The third annual STEM-Summer Institutes (STEM-SI) undergraduate research program, under the leadership of Professors Vassie Ware and Neal Simon and I-CPIE Director of Operations Chad Kusko, began on May 31, 2023, and included students from various undergraduate research projects and programs on the Lehigh University campus, including RARE (Rapidly Accelerated Research Experience), ATLSS REU (Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems Research Experience for Undergraduates), NHERI REU (Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure Research Experience for Undergraduates).
At the opening session in Neville 2 auditorium, Simon, Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, and Ware, Professor of Molecular Biology, stressed to the STEM-SI students that one important skill they’d be asked to develop over the summer wasn’t science or research at all: it was communication.
Simon told the students: “the complex problems you’ll be working on across disciplines need people who can communicate across disciples–if you can do that, you’ll have an enormous advantage.” Ware explained the importance of being able to explain highly technical research in plain language to non-STEM audiences, or a short, direct “elevator speech.”
And the end-of-summer Research Day just 10 weeks later, on August 3, put the students’ communication skills on display. Students prepared by setting up posters throughout Mountaintop’s Building C, filling several bays and hallways with the results of their summer efforts. Each poster provided an overview of a project, from its significance to research questions, methodologies, and results, with graphics, tables, and figures.
Various disciplines intermingled: a physics poster sat near a poster about transforming the Mountaintop Campus into a destination; information about creating equitable energy rates in Pennsylvania sat next to a study on amoebas and drug-resistant bacteria in water systems. But despite their diverse topics, all students were eager to talk about their projects, from the details of methodologies to the spectrum of applications. And with judges rating their work, students had honed their communication skills.
While some students found the 10 weeks gave them enough time to generate research results, the primary finding for others was that they had only gotten started. Sometimes that was by design. For example, Juan Mendoza, from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, studied tissue growth on filaments in a specific orientation, so a modified structure will require more testing. Mechanical Engineering and Global Studies major Stephanie Moreno-Rivera worked on fish schooling dynamics with Professor Keith Moored from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, but her summer project focused on improving materials for Lehigh’s summer CHOICES program, which introduces middle-school girls to STEM research. Stephanie’s goal was to redesign the “boat” that holds instrumentation in the water so it’s easier to use. While she found that building a viable boat isn’t all that easy, she also gained insight into fluid dynamics she can use in other work. Josephine Osroagbo, a student of Population Health in Lehigh’s College of Health, worked with her mentor, Professor Gabrielle String from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Community and Population Health, to compile data about water storage practices in Africa; this data will form the basis for analysis and writing that will culminate, they hope, in a published paper before the spring semester. And some students found their research will truly be long-term: among them is Kate Saltovets from the Department of Physics. Kate studied massive star clusters in Cassiopeia, and although she knew her research would extend into the fall, she also discovered that this is the kind of research that she’d like to pursue over the course of her career.
Many students made use of Lehigh’s NHERI and ATLSS facilities, particularly in the areas of real-time testing with materials and machines, combined with computer modeling. Wendy Miao of University of California San Diego used a combination of ceramic steel bands, a rotary drum, and both hydraulic and electric actuators to test self-centering rotary friction devices, reducing the amount of movement and cost of repairs in a building due to earthquake motions. Parker Huggins, from the University of South Carolina, also researched friction damping, and more specifically, an algorithm to introduce control over the damper. Wendy and Parker both combined their real-time testing with computer modeling.
Researchers looking into alternatives to greenhouse-gas-emitting traditional cement relied more on real-world testing, casting concrete structures with alternative materials. Mitzy Torres, California State Los Angeles, and Jaime Ibarra Campa, Arizona State University, both used concrete cast with calcined clay and tested it for strength in compression, fire, and other stressors. Failed tests resulted in crushed, broken, or spalled (fragmented) specimens. Jane Fleishman, Carnegie Mellon University, who tested fiber-reinforced concrete for performance in fire conditions, has a recent real-world application for her research: the June I-95 bridge fire. Other students who explored infrastructure testing were Jenny Fiore, Lehigh University, working on structural health monitoring of bridges; Arvin Jagdeo, Lehigh University, interface shear strength in pile surfaces; Sonali Jepal, Rutgers University, risk assessment and resilience analysis of tunnels; and Yuanlong Dai, University of Connecticut, on the viability of commercial video cameras for deformation modeling.
Overall, students left their summer research programs with more than technical lessons: they made strides toward becoming better researchers, able to formulate their own research questions and design pathways to finding the answers. And, as Professors Simon and Ware said, they learned to communicate clearly with mentors, collaborators, peers, and non-STEM audiences. But the biggest gain for students motivated by deep dives into research may be one noted by Professor String: “research and career development opportunities like this can help position undergraduates for future internship or graduate school endeavors.”
Lehigh Summer Research Summer 2023 By the Numbers
27 faculty mentors
11 academic departments/mentor disciplines
38 students
13 institutions
12 judges