NSF-Funded Program at Embry-Riddle Promotes Undergraduate Research Nationwide

Student projects focused on the effects of radiation and microgravity on living cells, augmented reality to help prevent space collisions, plastic materials capable of “growing back” after fracture and many other topics were presented by undergraduate researchers on July 17 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Supported by a nearly $434,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, the recent student poster presentations followed an intensive 10-week Interdisciplinary Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus.

Eleven exceptional undergraduate students from institutions across the country, including Embry-Riddle, took part in this year’s REU program, administered by Dr. Foram Madiyar, assistant professor of Physical Sciences, and Dr. Alberto Mello, associate professor of Aerospace Engineering, with support from a host of faculty mentors.

Undergraduates selected to participate in this year’s REU program received a $5,000 stipend and gained essential research skills as well as key contacts and access to facilities at Embry-Riddle’s Research Park as well as its College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering, Mello explained.

Embry-Riddle undergraduate Logan Shaffer recently shared his research related to self-healing polymers as part of the NSF-funded Interdisciplinary Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Embry-Riddle. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Alberto Mello)

“This year, our elite REU cohort also visited Piper Aircraft, the Kennedy Space Center and FlexJet’s operation at the Research Park,” Mello added. “They also enjoy social engagement activities.”

Through these NSF-supported research and networking activities, “Embry-Riddle is working to increase interest in STEM careers nationally while enhancing student persistence and success by providing hands-on learning opportunities,” he said.

Embry-Riddle student Logan Shaffer, one of the 2024 REU program participants, said he appreciated learning about NASA and the aerospace industry while honing his research chops. “I gained insight into some alternative career options that I had not previously considered,” Shaffer reported. “My time working at Embry-Riddle’s Research Park was an incredible journey — challenging and rewarding at the same time.”

Key to the program is a list of faculty mentors who are matched with students based on their research interests, explained Mello, who earned his Ph.D. in aerospace from the University of Texas at Austin, served as a visiting professor and postdoc at Purdue University, mentored the Brazilian Air Force, managed the Brazilian Satellite Launcher VLS-1 Profile, headed the Brazilian Space Projects Branch at the Institute of Aeronautics and Space – IAE, Brazil and more before joining Embry-Riddle.

Dr. Alberto Mello, an associate professor of Aerospace Engineering, brings a wealth of multi-institution experience to his role as co-director of the NSF-funded Interdisciplinary Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Embry-Riddle. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Daryl LaBello)

Student research projects focused on a wide array of topics spanning the aerospace and Aerospace Physiology realms.

Shaffer, for example, worked with Madiyar and Dr. Jenny Vu, assistant professor of Physical Sciences, to learn about polymer materials that can heal themselves when damaged — a capability that suggests an array of applications in space and on Earth. Samples of the unique material were tested before and after fracture to assess self-healing efficiency. The research provided fine-grain insights that may help support the design of ever more efficient self-healing polymers, Shaffer explained in his poster presentation.

Other participants in this year’s REU program visited Embry-Riddle from institutions in Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Florida and elsewhere.

Kareigh Gammon, an undergraduate at Kennesaw State University, worked with Embry-Riddle assistant professor Dr. Hugo Castillo to assess the effects of radiation on E. coli cells, which are plentiful in the human microbiome, or gut, in both gravity versus microgravity conditions. “In space,” Gammon noted in her poster presentation, “microbes are subjected to numerous stressors, such as radiation and microgravity. Understanding how these stressors impact microbial behavior is crucial for space missions, travel and research.”

Lily Auerback, a sophomore at the University of Maryland-Baltimore, worked on a way to visualize real-time space travel in 3D, specifically to spot obstacles along a spacecraft’s trajectory. She leveraged the computer programming language Python, which she described as time-consuming but capable of handling “fancy algorithms,” as well as the C language, which is faster. Auerback was mentored by Embry-Riddle faculty member Dr. David Canales Garcia, assistant professor of Aerospace Engineering, and supported by graduate student Edison Martinez-Samaniego.

Mello hopes to continue the Interdisciplinary Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Embry-Riddle. The program is currently in its third year, thanks to the NSF, and has so far served more than 30 undergraduates. The 2024 program received some 60 applications and served 11 students.

“Research has shown that experiential learning opportunities help students persist in their studies and succeed academically,” Mello noted. “The REU program at Embry-Riddle supports truly outstanding undergraduate researchers who are future leaders and innovators.”

The REU program is one of several Embry-Riddle initiatives designed to help bolster the U.S. science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce.

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