Engineering Plus

Project Description For almost a decade, the Rieker group has been transitioning Nobel Prize winning laser technology from carefully controlled optics labs to the outside world. In partnership with NIST, a mid-infrared laser is being developed that can measure the absorption of almost any hydrocarbon molecule, such as volatile organic...

Project Description The Bioastronautics Laboratory in the Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences is conducting experiments to explore how humans and autonomous systems can best team up to address the challenges of deep space missions. As part of these experiments, we have developed a computer interface that simulates what remote...

Project Description My lab is exploring a variety of techniques for rapid prototyping of electronic circuits that assure first time success, quickly and at low cost. Some of these leverage commercial vendors and some of these leverage methods fully contained in-house. Each of four students will select a specific circuit...

Project Description The Neuromechanics lab combines ideas from neuroscience, economics and biomechanics to understand the costs and rewards underlying movement control. Using modeling, robotic interfaces, and virtual reality, we try to reverse engineer how the brain selects and controls movements. The investigations provide insight into the interplay between the neural...

Project Description At the Emergent Nanomaterials Laboratory (ENL) we work at the forefront of materials research on exciting new applications for polymeric soft materials. We are currently working with a class of biodegradable materials called cyclodextrins, which are made of glucose molecules linked together into a cup-shaped ring. Cyclodextrins are...

Project Description Legacy pipelines made of cast iron, wrought iron, and bare steel are responsible for a disproportionate number of gas leaks in the United State’s infrastructure system. Many systems have exceeded their intended design life with increasing vulnerability to failure. The Center for Infrastructure, Energy and Space Testing (CIEST)...

Project Description US natural gas pipeline infrastructure has been serving the nation for decades, providing critical services and resources for energy flow. Many systems have exceeded their intended design life with increasing vulnerability to failure. The Center for Infrastructure, Energy and Space Testing (CIEST) is leading an international project to...

Project Description The Center for Infrastructure, Energy and Space Testing (CIEST) houses a large 400 g-ton centrifuge (the 2nd largest in the US). This centrifuge has recently been upgraded with a shake table so that can input scaled earthquake motions into a scaled model of soil-structure systems. Additional upgrades include...

Project Description Are you an Engineering Plus student interested in improving the course experiences for all students? Would you love to dive into why students choose different emphasis and concentration combinations in undergraduate courses? Are you curious about the perspectives of students who transferred into e+ as older students versus...

Project Description We are investigating how sanitation systems can be adapted to better meet household needs and preferences in rural Peru. We are using interviews and surveys to better understand benefits and aspirations, including how those related to social well-being, are tied to sanitation. The DLA will work with a...