While many students used summer as an excuse to catch up on sleep and relax on the beach, several saw the time off from school as a chance to further their academics through research opportunities.
Whether working on campus to further the development of high performance fibers or flying to Costa Rica for an up-close look at foreign fungi, these students found any opportunity they could to make an impact on their respective fields. For all of the industrious students, this summer was an early chance to apply themselves to real world change.
Coast Rica offers research, culture
Robin Singh, a senior in biological studies, had his research funded by the National Science Foundation and was able to study a special type of fungus in Costa Rica.
“As a student, it was an extremely rewarding experience,” Singh said. “Not only did I learn a whole lot by going to Costa Rica, I was able to improve myself as a student. It was very unique to have the opportunity to go to a foreign country and see how the research there was done.”
The trip also provided Singh with an opportunity to expand not just his biological knowledge, but also his appreciation of a foreign culture.
“The food was great,” Singh said, “and the quality of people in Costa Rica was something I found to be very memorable as well. It was only a month, but I would have loved to stay longer.”
Physics modeling prepares student for career
James Rowland, a junior in physics, spent his summer on campus doing research to better his grasp on what he will be doing once he graduates.
“We’re taking a model for neutrino oscillation,” Rowland said, “and representing the model through le faisceau figures, which helps visualize the effect of interaction strength.”
Overall, Rowland found the time he spent in the lab successful at giving him an idea of how research in his field is done.
“I think it was a really good experience for me,” Rowland said. “I want to go on to graduate school, and I want to do research in my field. I don’t know how I would’ve felt about the research aspect without doing undergraduate research first.”
Fiber research provides alternative summer job
Carolyn Davy, a sophomore in textile engineering, received both an undergraduate grant for $1,000 and a WISE grant for $400 in order to further her research this past summer.
“I’m studying the effect of solvent on the interaction between polymethyl-methacrylate and carbon nanotubes,” Davy said. “What we want to find is a good way to combine the two to improve the properties of high performance fibers, which can be used in all sorts of applications such as the aerospace industry, sports or fiber optics.”
Davy said she appreciated the opportunity the grants provided her, and found it to be a great way to spend her summer.
“I love doing research,” Davy said. “[The grants] meant that I didn’t have to get a stupid, dinky job at Food Lion over the summer.”
Smart grids bring forth new careers in research
Lindsay Swanson, a senior in electrical engineering, stayed behind in Raleigh to conduct research on the Smart Grid. The Smart Grid works as an intelligent electrical grid, predicting and responding to the usage patterns and performances of its electric power users.
Swanson had always been familiar with learning about renewable energy and electrical grids, but came into contact with hands-on research for the first time thanks to the University’s Undergraduate Research program.
“I’ve really learned the research process which has been really cool because I’ve never done this before,” Swanson said.
Although she has spent all summer in the midst of sustainable energy research, Swanson finds it to be her passion.
“In order for us to move away from fossil fuels towards more renewable energy, we’re going to have to go towards the Smart Grid,” Swanson said. “Right now, there’s no way to create enough electricity from renewable sources to be compatible with our current grid. [Currently] if electricity isn’t used, it’s pretty much wasted so we really need to incorporate storage if we are using solar and wind.”
Swanson’s experience with the Undergraduate Research program sends her on her way, gratefully prepared for graduate school after her final year at N.C. State. In addition, the University has a leading advantage in energy research through its Future Renewable Electrical Energy Delivery and Management systems (FREEDM) and Renewable Energy Electric Systems (REES) centers situated on campus, both of which Swanson had the opportunity to work with this summer.
Graduate takes inspiration from Austria to Raleigh
Undergraduate Research students find a doorway to applying what they have learned this summer to their daily lives sooner than they expected.
Matthew Pinyan, a fifth-year architecture student, immediately took new construction insights home with him after just one summer of architectural research with the University. As soon as his summer with N.C. State’s Undergraduate Research program ended, Pinyan put what he learned to use.
“I work for an architect and after I got back and was sharing this research with him, we started implementing some of the construction details,” Pinyan said.
While Pinyan applies his research in the workplace, the rest of Raleigh will find his insights useful as well.
“Raleigh can benefit just by using local materials that are not only being ‘sustainable,’ but at the same time [supportive of] the local economy,” Pinyan said. “At the same time, building more efficient building envelopes would lower our energy costs quite a bit.”
Working on rats provides insight on career in research
Senior in biomedical engineering Eyob Eyualem spent his summer days in the chemistry department of N.C. State. But chemistry labs were no bore to Eyualem as rat brains and electrodes were constant sights in his day.
“I am trying to come up with a calibration meter to calibrate electrodes before you put it in a mouse’s brain,” Eyualem said.
Whereas the process of electrode calibration requires a pre-calibration step, Eyualem’s goal is to eliminate this step to reach a less cumbersome point, doing away with any complications of the cleanliness of the electrode in the process of the experiment.
“My method is trying to eliminate the calibration before or after you put it in the rat brain,” Eyualem said.
Electrodes, calibration processes and mice brains may deem to be of little significance to students outside the chemistry lab, but Eyualem spent long hours in the lab keeping a larger goal in mind.
Eyualem said researchers use this process for testing of Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses by detecting certain chemicals in the brain.
Conducting undergraduate research this summer has also allowed Eyualem to observe other researchers and ultimately provide aid to what they do.
“My project is helping them to quantify the peptides that are in the brain. My method is to help them to eliminate … that extra step,” Eyualem said.
While Eyualem contributes to the scientific community, he in turn came away with inspiration.
“It does definitely give you an idea of what you want to do in the future in general. And not just that, you actually be able to see what other people are working on,” Eyualem said. “This gives me an opportunity to work on what I want and hopefully what I’ll be doing in the future. To say I did this during undergrad… it kind of gives you an idea of whether [I’ll like what I’m doing] or not.”
