SENIOR DESIGN DAY

SE Senior Design 2021

Flux Core Material Evaluation for Improved Welding of Duplex Stainless Steel

Team Members Kathryn Breen Benjamin Ellery

Industry Sponsor: General Dynamic Electric Boat Industry Advisor: Alfonsina Simo, Katherine Russell Faculty Advisor: Harold Brody

TEAM 2

Tether Shape Monitoring

Team Members Joshua Relucio Joseph Tracey

Industry Sponsor: General Dynamic Electric Boat Industry Advisor: Charles Jewart Faculty Advisor: Serge Nakhmanson

TEAM 3

Analysis of Adhesion Between Polymer Melts and Metallic, Ceramic, And Bimetallic Coatings for Continuous Mixing Applications

Team Members

Zuyang Ma Nicolette Naya Julia Opramolla

Industry Sponsor: Farrel Pomini Industry Advisor: Emily Tassinari Faculty Advisor: Montgomery Shaw

TEAM 4

Investigation of The Possible Effects of Ultra Sonic Cleaning on the Fatigue Life of Gas Turbine Components

Team Members

Marin Bolko Jeet Rosa Samuel Schaefer

Industry Sponsor: Pratt and Whitney Industry Advisor: Scot Webb Faculty Advisor: Seok-Woo Lee

Quench Plug for Ring Gear Manufacturing Process

Team Members

Ryan Cormier Brittany Nelson Nicholas Simpson

Industry Sponsor: Aero Gear Industry Advisor: Patrick Brueckner Faculty Advisor: Lesley Frame

TEAM 6

3D Printed Materials and Processing for Seawater Applications

Team Members

Louis Crisci Kienan Tierney

Industry Sponsor: Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Faculty Advisor: Volkan Ortalan

TEAM 7

Additive Metal Powder Morphology, Flow Testing, Particle Size Distribution

Team Members

Megan Jankovsky Sean Small Justin Zendzion Chandni Patel

Industry Sponsor: Lockheed Martin Industry Advisor: Tom Derco Faculty Advisor: Rainer Hebert

Additive Laser Powder Bed Fusion 30μm/90μm Layer Height Comparison

Team Members

Evan Byers Noah Kinard Karl Douglass Mueller

Industry Sponsor: Lockheed Martin Industry Advisor: Tom Derco Faculty Advisor: Rainer Hebert

TEAM 9

Rapid Martensitic Phase Detection for Improved Processing of 301 Stainless Steel

Team Members

Alex Distelman Megan Hurley Michael Geragotelis

Industry Sponsor: Ulbrich Industry Advisor: Sean Ketchum, Keith Grayeb Faculty Advisor: Yuanyuan Zhu

TEAM 10

In-Situ X-Ray Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injury Dynamic Impacts

Team Members

Joe LoDuca Julia Roemer

Industry Sponsor: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Industry Advisor: Katie Harke Faculty Advisor: Jasna Jankovic

Undergraduate Robert Williams Seeks to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission through Research on Air Filtration Systems

Glass fibers suspended in an aqueous solution with various graphene concentrations

Robert Williams is one of 17 students selected for the University Scholars Program (USP), a challenging and prestigious program for undergraduates at the University of Connecticut. Working in the Adamson Research Group under the supervision of professors Douglas Adamson (Chemistry) and Seok-Woo Lee (MSE), he has been conducting research over the past year on a project entitled “HEPA Filtration Through Graphene Addition”.

What started as an idea for his application for the scholars program, has developed into promising research with the potential to reduce the impacts of the ongoing pandemic. His research centers on improving high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems used to remove pollutants from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Initially, Williams intended to focus his work on improving the efficiency of these filters at certain particle sizes. However, he later recognized, that his research might also have implications for reducing COVID-19 transmission. By combining HEPA filters with electrostatic precipitation technology, Williams seeks to develop a filtration system that can capture small airborne virus-containing respiratory droplets. His work on this topic involves a collaboration with Johns Manville, a company based in Denver, Colorado that manufactures insulation, fibers, and other engineered materials, including the nonwoven products used in filters.

Williams was initially a biology major, but soon realized that his career interests were better aligned with materials science and engineering. He is currently an MSE undergraduate honors student and is pursuing a concentration in biomaterials and a minor in molecular and cell biology. He believes his background in MSE will uniquely prepare him to attain his career goals.

After graduation, he plans to attend medical school, and hopes to pursue research in biomaterials for applications in orthopedics. He also believes that graphene, one of the materials used in his USP filtration project, has the potential to pave the way for other advances in medicine. “To be on the forefront of research that I could potentially apply during medical school is really neat” he says. Apart from advancing his career aspirations, Williams says he chose to complete his undergraduate degree in MSE because the department provides a close-knit academic environment where he is able to get to know both his professors and his peers in many one-on-one interactions.

Williams attributes his success in academics and admission to the USP to his research advisors and other members of the MSE faculty. In particular, he acknowledges Professor Fiona Leek, Director of the MSE Undergraduate Laboratory, who he says provided him with valuable experience in a laboratory setting and instilled in him an appreciation for the skills needed in research. His advisors, Professors Lee and Adamson, were his biggest motivators, giving him the reassurance he needed to realize his potential. Without them, he would not have had the confidence to apply for the scholars program, and he would not have acquired the skills and independence he presently enjoys.

Williams now recognizes that nearly any idea can have unseen potential, and with proper guidance, may result in a new research direction. Thus, he encourages every student with an exciting idea, and the curiosity and drive to pursue it, to apply to the USP.

Robert showing his custom 3D printed Büchner funnel and two graphenecoated samples.

MSE Undergrad Is Paving the Way for Underrepresented Women in the Field of Engineering

In the field of Materials Science and Engineering, Black women are highly underrepresented. When she graduates this Spring, University of Connecticut MSE undergraduate Brittany Nelson will stand for the less than 4% of Black, Hispanic, and Native American women who are awarded a bachelor’s degree in engineering in the United States. She will also be the first generation of her family to earn a college degree.

As a young Black woman in a field dominated by men, Nelson has found inspiration to work harder. “I see this as an opportunity for change. I would not be an MSE student without the support of those who invested in me academically, financially, emotionally, etc. I feel that it is my job to return the favor by setting an example and being a resource to those who are interested in pursuing MSE,” Nelson says.

The MSE senior has strived to do that since discovering her affinity for engineering in middle school. “In the 7th and 8th grade, I attended UConn’s Pre-Engineering Program (PEP) and gained an interest in engineering,” she said. According to Nelson, it wasn’t until high school that she learned about MSE by attending UConn’s Explore Engineering (E2) Program. At the time, she was considering Chemical Engineering (CHEG) and Mechanical Engineering (ME). “MSE was not only fun, but it was a perfect combination of the two fields,” she states.

Her positive experience with the UConn MSE department impacted her decision to study there. “I was specifically impressed by how informed and passionate the MSE faculty and students were about their work. In addition, I gravitated towards the wide range of lab equipment, the friendly atmosphere, and the numerous options of areas to focus on within the MSE program,” Nelson says.

Since deciding to join the UConn MSE program, Nelson has been mentored by Professor Lesley Frame and she recently joined the Frame Research Group. Nelson enjoys the sense of community the group has. “All of the group members willingly provide support and advice to each other in any way possible.”

Whether it was her mentorship with Professor Frame, sense of community, passion, ambition, or a combination of all of the above that motivated her, Nelson was able to pursue research as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar during the summer of 2020. The McNair program prides itself in promoting talented UConn undergraduate students for doctoral studies in (STEM) disciplines, specifically for those from underrepresented populations in our fields, from under-resourced communities, or who are first-generation graduates in their families.

Nelson has also been honored as a Gates Millennium Scholar, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholar, Ronald E. McNair Fellow, and UConn Day of Pride Scholar.

The research that Nelson is currently conducting within the Frame Research group focuses on the effects of tempering processes on the mechanical properties of alloy steel. The results of this research will inform fundamental understanding of phase transformations and changes in strength due to tempering process parameters and will also have direct impacts on heat treatment in a wide range of industry applications.

“Brittany has really taken charge of this project. Even though we were operating remotely for much of last summer, Brittany was able to pick up the project, learn the fundamentals of steel tempering processes, and analyze a very large amount of data to discover new trends and materials behaviors. She is currently working on preparing a manuscript on this project for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. I have been so pleased to have Brittany as a member of our team,” says Professor Frame.

Though this project and her undergraduate career will end in May, Nelson’s career in MSE is really just beginning. She hopes to continue doing research and is strongly leaning towards graduate school. “It is a bittersweet feeling. Graduation is a huge accomplishment for me, especially as a first-generation college student with parents not born in the U.S. I am definitely going to miss the great people that I have met within the MSE department and the UConn campus,” she says.

Her future continuing research also holds the potential to continue inspiring young underrepresented girls who are interested in MSE. “To any female students interested in materials science and engineering, I would say go for it! Being an MSE student is extremely rewarding. You will learn so much about yourself and contribute to making a difference in the world of STEM,” she says.

MSE undergraduate student Brittany Nelsen ('22)