Ten Engineering Students Receive EURP Awards

The first group of undergraduate researchers from Utah State University’s College of Engineering was recently honored with Engineering Undergraduate Research Program awards. EURP awards are designed to involve outstanding undergraduate students in research projects with some the college’s most noted faculty.

 

“These students were selected from an extremely competitive field of applicants,” said H. Scott Hinton, dean of the College of Engineering. “This new program is an effort by the college to ensure that some of our most outstanding undergraduates get the chance to work side-by-side with our best professors as they pursue their important research. These kinds of opportunities will both enhance their undergraduate educational experience and also set them up well for graduate studies as they continue their careers.”

 

Recipients receive a minimum of $1,500 per semester, an amount they can receive for up to three semesters. The EURP researchers are required to work 10 hours weekly, and their research results must be presented at a professional venue.

 

The new EURP researchers are:

(photos of all recipients are posted on the College of Engineering news Web site)

 

Abiezer Tejeda, majoring in electrical engineering, is working with Dr. Chris Winstead in the area of synthetic biology. Tejada will investigate a new soft logic approach for designing biological genetic circuits.

 

Alex Hatch, a biological and irrigation engineering major, is working to identify algal species in the Logan Lagoons for biofuel production. He will work with Dr. Charles Miller.

 

Alyssa Anderson, majoring in biological engineering, is researching nanoparticles and their effect on the environment. She will work with Dr. David Britt.

 

Andrew Fassmann , a mechanical engineering major, is researching nucleate boiling and its application to heat transfer with Dr. Heng Ban.

 

Dereck Hodson is researching computer modeling for bridges at the SMASH Lab with Dr. Paul Barr. Hodson is a civil engineering major.

 

Eduardo Monzon, majoring in computer engineering and computer science, is designing a genetic circuit to coordinate independent processes for quorum sensing mechanisms in bacteria. He will work under the direction of Dr. Chris Winstead.

 

James Wilson is developing code that will determine the probability of collisions between spacecraft. He will then create a visual model to envision the scenario of multiple spacecraft flying at a time. He is a mechanical engineering major and will work with Dr. David Geller.

 

Johnathan Nielsen majors in electrical engineering and will work with Dr. Yangquan Chen on research using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) to create high resolution wind profiles.

 

Jordan Bentley, majoring in mechanical engineering, will be exploring fracture and crack propagation in the intermetallic compound Cu6 Sa5. He will work under the direction of Dr. Leila Ladani.

 

Oscar Marquina is doing a water balance study modeling the exchanges between ground water and surface water to better understand natural resources. He is an environmental engineering major and will work with Dr. Bethany Neilson.