College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS)

2013 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Kinetics of the Lipid Extraction from Microalgae

Lauren Pappas, Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jillian Goldfarb, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Cocoa Shell Biochar Removal of Amoxicillin from Wastewater

Herbie Smith, Physics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Per Berglund, Physics

Topic: Systematic Analysis of Calabi-Yau Manifolds and Four-Dimensional String Vacua

Drew Stock, Computer Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Qiaoyan Yu, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Topic: Investigation of Multiple-Bit Upsets for Reliable Integrated Circuits

Joshua Chabot, Mechanical Engineering

Michael Johnson, Mechanical Engineering

Joseph Kelley, Mechanical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. May-Win Thein, Mechanical Engineering

Topic: NASA TableSatellite IC Experimental Test Bed

 

2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 

Christopher Jacques, Civil Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jo Daniel, Civil Engineering

Topic: What Happens to an Asphalt Pavement When It Gets Flooded?

Nicholas Landry, Mechanical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Marko Knezevic, Mechanical Engineering

Topic: Computationally Efficient Representation of Statistically Described Material Microstructure

Timothy Nash, Civil Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Henry, Civil Engineering

Topic: An Analysis of the Feasibility of the Construction of Schools from Intermodal Shipping Containers

Sonja Pape, Civil Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jo Daniel, Civil Engineering

Topic: How Can We Add More Recycled Asphalt to Pavements?

Elizabeth Pettitt, Geology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Julia Bryce, Earth Sciences

Topic: Mycorrhizal Weathering across a Geological Gradient in New England Forests

Kelsey Price, Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Reducing Water, Energy, and Chemical Use in Microalgae Biodiesel Production

Xing Hua Zhang, Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michel Charpentier, Computer Science

Topic: Implementing a Library for Safe, Efficient Concurrent Programs

Salvatore DeVito, Electrical Engineering

Scott Doe, Electrical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Messner, Electrical Engineering

Topic: Developing and Evaluating a Tool for Converting MP3 Audio Files to Staff Music

 

2013 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Odin Achorn, Chemistry  

Research Site: Fribourg, Switzerland

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Erika Berda, Chemistry

Foreign Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Johan Foster, University of Fribourg

Topic: Microcrystalline Cellulose Reinforced Nanocomposites Using Radically Exchangeable Alkoxyamines

Rebecca Cole, Chemical Engineering 

Research Site: Cantoblanco, Spain

Faculty Mentor: Prof. P.T. Vasudevan, Chemical Engineering  

Foreign Faculty Mentor: Dr. Barbara Garcia, Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry   

Topic: Novel Catalysts for Biofuel Production

 

2013 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 

Steven Arias, Physics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Karsten Pohl, Physics

Topic: Graphene - How Can We Produce This Novel Wonder Material More Reliably?

Cody FitzGerald, Mathematics / Genetics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Vaughn Cooper, Molecular, Cellular, & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: Wrinkly Morphotype Reversion to Mucoid and Its Relevance to Cystic Fibrosis

 

2013 Research Presentation Grant

Joshua Chabot, Mechanical Engineering

Project Title: Using Tablesat IC for the Analysis of Attitude Control and Flexible Boom Dynamics for NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission Spacecraft Conference: 23^rd Annual AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Symposium

Phylicia Cicilio, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Pyrolysis and Oxidation Kinetics of Corn and Coal Blends for Energy Generation

Conference: American Chemical Society National Meeting

Anthony D’Amico, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Reaction Kinetics of Colorado, Chinese, and Estonia Oil Shale Semi-cokes in Air

Conference: American Chemical Society National Meeting

Daniel Eltingham, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Algae Growth in Photobioreactors using a Removable Jacket of Colored LED's

Conference: Energy, Utility, & Environment Conference

Rose Hadley, Chemistry & Neuroscience

Project Title: Development of a Method to Quantitate Divalent Metal Ion Dependence of Retinal Phosphodiesterase

Conference: American Chemical Society

Kathleen Miller, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Preparation of Activated Carbons from Waste Peanut Shells for Use as a Sorbent Material

Conference: American Chemical Society National Meeting

Lauren Pappas, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Cocoa and Coal: Pyrolysis Kinetics of Locally Sourced Coal-Biomass Blends in New Hampshire

Conference: American Chemical Society National Meeting

Kelsey Price, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Energy and Water Resource Efficient Production of Microalgae Lipids

Conference: Energy, Utility, & Environment Conference

Samantha Sinclair, Geology

Project Title: Reconstructing the History of Natural and Anthropogenic Sediment Inputs behind the Former Head-of-Tide Dam in the Bellamy River, Dover, NH

Conference: Geological Society of America 48^th Annual Meeting

Seth Trembly, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Microalgae Production using Floating Photobioreactors

Conference: Algae Biomass Summit

Victoria Ward, Environmental Science: Hydrology

Project Title: Cycling of Molecular Hydrogen in Subarctic Sweden

Conference: American Geophysical Union

Pablo Yangali, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Pyrolysis Reactions of Biomass –Coal Blends Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Conference: American Chemical Society National Meeting

 

2012 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Emily Smith, Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Enhancement of Bio-Oil by Pervaporation

Eric Donovan, Computer Engineering

Jonathan Dwyer, Computer Engineering

Kenneth Weigel, Electrical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wayne Smith, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Topic: Oar Bend

 

2012 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA

Odin Achorn, Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Erik Berda, Chemistry

Topic: Reversible Folding of Synthetic Polymer Chains Using Radically Exchangeable Alkoxyamines

Daniel Bolan, Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. R. Daniel Bergeron,

Computer Science

Topic: Rendering Adaptive Resolution Data Models

Scott Cypher, Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Phil Hatcher,

Computer Science

Topic: Evaluating a Tool for Detecting Concurrency Errors in Java at Runtime

Rose Hadley, Chemistry

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Roy Planalp, Chemistry

Topic: Development of a Method to Quantitate Divalent Metal ion Dependence of Retinal Phosphodiesterase Enzyme

Chris Hebert, Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Wheeler Ruml,

Computer Science

Topic: Using Real-Time Algorithms to Improve Cooperative Pathfinding Techniques

Amber Lagasse, Mathematics Education: Secondary

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Timothy Fukawa-Connelly, Mathematics & Statistics

Topic: Student's Arithmetic and Algebraic Misconceptions in Algebra: How Misconceptions Cluster Together

Kelsey Price, Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Energy Efficient Microalgae Oil Recovery by Nanofiltration

Samantha Sinclair, Geology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Joel Johnson, Earth Sciences

Topic: Assessing the Potential for Heavy Metal Remobilization After Dam Removal: A Case Study from the Bellamy River, Dover NH

Victoria Ward, Environmental Science - Hydrology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ruth Varner, Earth Systems Research Center

Topic: Cycling of Molecular Hydrogen in Subarctic Sweden

 

2012 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Drummond Biles, Mechanical Engineering

Research Site: Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Marc Lessard, Physics

Foreign Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Fred Sigernes, University Centre in Svalbard

Topic: Development of Optical Calibration Facility at an Auroral Research Station

 

2012 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)

Tristan Amaral, Geology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. William Clyde, Earth Sciences

Topic: Analyzing Sediment Cores and Fossils from Bighorn Basin of Wyoming to Better Understand the Causes and Effects of Hyperthermal Events

Alexandra Dannehl, Mechanical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Yannis Korkolis, Mechanical Engineering

Topic: The Applications and Processes of Tube Hydroforming

Sachi Nagada, Chemical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Russell Carr, Chemical Engineering

Topic: Modeling Equations of the Sleeping Patterns Between Mother and Child and Try to Correlate the equations of Sudden Infant Death

Herbie Smith, Physics

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Per Berglund, Physics

Topic: Moduli Stabilization and the Embedding of Branes in String Compactifications

 

2012 Research Presentation Grant

Madelyn Ball, Environmental Engineering: Industrial Process

Project Title: Immunofluorescence to locate α, - and β2- Adrenergic Receptors in Small Arterioles

Conference: Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting

Kyle Charmanski, Mechanical Engineering

Project Title: Biodiesel: Utilization of Waste Water to Cultivate Microalgae Oil Feedstock with CO2 Sequestration and Nitrate Deprivation

Conference: Energy & Environment Conference/Expo

Amanda Lade, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Toxic Gold? Bioavailability of Olive Oil Waste Phenols to Plant Matter

Conference: 243^rd ACS National Meeting

Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Floating Photobioreactors for Microalgae Growth in Wastewater

Conference: Energy & Environment Conference/Expo

Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering: Industrial Process Project Title: Biodiesel: Salt-Water Microalgae Growth for Biodiesel Production in a Hot Sunny Climate Using an Open Pond System

Conference: Energy & Environment Conference/Expo

Augustin Wimsatt, Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Entry in the AICHE Chem-E-Car National Competition

Conference: American Institute for Chemical Engineers National Student Conference

 

2012 Honors Thesis Grant

Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering: Industrial Process Project

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Dale Barkey, Chemical Engineering

Thesis: Metal Nanoparticles for Solar Panel Applications

 

2011 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

John Donaghy, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Karl J. Slifer, Physics
Topic: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Polarimeter for DNP Targets

Michele Forrestall, Geology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Margaret Boettcher, Geology
Topic: Determining the Presence of a Predictable Earthquake Pattern along Slow Moving Oceanic Transform Faults

Alex Pape, Civil Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Henry, Civil Engineering
Topic: Investigation of Relationship between Extent of Prestressing and Out-of-Plane Stiffness of a Straw Bale Wall

Jordan Reddel, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Roy P. Planalp, Chemistry
Topic: Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Novel Bifunctional Ligands for Incorporation into a Fluorescent Polymer Sensor

Brian Zukas, Chemical Engineering
Phylicia Cicilio, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jillian Goldfarb, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Chem-E Car

2011 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA

William Matern, Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gregory Chini, Mechanical Engineering
Topic: An Investigation of Mathematical Modeling Techniques as Applied to Thin Films in an Alveolar Network

Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Design of a Submersible Photobioreactor for Microalgae Growth in the Ocean

Rebecca Rubinstein, Environmental Engineering: Municipal Processes
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nancy Kinner, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Topic: Impact of Electrokinetic Methods on Microbial Populations in the Bioremediation of the Cleaning Solvent Trichloroethene

2011 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering: Industrial Processes
Research Site: Doha, Qatar 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ghada Salama, Texas A&M, Qatar   
Topic: Microalgae Biodiesel Production

2011 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)

Rebecca Cole, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof.Qing Song, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Developing a Real-Time Quantitative and Multiplexed Live Single-Cell Microarray

Amanda Lade, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jillian Goldfarb, Chemical Engineering
Topic: Toxic Gold? Bioavailability of Olive Oil Waste Phenols to Plant Matter

Amber Lagasse, Secondary Math Ed.
Faculty Mentor: Prof.Tim Fukawa-Connelly, Mathematics and Statistics
Topic: Transforming the Engagement of Students Learning Algebra

Nicholas Landry, Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Todd Gross, Mechanical Engineering
Topic: Characterization of the Mechanical Behavior of Pyrolytic Carbon

2011 Research Presentation Grant

Kyle Charmanski, Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: Utilization of Waste Water for Microalgae Oil Feedstock
Conference: Energy, Utility & Environment

Xiameng Liu, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Surfactant Effects on Drop Formation in Co-Flowing Fluids
Conference: American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting

Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Comparative Study of Lipids Produced from Microalgae Grown in Freshwater vs. Wastewater
Conference: Energy, Utility & Environment

Jordan Reddel, Chemistry
Project Title: Characterization of Stability and Protonation Constants of Novel Bifunctional Ligands for Use in a Copper Sensor
Conference: American Chemical Society National Meeting

Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering: Industrial Processes
Project Title: Parametric Study of Biodiesel Quality and Yield Using a Bench-Top Processor
Conference: American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting

2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

(SURF) USA

Benjamin Decato, Computer Science
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Philip Hatcher, Computer Science
Project: Using Conserved Gene Order to Improve Ortholog Data Set Accuracy

Daniel Foley, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Karsten Pohl, Physics
Project: Novel Method for Producing Platinum Iridium Tips for Use in Atomic Resolution Scanning Tunneling Microscopes

Joshua French, Physics
Faculty Mentor: Eberhard Moebius, Physics
Project: RENU Star Sensor Recalibration for Low-Cost Payloads

Katherine Gray, Civil Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jo Daniel, Civil Engineering
Project: Can Recycled Asphalt Shingles Be Used in Asphalt Concrete Paving?

Sarah Kissell, Environmental Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kevin Gardner, Civil Engineering
Project: Use of Novel Passive Samplers to Measure Bioavailability of PAH Compounds in Estuarine Sediments

Carlo LaScala, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Xiaowei Teng, Chemical Engineering
Project: Design of Palladium-Rhodium Nanocatalyst for Ethanol Oxidation Fuel Cell Reactions

Georgian Tutuianu, Civil Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Ballestero, Civil Engineering
Project: Shower-Head Infiltration Testing on Porous Pavements: Apparatus and Methods Design

Rebecca Wilson, Environmental Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Project: Parametric Study of Biodiesel Quality and Yield Using a Bench-Top Processor

2010 International Research Opportunities Program (IROP)

Megan Donohue, Mathematics Education & Spanish
Research Site: Resistencia, Argentina 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Timothy Fukawa-Connelly, Mathematics
& Prof. Lori Hopkins, Spanish
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Laura Zalazar, Gen. Jose Maria Paz High School
Project: Methods of Teaching Mathematics in Argentina

Kyle Kalutkiewicz, Physics & Mathematics
Research Site: Trieste, Italy 
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Per Berglund, Physics
Foreign Faculty Mentor: Prof. Fernando Quevedo, Abdus Salam ICTP
Project: Calabi-Yau Manifold Construction for Axionic String-Inflation

2010 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Nicholas E. Bencivenga, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Roy Planalp, Chemistry
Topic: Synthesis of Novel Polymerizable Ligands Providing -1 to 0 and +1 to +2 Charge Transitions and Titration Studies of Their Transition Metal Complexes

Nathan Brouwer, Electrical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Richard Messner, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Project: Image Filtering and Enhancement of Scanning Electron Microscope

Madison L. Myers, Geology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sarah Miller, Earth Sciences
Project: Clinopyroxene Trace Element Chemistry as a Proxy for Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in a Continental Volcano: A Case Study from Mount Etna, Sicily

Jordan Reddel, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Roy Planalp, Chemistry
Project: Method Development for the Determination of Stability Constants for Novel Chelating Ligands with Various Metal Cations

Thaddaeus Webster, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab H. Farag, Chemical Engineering
Project: Temperature Stressing of Salt Water Algae for Enhanced Lipid Production

2010 Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP)

Alexandra Eicher, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Qing Song, Chemical Engineering
Project: Exploring the Inflammation Process of Atherosclerosis Progression Using Live Single-Cell Arrays

Brian McConnell, Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ihab Farag, Chemical Engineering
Project: Biodiesel Production from Algae in the Laboratory Environment

2010 Research Presentation Grant

Nicholas E. Bencivenga, Chemistry
Project Title: Preparation of Novel Bifunctional Ligands for Cooper (II)
Conference: American Chemical Society, Washington, DC

Meaghan Maher, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Oscillation in Microvessel Networks with RBC Suspension: Preliminary in vitro Experimental Results in a 3 Node Network
Conference: Experimental Biology, Anaheim, CA

Thaddaeus Webster, Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Enhancing Algae Lipid and Biodiesel Production by Temperature Stressing
Conference: American Chemical Society, San Francisco, CA