2021 ASU/NASA Space Grant Poster Session

Arizona State University NASA Space Grant

The poster session gives the academic community and the public the opportunity to view and discuss projects that research Space Grant interns perform in a wide range of science and engineering areas. Each intern is required to lead a project with a reportable outcome and the poster session is their first chance to pull it together and present their findings.

More info: https://nasa.asu.edu

Filter displayed posters (87 keywords)

Biophysics (2) Geochemistry (2) Python (2) Space Exploration (2) show more... Aerospace Engineering (1) Antibiotic-Resistance (1) Aquatic (1) Astronauts (1) Astronomy (1) Atomic Force Microscopy (1) Autonomy (1) Bacteria (1) Biochemical Networks (1) Biochemistry (1) Biology (1) CFD (1) CM Carbonaceous Chondrite (1) Caldera (1) Carbon Isotopes (1) Chondrite (1) Chondrule (1) Chromatin Dynamics (1) Classification (1) Coding (1) Communication (1) Control systems (1) Cosmochemistry (1) Cosmology (1) Data Analysis (1) Data Mining (1) Deformation (1) Energy (1) Engineering (1) Exoplanet (1) Fine-grained rims (1) Health (1) High-Throughput Phenotypic Testing (1) Hot Spring (1) Hubble Space Telescope (1) Hydrothermal Vents (1) ISRU (1) Image Simulations (1) Instance Segmentation (1) LyC (1) Lyme Disease (1) Machine Learning (1) Mars (1) Measurements (1) Meteorite (1) Meteorites (1) Meteoritics (1) Microgravity (1) Micrometeorites (1) Neural Networks (1) Neutron stars (1) Organics (1) Satellite (1) Sky (1) Skysurf (1) Solar energy (1) Space (1) Spectroscopy (1) Sphere (1) Structural Biology (1) Supernovae (1) Teamwork (1) Telescope (1) Tempe Town Lake (1) Testing (1) Validation (1) Yellowstone National Park (1) condensed matter physics (1) cosmology (1) geochemistry (1) geology (1) hot springs (1) hydrothermal (1) isotope cosmochemistry (1) mapping (1) nanocomposites (1) nanoparticles (1) polymers (1) quantum Monte Carlo (1) reionization (1) stardust (1) superfluidity. (1) ultrafast spectroscopy (1)

Show Posters: with Video Chat with Recorded Presentation

Optimizing Autorotating Sensor Probe Design for Space Exploration

Sebastian Castillo-Sotelo

Abstract

This project revolves around a sensor probe called a Marspod, which is designed to be dropped in the atmosphere of other planets and land on the planets surface using rotor blades like those of a helicopter to slowly descend. The Marspod would contain equipment used to collect data of the planets geographical features to create informative maps to send to future mars lander vehicles.

Presented by

Sebastian Castillo-Sotelo <scasti20@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

Aerospace Engineering, Space Exploration

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Available February 17th, 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Exoplanet Classification using Data Mining

Mohit Doshi

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to study and understand existing Exoplanet discovery and classification methods and analyze the extensive archives of exoplanet datasets from various missions, telescopes, orbiters ground observatories, and space agencies (NASA, ESA, etc.) to generate insights as well as classify the exoplanets on the basis of habitability or potential for displaying signs of life. Exoplanets are planets which orbit a star outside of the solar system. A habitable planet is one that can sustain life for a significant period of time. Using Data Mining and Machine Learning Techniques, the Caltech Exoplanet Archive's approximately 26000 exoplanets were studied and each exoplanet's features were analyzed to build a suitable feature set. This data was fed to a classifier that picked the key features and ground truth data to make an informed choice on the probability that an exoplanet is habitable. A majority of the data for the project came from Kepler observations and using the Transit method of detection. With the use of various Python libraries and evaluating different models, a K-Nearest-Neighbors Classifier was built and trained, which worked on a dataset of 1505 unique planets and classified 1498 of them as non-habitable and 7 as habitable.

Presented by

Mohit Doshi <mdoshi3@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University

Other Affiliations

Data Mining and Machine Learning lab (DMML) @ ASU, ASU School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering (CIDSE), ASU/NASA Space Grant

Keywords

Exoplanet, Space, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Python, Classification

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Available February 17th 12:30-3:30PM MST

SKYSURF: Measuring the Brightness of the Sky

Jessica Berkheimer

Abstract

SKY-SURF is the largest Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive program to date. By fully characterizing the sky brightness, it will leverage HST’s imaging capabilities to survey faint objects, from solar system bodies to other galaxies. Although the night sky appears to be a dark place, our view of the Universe is shrouded by light from within our Solar System. Space telescopes must take this foreground light into consideration when peering into the heavens. Accurately characterizing the foreground and background sky components is imperative to utilize the full power of Hubble. For example, a large number of low surface brightness galaxies, with surface brightness’s more than 5 times fainter than the foreground sky level, have been identified in the nearby Universe. Hubble's excellent sensitivity makes it an ideal candidate to study these objects, but the foreground light must be precisely understood (in terms of its brightness, color, and time-dependence) in order to accurately characterize these objects. In addition to taking measurements of low-surface-brightness objects, a comprehensive study using SKY-SURF will result in a better understanding of the sources of foreground and background light. My research as part of the SKY-SURF team involves collecting and downloading data from the HST archive and visually inspecting images. The purpose is to conduct an in-depth comparison of results using data from multiple calibration procedures to ensure steps in the calibration are not affecting the measurements.

Presented by

Jessica Berkheimer

Institution

Arizona State University

Keywords

Hubble Space Telescope, Cosmology, Skysurf

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Available Feb. 17 11:30-1:30

Properties of Chromatin Extracted by Salt Fractionation from Cancerous and Non-cancerous Esophageal Cells

Emily Luffey1,2,3,Jiawei Liu1,2,3,Nethmi Ariyasinghe1,2,3 ,Subhadip Senapati1,2,3,Stuart Lindsay 1,2,3,4,Robert Ros1,2,3

Abstract

The National Institute of Health estimates that approximately 38.4% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes. Previous research has shown that the more abnormal a particular cell nucleus is, the more aggressive a particular form of cancer is. A major variable in the overall nuclear structure is chromatin compaction and structure. It has been suggested that changes to gene expression plays a role in the transformation of a normal cell into a cancer cell by altering the accessibility of the chromatin to transcriptional regulation. We compared chromatin compaction and structure for both cancerous and non-cancerous cells using a combination of salt fractionation and atomic force microscopy (AFM) and found significant differences in the chromatin morphology of cancerous and non-cancerous cells.

Presented by

Emily Luffey

Institution

1Department of Physics, 2Center for Biological Physics, 3Biodesign Institute, 4Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287

Keywords

Biophysics, Chromatin Dynamics, Atomic Force Microscopy

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Available February 17th from 12pm-1pm

Can Changes in Hot Spring Composition Reflect Decadal-Scale Deformation of the Yellowstone Caldera

Justin R. Baez and Everett L. Shock

Abstract

Vertical displacement measurements dating back to the 1920’s have indicated that the large Yellowstone Caldera contained within Yellowstone National Park (YNP), WY. has undergone periods of rapid deformation that operate on a decadal time-scale. Previous studies focused on this characteristic of the Yellowstone Caldera have attempted to correlate the deformation cycles with earthquake activity and the movement of materials in the subsurface, only speculating on its signature within the chemical composition of YNP hot springs. The study at hand investigates this potential relationship by plotting the compositional data collected annually since 1997 as a function of time and observing trends that can be related to the deformation data. Although many hot springs within the dataset display compositional adjustments that carry on from year to year, further analysis of data will be necessary to make a correlation between the deformation activity and hot spring chemical composition.

Presented by

Justin Baez

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

Geochemistry, Deformation, Caldera, Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park

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Available February 17th, 1-3PM

Characterizing the atmospheres of low surface gravity M-dwarfs

Isabela Huckabee, Aishwarya Iyer, Michael Line

Abstract

The objective of this study is to model the atmospheres of low surface gravity M-dwarfs. Ultimately this will aid in investigating observed trends in the physical properties of low gravity M-dwarfs unexplained by models thus far. Numerous observational efforts have been carried out to characterize M-dwarfs’ chemical environments by providing estimates for parameters like surface temperature and metallicity (Rojas-Ayala et al., 2012; Muirhead et al., 2012; Veyette et al., 2016). However, a growing collection of low surface-gravity M-dwarfs (Faherty et al.,2016; Patience et al., 2012) have appeared brighter in the infrared than typical M-dwarfs and they hypothesize this may be from a thick or high altitude cloud layer, or dust absorption. Our code simulates a 1-D M-dwarf stellar atmosphere and determines the effective temperature, surface gravity, and atmospheric bulk chemical properties such as metallicity and carbon-to-oxygen ratios. We incorporate radiative transfer, equations of state, and convection to determine the model star’s spectra, thermal structure, and molecular/elemental mixing ratios. We plan to fit low-resolution spectral data for cloudy, low gravity M-dwarfs and address color and brightness trends seen with these special class of stellar objects. The results will help gain a more in-depth understanding of the physical processes in low surface gravity M-dwarfs and therefore better understanding of potentially habitable exoplanets orbiting them.

Presented by

Isabela Huckabee

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

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Available February 17 11:30-12:20PM MST, 2:30-3:30PM MST

Communication and Exploration

Stone Woodham; Mansour Javidan

Abstract

The International Space Station (ISS) has had crews of multicultural teams cohabiting since 2000. Each team has specific tasks and objectives to complete while in space; however, communication and dynamic challenges arise due to the complex multicultural composition of each crew that goes to space. In order to analyze these challenges and determine the sources of them, participants were interviewed, and thematic analysis was done to determine that initiative, awareness, and a lack of support contribute to those challenges.

Presented by

Stone Woodham <swoodham@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University - School of Earth and Space Exploration, Hugh Down School of Communication, Thunderbird School of Global Management

Other Affiliations

ASU NASA Space Grant

Keywords

Teamwork, Communication, Astronauts

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Available Feb 17th, 1:45 - 3:30 pm

Designing and Exploring the Structure of Launch Vehicles to Create Optimal Theoretical and Small-Scale Experimental Models

Cole Errico, Dr. Timothy Takahashi

Abstract

Structural and performance analysis are used to design and optimize a theoretical launch vehicle through the Arizona State University (ASU)/NASA Space Grant. Multiple programs and codes, in conjunction with one another, come together to produce an overall design model. Using this model, further additions and modifications can be made to add components to the structure, scale up or down the size of the vehicle, or test how viable a certain design is with a simulated launch. These programs are useful for any engineer who needs to either test the feasibility of a design they have created or create one for various aerospace purposes. It can be exported to a computer-aided design (CAD) program to be manufactured for small-scale experiments. These methods have been applied to a potential launch vehicle model similar in scale and structure to those used in modern aerospace.

Presented by

Cole Errico <cjerrico@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy

Other Affiliations

School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

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Available February 17th, 11:30am - 1:30pm

Directly Imaging Circumstellar Debris Disks

Kadin Worthen, Jennifer Patience, Justin Hom

Abstract

Presented by

Kadin Worthen

Institution

School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

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Available Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 11:30 - 12 PM, 1:00 PM -3:00 PM

Electrolytic Application of Load-Managing Photovoltaic System

Christian Polo

Abstract

As power demands require that photovoltaic efficiency increase in order to support the growing energy demand, new solutions for power transfer have been investigated in this project. This research replaces the conventional maximum power point tracker (MPPT) with a load-managing control system, which operates by varying the loads with respect to the irradiance and has been proven to have 99% efficiency with resistive loads. The system has been designed to work with an electrolytic application for the sustainable production of hydrogen, and simulations have shown the ideal characteristics for a 290 W solar panel, which will be used in physical tests of the system.

Presented by

Christian Polo

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering

Keywords

Energy, Solar energy, Control systems

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Available February 17 1:30-3:30 pm

Exploring Carbon-bearing Matter in an Antarctic Micrometeorite

Victoria Froh and Maitrayee Bose

Abstract

TAM19B-7 is the largest, unmelted fine-grained micrometeorite found to date. It has carbonaceous chondritic origins, but the oxygen isotopic composition does not match any known parent bodies. Additionally, carbon-bearing matter and isotopic composition has been extensively characterized in meteorites, but this work has not been done yet for micrometeorites. Using the NanoSIMS 50 L instrument, the bulk δ13C for TAM19B-7 was found to be 3 + 8‰, and four anomalous spots were identified with δ13C values of 12.9‰, 16.8‰, 32.7‰, and -27.1‰.

Presented by

Victoria Froh <vfroh@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration and School of Molecular Sciences

Keywords

Micrometeorites, Geochemistry, Cosmochemistry, Carbon Isotopes

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Available April 17th 12pm-2pm

Identification of Thiol Function Group in Carbon-Rich Meteorites

Thomas Redford, Rob Root, Maitrayee Bose

Abstract

We have detected the presence of an organic sulfur function group called thiols on several carbon-rich meteorites. Thiols are important in many metabolic processes and may have implications for the meteoric contribution towards the origin of life. We have detected these thiols in two meteorite samples using x-ray spectroscopy.

Presented by

Thomas Redford

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Other Affiliations

University of Arizona, Department of Environmental Science

Keywords

Organics, Spectroscopy, Meteorites

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Available February 17th, 12pm - 1:00pm, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Instance Segmentation for Biogeography

Melissa Parkhurst, Jnaneshwar Das, Harish Anand, Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert

Abstract

Hydrothermal vent systems are home to many species. I present a path using neural networks to aid in biogeographical study of these ecosystems. The deep neural network (DNN) Mask R-CNN was used to create a predictive model for identifying six categories of organisms in their natural habitats using instance segmentation. The neural network has been trained on an initial dataset of annotated images from the Nautilus 2018 Lo’ihi Seamount expedition with the degrees of organism classification being correctly predicted varying among the six categories. The percentage of correct predictions are expected to increase as more images are added to the training dataset. This study shows both the potential of using neural networks to sift through large amounts of data and the limitations of it, which are in part characterized by the parameters of the training dataset.

Presented by

Melissa Parkhurst

Institution

Arizona State University

Keywords

Neural Networks, Instance Segmentation, Hydrothermal Vents

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Available Wednesday Feb. 17, 11:30am-1:30pm

Investigating the Origin of Fine-Grained Rims in Mighei-like Carbonaceous Chondrites

Xeynab Mouti, Dr. Jemma Davidson, Dr. Devin Schrader

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the origin of fine-grained chondrule rims in Mighei-like carbonaceous chondrites. Six samples were chosen that encompassed a wide range of heating stages and experienced a range of aqueous alteration and shock from impacts. Measurements were taken analyzing the abundance and size of chondrules and fine-grained rims in the different samples, as well as to determine if the samples displayed any foliation. These data will be analyzed and any correlations, or lack thereof, between the abundance or size of FGRS and heating or impact will be discussed. There are two major hypotheses regarding the origin and formation of fine-grained rims, one proposing a solar nebular origin while the other proposing their formation is due to parent body processes. The size of the chondrules in all six samples will be determined and compared to previous studies. This research will put forth new data and conclusions based on analysis of an array of CM chondrite samples with different characteristics.

Presented by

Xeynab Mouti

Institution

Arizona State University

Other Affiliations

Center for Meteorite Studies

Keywords

Meteoritics, CM Carbonaceous Chondrite, Chondrite, Meteorite, Fine-grained rims, Chondrule

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Available February 17th, 12:00-3:00pm

Investigating the Relationship Between Exoplanet Occurrence and Host Star Metallicity

Adrienne Vescio, Patrick Young

Abstract

Over the years since the discovery of exoplanets, research has been performed investigating the correlations between host star and planet characteristics in an effort to better understand the conditions that best promote planetary formation and system longevity. Growing our knowledge in these areas supports efforts to discover planets that are most likely to host life. Here, we discuss a related effort investigating the relationship between host star metallicity and exoplanet frequency as it relates to a visible pattern in abundance ratio. In applicable plots comparing the abundance ratios of fundamental system building blocks (e.g. [C/O] vs. [Al/Fe] [C/O], [C/O] vs [Na/Fe], [C/O] vs. [Si/Fe]), we observe a separation of the stellar population into two distinct groups, which were selected by eye and individually investigated. Through efforts to uncover potential effects of this separation, we find that there is a uniform discrepancy between populations, in which one has, on average, over twice the occurrence of planet-hosting stars. In addition, we find that this pattern in population separation occurs frequently in plots including C, O, Na, Al, Mg, Fe, and Si. We anticipate that this finding and subsequent research to follow will allow for better understanding of planetary formation and how it depends on the abundances of basic elemental building blocks contained in the protoplanetary disk.

Presented by

Adrienne Vescio

Institution

Arizona State University

Other Affiliations

Arizona Space Grant Consortium

Keywords

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Available February 17th 12:00-12:30pm

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Majority of the Faint (μJy) Radio Source Population Appears Powered by Star Formation, not AGN

Liam Nolan and Dr. Rolf Jansen

Abstract

We present results of an analysis of VLA and VLBA radio-continuum observations, and ancillary UV – Visible LBT and Hubble (HST) images in the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) North Ecliptic Pole (NEP) Time-Domain Field. This new community field for time-domain studies will be observed with JWST/NIRCam and NIRISS in guaranteed time as part of IDS GTO program 1176 (PI: R. Windhorst). A wealth of ancillary data across the electromagnetic spectrum was secured in this field over the past 4 years, including the VLA 3 GHz (PI: Windhorst), VLBA 4.8 GHz (PI: W. Brisken) and HST 245–725 nm (PI: R. Jansen) observations used in the present study. To date, 11 out of 127 VLA-detected sources targeted with VLBA were detected at >30 μJy (>6σ), indicating that these sources are powered primarily by an active galactic nucleus (AGN), which remains unresolved even by VLBA (at scales of < 2 mas and T > 40,000K). Many (>100) of the remaining VLA-detected sources are sufficiently bright that their non-detection by VLBA (for reasonable assumptions for their 2—5 GHz spectral slope) allows us to infer that they are primarily powered by star formation and lack a notable AGN. This is highly promising for the validity of using the radio-FIR relation in this field. We show radio and HST (or LBT) images for several of the VLBA-detected sources, a comparison set of other VLA-detected sources, and a quantitative analysis.

Presented by

Liam Nolan

Institution

School of Earth and Space Exploration, ASU

Keywords

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Available Feb. 17th 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

Mapping Hot Spring Geochemistry in Yellowstone

Erin Alexander, Everett Shock

Abstract

Patterns uncovered by mapping the geochemistry of a hydrothermal system in Yellowstone through time and space reveal a dynamic region where hot spring chemistry linked to both the deep hydrothermal system and the surface meteoric system mingle.

Presented by

Erin Alexander <eralexa1@asu.edu>

Institution

School of Earth and Space Exploration

Other Affiliations

NASA Space Grant

Keywords

geochemistry, hot springs, mapping, geology, hydrothermal

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Available February 17th, 1-3pm MST

Mars In-Situ Resource Utilization for Health Applications

Santana Solomon, Hikaru Furukawa, Sara I. Walker

Abstract

This project seeks to explore if the chemicals present on Mars could be used for human health applications. To do this, a list of chemicals present on Mars and a list of chemicals necessary for human nutrition will be compared using a network expansion algorithm to determine if Mars has biochemical resources to aid human health during long-term space missions.

Presented by

Santana Solomon

Institution

College of Health Solutions, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

Mars, ISRU, Health, Biochemical Networks

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Available Wednesday, February 17th from 11:30am - 1:30pm (MST)

Measurements of the Sky

Ci’mone Rogers

Abstract

More than 95% of all photons in the HST Archive come from <5 AU. Yet, no precise panchromatic all-sky HST measurement of foregrounds exists.

Presented by

Ci'mone Rogers

Institution

Arizona State University

Other Affiliations

School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

Sky, Measurements

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Available Feb 17, 5PM-6PM MST/AZT

Mediated Liver Regeneration

Andrea Borsenik, Douglas Lake PhD

Abstract

Current treatment for liver cirrhosis is restricted to treating the symptoms of the disease. However, there is a large body of research pertaining to different chemical mediated liver regeneration as a treatment for the root cause of liver cirrhosis- thus we are exploring treatments using serotonin and other chemicals.

Presented by

Andrea Borsenik

Institution

Arizona State University

Keywords

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Available February 17, 11:30AM

Monochromator Mount Design

Zoe Horvath, Mentor: Paul Scowen

Abstract

The conception, design, and manufacturing of a mount to attach the monochromator, pump, and light source arrangement to the test chamber for the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) without compromising the optical path of the system.

Presented by

Zoe Horvath

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

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Available February 17th 11:30am - 1:00pm

Multi-drug Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Under Microgravity Growth Conditions

Edward Apraku, Diego Novoa, and Dr. Otakuye Conroy-Ben

Abstract

The effects of spaceflight on microbial growth are critical to the success of future NASA missions and astronaut health. Research has shown that gram-negative bacteria acquire increased resistance to antibiotics during spaceflight conditions through their proton (H+) blocking chemical efflux proteins. The purpose of this project is to identify the antibiotic resistance of this opportunistic pathogen under low shear microgravity and normal shear conditions. This work will aid NASA in analyzing resistance from microgravity and in future planning of long-term space missions.

Presented by

Edward Apraku <eapraku@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment

Other Affiliations

ASU/NASA Space Grant Program

Keywords

Antibiotic-Resistance, Microgravity, High-Throughput Phenotypic Testing

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Available February 17th 11:30 AM-3:00 PM MST

Nonlinear Laser Pulse Compression with a Multipass Cell

Elena Boyd

Abstract

The Biodesign Institute's Compact X-ray Light Source is a laser source being designed in order to perform research on the structural or electronic motion of condensed matter systems. In the planning process, the peak power of the IR laser needs to be increased by a factor of 20 to 100 in order to keep laser intensity constant with a larger beam spot size before its ICS (Inverse Compton Scattering) interaction with the electron beam. Since peak power is approximately equal to the pulse energy divided by the FWHM of the pulse duration, the pulse needs to be compressed by a factor of 1/25. I used MATLAB to simulate this nonlinear compression. Up to this point, nonlinear pulse compression has only been performed on 18 mJ pulses, and for the CXLS a 500 mJ pulse was needed. These calculations required use of the numerical parameters of the laser: input pulse energy & duration, beam diameter, & wavelength.

Presented by

Elena Boyd

Institution

Biodesign Institute, ASU State University

Keywords

ultrafast spectroscopy, condensed matter physics

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Available Feb 18, 1:30-3:30 PM

Photocurable nanocomposites for customizable cartilage replacements

Alexis Hocken, Matthew D. Green

Abstract

The properties of photocurable nanocomposites can be tailored to mimic those of various tissues and/or cartilage, allowing the bio-inspired synthetic materials to replace them. Ultimately, the long-term goal of this project is to 3D print the replacements so they can be tailored to fit individual patients. Therefore, it is critical that the thermal, mechanical, and rheological properties of the nanocomposites be more acutely understood to better predict the behavior of the replacements. In a previous study, it was found that addition of non-functionalized and inert silica nanoparticles increased the ultimate stress that the structure could withstand. In this new investigation, a similar study will be performed, however this time with vinyl- and methacrylate-functionalized silica nanoparticles. Functionalized nanoparticles will likely contribute to a more robust material compared to composites with nonfunctionalized additives. Characterizing the properties of photocurable nanocomposites will give better insight into the applicability of this material as cartilage replacements.

Presented by

Alexis Hocken

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Engineering for Mass, Transport, and Energy

Keywords

nanocomposites, nanoparticles, polymers

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Available February 17th, 11:30-12 and 2:45-3:30

Purification of the P66 Outer Membrane Protein of the Lyme Disease Pathogen

Christopher Ramirez, Debra Hansen, Petra Fromme

Abstract

The chronic form of Lyme disease affects roughly 2 million Americans, causing symptoms such as arthritis (60%), neurological disorders (10-15%), and inflammation of heart tissue (5%). P66, a surface exposed protein of the Lyme disease pathogen, is currently being explored as a possible target for medications. Progress towards treatments have been hindered by a lack of structural information regarding P66. Determining the structure of a protein requires that the protein can be produced in high quantities and isolated from other components of the bacterial cell.

Presented by

Christopher Ramirez

Institution

Arizona State University, Department of Physics

Other Affiliations

Arizona Space Grant Consortium

Keywords

Lyme Disease, Bacteria, Biology, Structural Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics

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Available Wednesday, February 17th from 1:30 - 3:30 MST

SKYSURF Image Simulations

Delondrae Carter, Timothy Carleton, Rogier Windhorst

Abstract

Several sky background measurement algorithms have been developed to determine the background levels of images in the SKYSURF database. To test the fidelity of these sky background measurement algorithms, images with known sky background and noise levels were necessary to determine quantitatively how far a sky background measurement algorithm strays from the true value. For this purpose, I developed an algorithm that could create simulated images for filter F125W of the WFC3 IR instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These simulated images include stars, galaxies, cosmic rays, and gradients. Sky measurements on these images demonstrate a high degree of accuracy in current SKYSURF sky measurement algorithms.

Presented by

Delondrae Carter

Institution

Arizona State University

Other Affiliations

School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

Image Simulations, Data Analysis

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Available February 17, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (MST)

SPHEREx: The Future of Satellite Astronomy

Julian Mena

Abstract

The SPHEREx satellite telescope is a satellite set to launch in June of 2024. It is quite different from previous space telescope missions, as instead of gathering as much data as it can from select points in space, it will orbit the Earth longitudinally, scanning the entire sky. By doing this, more data will be gathered than ever before, leading to countless new astronomical discoveries, as well as a better understanding of our place in the galaxy and universe. The SPHEREx satellite is a very simple satellite – it has no moving parts. Because of this, a special coding routine needs to be written in order to avoid celestial objects such as the Moon, Sun, and the Earth itself. My responsibility is to help edit the already existing Python code for the SPHEREx satellite, as well as to write my own routines and algorithms in order to increase the efficiency of the code.

Presented by

Julian Mena <jamena2@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University

Other Affiliations

ASU/NASA Space Grant

Keywords

Engineering, Space Exploration, Satellite, Telescope, Coding, Python, Astronomy

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Available February 17, 1PM - 3PM MST

Watch Presentation

Superfluidity of Neutron Star Matter

Quinn White, Dr. Kevin Schmidt

Abstract

It is expected that neutrons in the inner crust and outer core of neutron stars form a superfluid. To accurately model these systems, it is necessary to move beyond standard BCS theory, as its lack of nucleon-nucleon correlations leads to an overestimate of the superfluid gap. Here we discuss how quantum Monte Carlo methods can be used to perform more realistic calculations, with prior results from collaborators using auxiliary field Diffusion Monte Carlo (AFDMC) being shown. We discuss how introducing linear correlations to the trial wave functions used in AFDMC calculations is expected to lead to improved results in the future.

Presented by

Quinn White

Institution

Arizona State University

Keywords

Neutron stars, quantum Monte Carlo, superfluidity.

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Available February 17th 12-2pm

Supernova Production of Ti and Cr Isotopes

Jack Schulte and Maitrayee Bose

Abstract

The titanium and chromium isotope compositions of several different types of supernovae are inspected and compared to presolar stardust grains. The stardust grains with smaller enrichments of 54Cr are best explained by core-collapse supernova origin, while those with larger enrichments of 50Ti, 50Cr, and 54Cr are better explained by electron capture supernovae or slow/fast deflagration Type Ia supernovae.

Presented by

Jack Schulte <jackschulte@asu.edu>

Institution

Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

Supernovae, stardust, isotope cosmochemistry

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Available 12:30-1, 2-3:30 PM

Surveying Tools for Aquatic Exploration

Rodney Staggers Jr, Sarah Bearman, Jnaneshwar Das

Abstract

The goal of this project is to utilize a sonde winched by an autonomous catamaran styled boat to map water up to the depth of Tempe Town Lake, to gain insight of its biogeochemistry at various locations and desired depth intervals.

Presented by

Rodney Staggers, Jr.

Institution

School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

Autonomy, Aquatic , Tempe Town Lake

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Available February 17, 11:30AM-1:30PM

Target Detection Using Algorithmic Matter

Rebecca Martin

Abstract

Over the years, advances in research have continued to decrease the size of computers from the size of a room to a small device that could fit in one's palm. However, if an application does not require extensive computation power nor accessories such as a screen, the corresponding machine could be microscopic, only a few nanometers big. Researchers at MIT have successfully created Syncells, which are micro-scale robots with limited computation power and memory that can communicate locally to achieve complex collective tasks. In order to control these Syncells for a desired outcome, they must each run a simple distributed algorithm. As they are only capable of local communication, Syncells cannot receive commands from a control center, so their algorithms cannot be centralized. In this work, we created a distributed algorithm that each Syncell can execute so that the system of Syncells is able to find and converge to a specific target within the environment. The most direct applications of this problem are in medicine. Such a system could be used as a safer alternative to invasive surgery or could be used to treat internal bleeding or tumors. We tested and analyzed our algorithm through simulation and visualization in Python. Overall, our algorithm successfully caused the system of particles to converge on a specific target present within the environment.

Presented by

Rebecca Martin

Institution

Arizona State University

Keywords

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Available February 17, 1-3pm

The Connection of LyC Emissions to High [OIII]/[OII] and High [OIII] Galaxies

Alex Blanche

Abstract

This project aims to modify the scope of two previous published papers, Smith et al. 2018 and Smith et al. 2020, by focusing on high [OIII] and high [OIII]/[OII] ratio galaxies in the GOODS North, South, and COSMOS fields, their Lyman Continuum emissions, and their possible contributions to the epoch of cosmic reionization. There are currently strong candidates for high [OIII]/[OII] and high [OIII] galaxies, although more spectra need to be gathered in order to observe their LyC emissions and begin to categorize these galaxies.

Presented by

Alex Blanche

Institution

Arizona State University NASA Space Grant

Other Affiliations

ASU, School of Earth and Space Exploration

Keywords

cosmology, LyC, reionization

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Available 11:30pm-12:10pm and 2:10pm-3:30pm

Validifying a New CFD Algorithm in Three Dimensions by Finding the Drag Coefficient of a Sphere

David (Jack) Madden

Abstract

Simulating fluids has numerous applications in science, engineering, and industry. As computers get more powerful, new problems and new simulation methods can be used. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) algorithm is currently being developed by the Kasbaoui Research Group using a novel Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) to describe complex geometries. To validate the algorithm, my research project focused on testing the algorithm in three dimensions by simulating a sphere placed in a moving fluid. The simulation results were compared against known experimental results. Specifically, the drag force on the sphere was compared to the expected results predicted by the experimentally derived Schiller-Naumann Correlation. We simulated the flow in a range of Reynolds Numbers between 10 and 300 and observed that numerical errors decreased with increasing spatial and temporal resolution. This result was expected as increased resolution should give results closer to experimental values. Having shown the accuracy and robustness of this method, we can continue development to eventually explore new geometries such as aircraft engines or air moving through lungs.

Presented by

David (Jack) Madden

Institution

Arizona State University, SEMTE

Other Affiliations

Kasbaoui Research Group

Keywords

CFD, Sphere, Testing, Validation

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Available Febuary 17th, 11:30am-1:30pm