward

iLabs UROP

The Center for Educational Computing Initiatives is looking for a UROP to work with the iLabs project team. UROP duties will include experiment construction, testing and development of new features such as automated lighting for experiments using X10 technologies, development of iLab software installation procedures, beta testing on new iLab software versions and documentation reviews. Duties will also include basic system maintenance (windows XP and Server) including configuration of systems, installation of new hardware and system upgrades. A basic knowledge of windows installation and management and programming knowledge (.Net, java, perl or php) is a plus. The position will be for pay. The work will be full-time for the summer. The opportunity also exists to work part-time this spring and next fall. The ideal candidate will be a motivated, self-starter with effective time management skills, excellent documentation & communications skills and the ability to work independently. Must have enthusiasm and a willingness to be part of a team that works in a flexible and dynamic environment.

Contact: Kirky DeLong, kirky@mit.edu, 617-253-8651.

4/14/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: BCS/DiCarlo
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. James DiCarlo

Comparative evaluation of state-of-the-art visual object recognition methods

In this project the student will implement some state-of-the-art visual object recognition methods of his choice and establish a carefully designed comparative evaluation of them. The goal is simply to see how each model handle different variations in object appearance.

Prerequisites: Just enough mathematical and programming experience/maturity to understand and implement the methods.

Contact: Nicholas Pinto, pinto@mit.edu.

4/11/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab / New Media Medicine
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Frank Moss

Natural Language Query Systems

In this project the student will build an experimental module to connect natural language (English) to an open-ended database containing both survey and time-based data. The goal is to extract data sets for further analysis based on recent history, a model of the database data and the history of successes and failures. This project will cover and experiment with a number of approaches from the literature such as including direct predicate-argument mapping, affordance filtering, and closed-domain constraint satisfaction. The student will generate a test data set for the development phase, build a model of the domain, and finish with a small user study to validate the accuracy and usability of the approach.

Prerequisites: - A background in natural language or artificial intelligence either through a prior UROP or the undergraduate AI course - Strong programming skills - Some programming experience in one or more of Python, Lisp or Scheme - A good understanding of English grammar - A background in linguistics or NLP is a bonus.

Contact: Ian Eslick, eslick@media.mit.edu.

4/11/2008
Summer2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab / New Media Medicine
Faculty Supervisor: Prof.Frank Moss

Visual Analytics

The New Media Medicine group is working on a web-based platform that enables communities to capture, analyze, and share data. The preliminary application of the system is to enable rare patient communities to contribute to research on their diseases, while grounding their self-medication and advocacy on data rather than anecdotes. The goal of this project is to identify workflows for analyzing medical data sets for correlative and causal relationships, with an emphasis on designing or using visualizations that help ordinary users make sense of the data and the workflows. The advanced student will have the opportunity to traverse all stages of a research project including literature review, exploratory analysis, a prototype online implementation and a user study. Continuation of this work into the Fall may provide an opportunity for joint publication.

Prerequisites: Required: - A background in graphical art or visual design - Strong mathematical background; at least introductory probability theory - Programming experience; Junior in CS if no programming prior to your Freshman year - Must have some exposure to Python or Java Desired: - Web-development experience - Specific background in visualization communication via charting, graphing, etc. - Strong Scheme/Lisp background.

Contact: Ian Eslick, eslick@media.mit.edu.

4/11/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab / New Media Medicine
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Frank Moss

User Interaction and Visual Design

The New Media Medicine group is working on a web-based platform that enables communities to capture, analyze, and share data. The preliminary application of the system is to enable rare patient communities to contribute to research on their diseases, while grounding their self-medication and advocacy on data rather than anecdotes. One of the challenges in any such system is making the system easy and intuitive to use. This project is focusing on design and usability of an existing site with a modest but growing user population consisting of many users who are not computer savvy. What creates 'stickyness' in this user population? We will explore techniques for cleaning up the design including surveys, mockups, or grounding in a particular literature. The result of the project will be a new interface for the existing site. We will be collaborating with outside design experts on the project and engaging in a dialog with an actual user community.

Prerequisites: Required: - A strong interest in design and/or the visual arts - A passion for creating great experiences for the layperson - Some experience with web-based graphical layout / web design using HTML/CSS

Contact: Ian Eslick, eslick@media.mit.edu.

4/10/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Department of Materials Science Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Donald R. Sadoway

High Temperature Molten Salt for Titanium Production

We are involved in a project High Temperature Molten Salt for Titanium Production Titanium is a silver-colored metal that is lightweight but strong, flexible, non-toxic and resistant to shock, corrosion and heat. It does not react at all in salt water, yet it is
resistant to most fluids contained in oil and gasoline. Titanium is the ninth most abundant chemical element in the earth’s crust. It does not occur in a pure state, but can be found in the form of ilmenite (FeTiO3), rutile (TiO2) and anatase among others.

PAID Position 1 ($10/hr)
in situ X-ray diffraction of various melts with TiO2 We are interested in study the phase transformation of melts with different additions at various temperatures. The study imply to setup the sample holder and to conduct the experiments.

Skills/Requirements:
Candidates should be comfortable with of Xray diffraction, working in the lab, selfmotivated, hard working, and interested in problem-solving

PAID Position 2 ($10/hr)
Developing reference electrodes for high temperature electrolisis of TiO2 We are interested in the development of reliable reference electrodes in the cryolite melts presents specific problems, due to the high temperature and corrosive environment that limit the choice of the materials for construction and the reaction.

Skills/Requirements:
Candidates should be comfortable with the electrochemistry knowledge, working in the lab, self-motivated, hard working, and interested in problem-solving. At the end of the project the students will gain expertise in the specific area of in-situ Xray diffraction and high temperature molten salts and the software used accordingly to
the obtained results (Origini, Maple, Mathcad HSC Chemistry, PowerSuite, X'Pert HighScore Plus, FactSage). They will be able to set and to run their own experiments when is needed.

Contact:
Dr. Mirela A. Dragan
Department of Materials Science Engineering
Telephone: 617-833-5857
Email: mdragan@mit.edu

4/10/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Health Sciences & Technology (HST) Khademhosseini Laboratory
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Ali Khademhosseini

Microengineering tissues

Khademhosseini laboratory is looking for a urop student who will do research in tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is an inter-disciplinary field which brings different fields together like biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, materials science, and biomedical engineering. Since its start, its main purposes are 1) Implantable tissue constructs 2) Developing artificial bio-systems 3) Developing models for drug toxicity and metabolism studies. The student will do an independent research about engineering microenvironment of cells. Candidate will carry out experiments like microfabrication, cell culturing, cell morphology imaging, and preparing assays for the measurements of tissue specific functions.

Prerequisites: For this project we are seeking a candidate from one these departments; bioengineering, chemical engineering, and materials science and engineering.

Contact: Halil Tekin, halil@mit.edu.

4/10/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: History / HyperStudio
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Jeff Ravel

Data Representation and Visualization of French theater troup performances

A project to digitize, present, and visualize the daily performance registers of the Com die-Fran aise theater troupe in Paris from 1680-1800. Partners include the Com die-Fran aise in Paris, the University of Paris, Oxford Brookes University, and the MIT HyperStudio. The goal is to make performance data and digital facsimiles of the registers available online for research and education. We are looking for a student to help us develop innovative data representations through faceted browsing and new visualization tools for performance data to be used in Humanities research.

Prerequisites: Programming skills: AJAX technologies, SQL, Java Some knowledge of French and an interest in French history and culture a plus.

Contact: Send resume and links to past work to HyperStudio Director Kurt Fendt: fendt@mit.edu. For more information on HyperStudio, please visit: http://web.mit.edu/hyperstudio/.

4/10/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Media Lab / Viral Communications
Faculty Supervisor: David P. Reed

Comm.unity Platform

This project is all about improving the correlation between the networks of our devices and our own human networks our social connections and relationships. The general idea is to give our devices a kind of social toolbox . These tools would give the devices social knowledge and awareness of their user relationships, group affiliations, and levels of trust, which would affect the devices behavior. Other tools would allow us to use devices as sensors, and help learn those relationships as users interact with one another. Comm.unity is the name of a platform that would allow developers to easily create socially aware peer-to-peer applications for face-to-face interactions. One of the applications built on top of this system is the Social Dashboard , which enables users to see other users and devices around them based on their groups and trust relationships. Users can share content, chat and interact with local peers in their vicinity. Comm.unity implements a wireless, device-to-device information system that bypasses the need for any centralized servers, coordination, or administration. It is designed torun on as many devices as possible, and with as many different radios as possible (WiFi, Bluetooth, IR, etc.). It is designed as a platform over which many different networked applications could be developed with ease. The Social Dashboard, SnapN'Share and additional applications in development are intended to be used in upcoming field studies to collect information about user behavior and their social interactions, and aid in fine tuning the platform's learning capabilities.
Prerequisites: We are looking to fill several full-time and part-time UROP positions, with possibility to extend into the next academic year or a Course 6 UAP.

Prerequisites: The most important thing we are looking for is motivation and enthusiasm to build something new. In addition, most of these positions require good programming skills. Python and experience with socket programming are a strong advantage. Sample projects: - Implement a mobile phone extension of Comm.unity for ad-hoc communication and sensing of human activities. - Implement an interface to Facebook (or other social network site) so that users will be able to dynamically be notified and communicate with their existing friend-list, as well as input new friends and other information back to Facebook. (Experience with Facebook applications is an advantage, but this could also be a good opportunity to learn how to write Facebook apps) - User interface design (Adobe Flash experience is preferable) - Machine learning algorithms and modeling of human trust an relationships (requires prior experience/class related to machine learning/AI/optimization etc.) - Implement and deploy new applications over the comm.unity platform - games, file sharing, chat, etc. We have a list of potential applications but we are open to new and original ideas. - Help implement and conduct short and long-term studies with the platform. Mobile devices will be given to study participants for varying time frames. In addition we have an opening for hardware/case design and fabrication: - Hardware implementation: Design and build hardware plug-ins for face-to-face digital interaction. Includes 2 types of tasks: - Board design - Requirements: some hardware skills, microprocessor programming knowledge - Case design and fabrication - design and build attractive encasements for the hardware plugins. Preferable: Solidworks knowledge, experience in building models or fabrication.

Contact: For more information, contact Nadav Aharony (nadav@media.mit.edu) or see the project website: http://community.mit.edu/ If interested, please send an overview of your programming experience and other relevant research/UROP experience or programming courses (if you have a resume/CV that would be great). Also add a short paragraph regarding why you are interested in this project and what specifically you think you would like to work on.

4/10/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Laboratory for Atomistic & Molecular Mechanics, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Markus Buehler

Molecular Modeling and Nanomechanics of Protein Materials

The goal of our research is to investigate the mechanical properties of individual proteins and protein materials at the nano-scale, as part of a larger effort to develop multi-scale models that explain the structural hierarchy and strength of high performance biological materials. The main focus of this project is to investigate a recently discovered protein structure that functions as the cell puncture device of bacteriophage T4. This triple-beta-helix structure is a protein nanotube, and may be capable of exhibiting extreme strength under compression, making it perfectly suitable for its function. We aim to investigate the mechanical behavior of this motif using molecular dynamics simulations and explain how the specific structural and chemical properties of this protein make the infection mechanism of bacteriophage T4 efficient. The insight gained from this study could be beneficial for developing new biomimetic nano-structured materials and also novel non-invasive drug delivery systems. Responsibilities of the UROP will include carrying out molecular dynamics simulations, surveying existing literature in the field and presenting findings by preparing written reports or presentations. Simulations will be carried out on a large parallelized computing cluster at MIT's Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics (LAMM). Students that work on this project will get a chance to gain familiarity with molecular modeling methods used in nanoscience and biotechnology applications. By conducting research at the interface of structural mechanics, materials science and biology, UROP students will have the opportunity to develop their understanding of concepts in mechanics, particularly involving elasticity, buckling, large deformation and fracture properties of biological materials.

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge in mechanics of materials, chemistry, physics, materials, simulation.

Contact: Prof. Markus Buehler (mbuehler@MIT.EDU), Phone 617-452-2750. Please CC Sinan Keten (keten@MIT.EDU) and Jeremie Bertaud (jbertaud@MIT.EDU). Lab URL: http://web.mit.edu/mbuehler/www/.

4/8/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: HST
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Elazer Edelman

Adhesive sealant- development of materials for biomedical applications

Despite refinements in suturing and stapling techniques physicians continue to struggle with limitations to anastomotic integrity, the repair of blunt trauma injuries to delicate tissues such as the liver, the challenge of void filling and surface abrasion, laceration and incision. Adhesive materials have been increasingly advocated as a mean to deal with these issues. Within this paradigm our group has developed such materials that can be used for applications far more diverse than joining two dissimilar materials together. We have characterized the material mechanical properties, and its compatibility with biological tissues both ex-vivo and in-vivo. We have identified our lead compounds and are now working on advanced characterization of degradation kinetics of the material in vivo which is a major challenge currently in the scientific community. We have developed a unique approach to deal with this issue. In addition we are working on incorporation of different drugs to the material and studying its release kinetics from the adhesive a well as drug effect on adhesive properties. We are looking for individual who will join our team effort, which includes researchers from MIT as well as top scientists from DuPont.

Prerequisites: Full time job during the summer with possibility to extend for next semester.

Contact: Natalie, Artzi, nartzi@mit.edu.

4/8/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Sloan
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Gustavo Manso

Incentives and Creativity

I am looking for research assistants to work this summer on projects on incentives for creativity and innovation and on knowledge diffusion. The projects involve the analysis of incentive schemes that motivate creativity and innovation and the analysis of knowledge diffusion models. Candidates should send their CV to the email below.

Prerequisites: Programming skills (e.g. Matlab, Mathematica) are a plus.

Contact: Prof. Gustavo Manso, manso@mit.edu.

4/7/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Tyler Jacks

Genetic modeling of human cancer

The laboratory is focused on the genetic changes involved in the development of cancer. We focus on the design of mouse strains engineered to contain mutations in genes frequently altered in human cancer. In particular, we are developing tools to model these genetic changes sporadically in the adult in the appropriate tissue types in order to better approximate the human disease. Through these efforts, we have generated mouse models of several important human cancers, including lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, and colon cancer. With these tools, we are beginning to examine these diverse diseases by combining genomic and imaging technologies with traditional and novel molecular therapeutic agents.

Prerequisites: Juniors and seniors are especially preferred except under extraordinary circumstances. Previous laboratory experience (either in another research laboratory or in Course 7 Project Laboratory) is required. Enthusiasm for (though not necessarily experience with) animal handling and husbandry is required. Course 7 students are ideal, but students in other courses with sufficient coursework in genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry are acceptable.

Contact: Please contact lab manager Anne E. Deconinck at anned@mit.edu if interested. Also, please visit http://web.mit.edu/jacks-lab for more details on the laboratory.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
Summer UROP MIT House_n
Research Group Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Intille

Writing Activity Recognition Software for the Home

The MIT House_n Research group has looking for a UROP student to work on developing and installing a system for homes that uses pervasive sensing to automatically detect context and everyday activities using pattern recognition. The multi-disciplinary project involves work developing pattern recognition algorithms, designing and testing user interfaces for mobile devices, and running experiments with people in their actual homes (that we instrument with a sensor system consisting of hundreds of MIT-designed wireless sensors and an audiovisual observational system).

Required: Solid programming experience beyond coursework in C++, Java, or C#, interest in UI design and conducting user studies; experience in pattern recognition and mobile phone programming desirable. Full-time only.

Contact: Send a resume and a paragraph describing why you are interested in this position to Dr. Stephen Intille intille@mit.edu.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
UROP MIT House_n
Research Group Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Intille

Wireless sensors for mobile and home activity recognition

The MIT House_n Research group is looking for a 6.1 or 6.2 EECS student interested in helping us to test and redesign wireless sensors used in research on wearable and in-home ubiquitous computing. The student would learn about our existing sensors and then help us start an open source hardware development method to create a new and improved version to communicate with mobile phones and measure physical activity in real-time.

Required: Experience with electronics (e.g., PIC programming, PCB design, C coding). Experience with wireless sensors helpful. Full or part time.

Contact: Send a resume and a paragraph describing why you are interested in this position and what electronics projects you have done in the past to Dr. Stephen Intille intille@mit.edu.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
UROP MIT House_n
Research Group Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Intille

Hacking the iPhone

Want to get more experience with iPhone development? We will give you the design specs for a personal health tracking application and an iPhone to program. You will implement the application, which will use the iPhone accelerometer, and then we will release the application and run experiments with iPhone users.

Prerequisites: Programming experience in Java or C# beyond coarse work; experience developing for Apple devices using objective C. Coursework in signal processing and/or pattern recognition helpful.

Contact: Send a resume and a paragraph describing why you are interested in this position and a description of applications that you have written in the past to Dr. Stephen Intille intille@mit.edu.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
UROP MIT House_n
Research Group Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Intille

Designing and Deploying an In-Home Sensor System

Interested in product design? The MIT House_n Research group is looking for a UROP student to help us design the housing for a portable in-home sensing system, as well as to help us deploy the system in homes of volunteers during the summer. For more information on the project, see http://architecture.mit.edu/house_n/projects/kiosk/.

Required: Experience building physical objects and using rapid prototyping equipment; interest in studies with human subjects. Programming experience helpful but not necessarily required.

Contact: Send a resume to Dr. Stephen Intille intille@mit.edu.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
UROP MIT House_n
Research Group Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Intille

Analysis of Interviews with Mobile Phone Users

The MIT House_n Research group is looking for a part-time UROP student for the summer to help us transcribe and analyze interviews with subjects who are working with our research team to design new software applications for mobile phones. This position is just a few hours a week and a chance to make some extra money. Get experience with qualitative study methods. You can work from anywhere.

Required: Willingness to do transcription; attention to detail. Desirable: interest in human-computer interaction and mobile phone technology.

Contact: Send a resume to intille@mit.edu.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: MIT Center for Collective Intelligence
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Thomas Malone

Lab experiments for measuring collective intelligence and collective prediction

SUMMER AND ACADEMIC YEAR We are looking for a research assistant to help in running laboratory experiments with human subjects. Responsibilities will include helping to recruit and schedule subjects, supervise subjects in the laboratory, and compile and analyze data. The first project involves measuring the collective intelligence of groups doing fun team tasks (see http://cci.mit.edu/research/measuring.html). The second project involves groups of people making predictions about uncertain future events by buying and selling shares representing these predictions (see http://cci.mit.edu/research/prediction.html). During the term, we require approximately 10-15 hours per week, mostly in the evenings or on weekends. This can increase to full-time during the summer, if desired. There is also the possibility of extending into the next school year.

Prerequisites: Social science methods course and/or prior experience working with human subjects in a laboratory environment are desirable, but not required.

Contact: Prof. Thomas Malone malone@mit.edu,http://cci.mit.edu, http://cci.mit.edu/malone.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: EAPS
Faculty Supervisor: Dan Shim

Planetary materials at extreme conditions

We are looking for enthusiastic undergraduate students who will study the physical properties and structures of planetary materials (silicates, oxides, glasses) at extreme conditions (pressures of 100,000-1,000,000 bar and temperatures of 100-5,000 K) in order to understand the dynamic evolution of the Earth and planetary interiors. The students will carry out independent research projects using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Two Raman spectroscopy systems are available at the high-pressure lab at EAPS (http://eaps.mit.edu/faculty/shim/index.html). X-ray measurements are performed at the synchrotron facilities, such as the Advanced Photon Source (http://www.aps.anl.gov). We are seeking an UROP student who will carry out laser spectroscopy and X-ray measurements on planetary materials during summer 2008. The student will participate one or two synchrotron X-ray experiments (4 days per a trip) at the Advanced Photon Source (Argonne National Lab) or the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble, France), and conduct Raman measurements at MIT.

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: Background in mineralogy, crystallography, solid state physics, or inorganic chemistry is a plus (12.108, 3.07, 3.072, 3.073, or 8.231).

Contact: If interested, please send a resume to Dan Shim sangshim@mit.edu.

4/3/2008
Summer 2008
UROP Department/Lab/Center: Scheller Teacher Education Program
Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Eric Klopfer

Educational Handheld Games Project

Sticking around MIT for the summer? Want to work on mobile Augmented Reality and Simulation games? UROPs are needed to design/code software for two educational handheld games projects: Augmented Reality (AR) and Palmagotchi Simulation games. AR games use GPS to embed players in location-based role-playing simulation games (http://education.mit.edu/ar). In Palmagotchi (loosely based on Tamagotchi virtual pets), students care for virtual creatures while learning fundamentals of biology, ecology and evolution. Palmagotchi utilizes a wireless client-server networking architecture. We have UROP opportunities for both programming and game design positions.

Prerequisites: Applications should be detail-oriented and self-motivated. An interest in gaming and/or education is a plus. Much of the code is in C#, but experience in Java is relevant.

Contact: Interested? Email to tep-jobs@mit.edu and include: * an overview of your programming experience (specific references to relevant courses and other development and programming projects would be very helpful) including any pertinent URLs * a summary of any previous UROP and work experience (attach a resume if you have one) * a short description of why you are interested in working on one or both projects * Please put "Summer PDA UROP" in the subject line Email: tep-jobs@mit.edu, http://education.mit.edu/ar, http://education.mit.edu/pda.

4/2/2008
Summer 2008
Teacher Education Program
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Eric Klopfer

StarLogo TNG - Game Cr