Carnegie Mellon’s undergraduate researchers showered sparks of future science at the university’s 14th annual
Meeting of the Minds this month.
More than 425 undergraduates participated in this year’s 14th annual research symposium, an event that encourages and supports the future pursuit of research. This marks the 20th year for the university’s nationally recognized and flourishing undergraduate research office.
"Undergraduate research allows students to build depth in an area of interest," explains Stephanie Wallach, assistant vice provost of undergraduate education. "It gives them a deeper of understanding of a field, of the process and of themselves to help prepare students for their next steps."
A wide array of disciplines were represented, from biomedical, civil and environmental engineering to art, architecture and psychology. An urban waterfall poured from the roof of an office tower, spinning turbines that potentially generated electricity. Others created cirriculums to teach children about wind power through sail-powered or balloon-powered cars.
Psychology students suggested that mindfulness as taught through meditation correlates to better psychological health in adolescents at risk for depression. A remote controlled Mars rover simulated tasks to be performed in space by future NASA researchers. A team of researchers in the university’s
Engineers Without Borders chapter considered the feasibility of Jatropha harvesting in rural eastern Africa to produce bio-fuel and other products for the village market.
The seeds are suitable for biofuel and may offset the economic and environmental impact of other energy sources such as kerosene or fuel wood, explains Dyanna Becker, a sophomore civil and environmental engineering major and winner of the
Morris K. Udall scholarship.
“No one had ever done research on this plant to learn if it was actually a good idea,” says Becker. “We learned that they can’t use it as a lighting fuel, but it shows potential in terms of combustion. We’re still working on it.”
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Writer: Debra Diamond Smit
Source: Abby Houck, Dyanna Becker, Carnegie Mellon University
Image courtesy Ken Andreyo/Carnegie Mellon University