REU 2021 Has Been Postponed Until 2022 – Learn More Here
Please Review the REUs and Select Your Choice Below for an REU to Apply For
High temperature ceramics and processing of advanced alloys
Primary PI: Stefan Schaffoener
Dr. Stefan Schafföner’s lab at the University of Connecticut primarily focuses on ceramics and high temperature materials processing of advanced alloys. Such ceramics and alloys are widely used for aerospace, nuclear and biological applications. Students employed in our lab over the summer will be working on the processing of high temperature ceramics as well as of nickel- and titanium-based alloys for commercial and defense applications to enhance aerospace engine component performance in extreme environments. Emphasis will be also placed on the characterization of physical, chemical, thermal and mechanical properties of refractory ceramics and high-performance alloys as well as their interaction during casting. This research, which is sponsored by leading governmental partners, is critical to improve the reliability, marketability, and efficiency of engines with the potential for major environmental and economic impact. Furthermore, this research is also highly relevant to several additional manufacturing applications including the biomedical, marine and automotive sector.
UConn STEAM Renewable Energy Tree
Primary PI: Jasna Jankovic
In collaboration with Fine Arts, we will be building an artificial tree, that will serve as a multifaceted research platform for various types of renewable energy, as well as a collaborative platform between engineering, art, biology and social science. The students will help with the literature search, building the tree, testing solar panels and other tasks in the lab. They will also explore the commercialization potential of the tree through interviews and surveys, and possibly some outreach.
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Plastic waste to clean energy products
Primary PI: Jasna Jankovic
This project will investigate the possibility to use plastic waste (plastic bottles) to fabricate composite materials for use in clean energy applications. Specifically, plastic bottles will be carbonized or melted to produce composite materials for bipolar plates in fuel cell applications. Students involved in this project will perform literature search and laboratory work including processing of plastics (melting, carbonization, mixing, etc), TGA, electrical and thermal conductivity measurements, and mechanical properties testing. Commercial opportunity of the composite product will be investigated as well.
Software to Enable Tomographic Atomic Force Microscopy
Primary PI: Bryan Huey
There are 30,000 Atomic Force Microscope (‘AFM’) systems in the world, enabling nanoscale research into the morphology and properties of surfaces. At UConn, we are advancing one of the only Tomographic AFM systems, revealing full 3-Dimensional materials properties. The assembly and analysis of such 3-D data is challenging, and requires custom solutions with promising commercial potential as the worldwide AFM community increasingly employs our Tomographic method. Project aspects can include operating the TAFM, efficient assembly of the “technically sparse” 3D data, data-science approaches to segmentation and analysis of the results, and leveraging other established 3D imaging techniques such as CT scanning, MRI, confocal optics, and serial-sectioned SEM.
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