Meet the 2022 SURF Cohort

Madie Addis

Mentor:

Amy Landis

Project Title:

The Sustainability of Plastics and Bio-Plastics

Our world has a serious plastic pollution problem, and while there are some initiatives making great progress, other initiatives don’t always make the impact they intend to. This misalignment can stem from a lack of knowledge about what the major sources of plastic waste are. In this project, we are diving deep into where plastic waste comes from, and what we discover could be used to advise future plastic waste reduction efforts to maximize the impact made, and I am thrilled to be a part of this research process.

Addison Berrier

Mentor:

Anuj Chauhan

Project Title:

Designing Porous Hydrogels for Delivery of Biologics

I was initially interested in this project because of its potential impacts on the field of drug delivery. This novel method of delivering biologics could potentially revolutionize how we deliver this type of medicine within the eye, and I was excited about getting into such a project, since I hope to one day make a career in the field of drug delivery.

Curtis Chun

Mentor:

Ahmad Majid

Project Title:

Gas Separation Using a Gas Hydrate Technology

This project is interesting to me because this fellowship would get me to have hands on experience with hydrate technology in the lab and teach me how to do research. I am also very interested in learning more about Karl Fischer titrations and using the equipment to determine how feasible it is in terms of capturing the Carbon Dioxide Molecules.

Jessica Fiala

Mentor:

Amy Landis

Project Title:

Exploring Sustainable Design for Plastics & Bioplastics

After writing a research paper on the possibility of bioplastics as a solution to unrecyclable plastic waste, I have been interested in bioplastic development and research. I want to learn about how material flow analysis and life cycle analysis can help improve plastic waste management, in order to move towards more informed decisions about plastic use and waste.

Declan Knies

Mentor:

Adrianne Kroepsch

Project Title:

An Interdisciplinary Study of the Gold King Mine Spill: Hydrology and Public Discourse

I have always been interested in the humanities, in the “people” side of things. After a year in technical, physics research, I’ve found myself wanting a deeper connection to the humanities. This project provides that with an intriguing interdisciplinary approach giving me the ability to mix social and technical studies.

Sophia Lee

Mentor:

Alexander Pak

Project Title:

Molecular Simulations of SARS-COV-2 Peptide Therapeutics

I am interested in this project because I wanted to expand my knowledge of molecular simulations and epidemiology.

Ibrohim Nosirov

Mentor:

Michael Wakin

Project Title:

Randomized Algorithms for Signal and Data Processing

I’m broadly interested in using math to understand the theory of data science. Fast algorithms are one important class problems in data science. Often, that speed comes at the cost of introducing randomness into a system and the challenge is to harness randomness without compromising accuracy. I find that intersection of computer science, numerical analysis, and probability particularly intriguing.

Makenna Phillips

Mentor:

Jose Delgado

Project Title:

Interfacial Characterization of Oil-Water Systems for Energy Applications

I think working on hydrates is such an interesting project since I’ll be looking at different ways that energy can be stored which can have a lot of environmental implications.

Abigail Sherman

Mentor:

Prashun Gorai

Project Title:

Computational Discovery of Low-temperature Thermoelectric Materials

This project combines computational machine learning with the discovery of new compounds in scientific research. I am excited to see how computer science principles and programs are used in research and industry innovation!

Austin Tomson

Mentor:

Kevin Cash

Project Title:

3D Printed Animal Imager

I am interested in designing devices and machines in the medical field. Additionally, I also like using 3D printers to make things. This project allows me to do both at once.

 

Emmelia Ashton

Mentor:

Terry Lowe

Project Title:

Detecting Magnetic Phases In Medical Device Metals

This project interests me as it is related to both my interests and current research within metallurgical and materials engineering for medical and biological applications. My goal for this project is to develop a simple and non-destructive method to detect magnetic phases in small volumes of stainless steel used in medical devices. This novel method would potentially allow large advances in research related to strength of materials used in medical devices and allow for more effective medical technologies and treatment.

Pablo Chang Huang

Mentor:

Katharina Ptaff

Project Title:

Mapping the Subsurface: Core Scanning as a Powerful Tool to Visualize the Subsurface

I am very interested in modeling and remote sensing since they are the core of my career goals. As a Geophysicist, It is very important to use remote sensing and computational models. I think this project is perfect to get me started on studying the subsurface. I grew up in a very geologically and explorational active zone of the world, Ecuador. Therefore, I have always been surrounded by a very dynamic environment with unique natural processes. I am applying to be part of this research project because I want to integrate my personal natural interests and my scientific knowledge to deepen my research abilities and to contribute to a group solving important inquiries.

Johnathan Evan

Mentor:

Lakshmi Krishna

Project Title:

Optimizing Process Control for Green Hydrogen Production

I’m interested in materials science as a graduate study and wanted to start working in a lab with materials studies.

Jacob Hofer

Mentor:

Scott Strong

Project Title:

Mathematical Mechanics of One-Dimensional Filaments in Three-Dimensional Space

PDEs was a fascinating class, and I’m excited to be able to learn and apply math to challenging problems. The applications of the problem to vortices and their behavior is really interesting.

William Lansing

Mentor:

Jonah Klemm-Toole

Project Title:

Experimental Wire Feedstocks for Environmental Resistance

The applications of this project are what caught my attention. After looking into the project more, I decided that I wanted to be involved in the research and manufacturing of these wires.

Shawn Muhr

Mentor:

Ramya Kumar

Project Title:

Automating the Analysis of Flow Cytometry Data in Polymeric Gene Delivery

We will be attempting to implement a truly novel approach for analyzing data. With that comes a great amount of creative freedom. Being able to utilize that creative freedom to incorporate some of my favorite concepts into our project will be both a challenging yet rewarding experience!

Caroline Obluda

Mentor:

Paulo Tabares

Project Title:

Impacts of Wildfires on Photovoltaic Generation

I’m very excited to work on this project and find ways to make sustainable energy more efficient and effective by delving into exactly how this natural disaster affects a common form of renewable energy. I am passionate about both physics and mechanical engineering, and this is the perfect balance of both.

Kailyn Regidor

Mentor:

Joseph Samaniuk

Project Title:

Interaction of 2D Particles and Phospholipid Monolayers

This project is interesting to me because once the particles are fabricated, the bulk of the project is so interesting and prevalent to the world today with the COVID-19 pandemic nearing an end. I’ve learned so much through this project and am excited to continue to learn how DPPC, a lung surfactant, interacts with graphene at its interface and what that means for masks that contain these particles.

Veronica Stark

Mentor:

Christine Morrison

Project Title:

Understanding and Inhibiting the Pathway of Iron-Sulfur cluster Biosynthesis in Pathogenic Bacteria

I have been working under the mentorship of a Ph.D. Candidate in the Morrison Research Lab since January 2022 and what I’ve learned thus far from that experience will help me with this project. I consider myself to be detail oriented and this project allows me to use that skill by diving into each individual part of the iron-sulfur biosynthesis mechanism in order to figure out how it works. The overall application of this project involves drug discovery, specifically, finding a way to use what we’ve learned about the iron-sulfur cluster mechanism against itself; drug discovery is a big field of interest to me and one I hope to go into in the future.

Azlan Tubbs

Mentor:

Karin Leiderman

Project Title:

Mathematical Modeling to Investigate Dual-Pathway Inhibition by Anticoagulant Drugs

This project combines my interests of math and biology. I love using math models to demonstrate how the blood clotting process works, and I enjoy piecing together the underlying biochemical reactions based on the model.

Andy Vanyo

Mentor:

Paulo Cesar Tabares Velasco

Project Title:

Electrification of Homes in Colorado

The importance of this project due to it’s current relevance. Homes in Colorado are already being electrified, and the effects and impacts need to be modeled and evaluated.

Brandon Barton

Mentor:

Cecilia Diniz Behn

Project Title:

Synchronization in Complex Quantum Networks

The interdisciplinary aspect of this project is very exciting. While synchronization has been instrumental in understanding collective dynamics in many areas of research, there has been less work done on understanding self-organization in quantum many-body systems. This project may have the opportunity to employ aspects of non-linear dynamical systems, and condensed matter theory.

Bella Chase

Mentor:

Carolyn Koh

Project Title:

Mechanical Properties and Adhesion of Clathrate Hydrates

This project inspires me because it is so interdisciplinary. This research follows environmental concerns as well as transportation possibilities in the oil and gas industry. By better understanding the process by which clathrate hydrates form we can mitigate potential environmental impacts and harness this knowledge for a safer energy sector.

Jacob Fein-Ashley

Mentor:

Hua Wang

Project Title:

Adaptive Learning and Quantification Algorithms For Advances in Geological Exploration

Because I like machine learning

Ye Jin

Mentor:

Joy Gockel

Project Title:

Process Parameter Design for Additive Manufacturing

I wanted to do research in Additive Manufacturing because I believe it’s the emerging technology that will be an important driver of innovation in the Aerospace, biomedical, and automotive industries.

Michala Lee

Mentor:

Veronica Eliasson

Project Title:

Height of Burst Experimentation Using Ultra High-Speed Photography and Pressure Measurements: A Parameter Study to Determine which Properties of the Physical Setup Influence Shock Interaction with the Ground Plane

I am already familiar with this research and this research group. I helped to get this project up and running, but now in the summer I can really be more hands-on with the experiments and be fully focused on making advancements.

Claire Nelson

Mentor:

Ramya Kumar

Project Title:

3D Synthesizing Polycationic Vectors for Gene Delivery via Continuous Flow Polymerization

Polymers are at the heart of many revolutionary fields of science and engineering. Being able to streamline the process using flow polymerization will be able to make larger batches of product with near identical properties and structures. This new technique can help make polymer synthesis much more replicable. Being able to develop a continuous flow system is on the cutting edge of new synthesis techniques, which is incredibly interesting to me.

Evan Okolovitch

Mentor:

Alexander Pak

Project Title:

Molecular Simulations of Bacterial Microcompartment Proteins

Bacterial micro-compartments (BMCs) are intimately tied to several facets of life – carbon fixation and intracellular, metabolic processes. Intriguingly, BMCs may potentially serve as bionanoreactors, increasing the efficiency of certain pathways. Thus, they may be used in several areas (e.g., medicine and bioremediation) where they could allow finer control over particular processes, thereby improving the quality of one’s life or environment.

Sierra Schlussel

Mentor:

Stephanie Kwon

Project Title:

H2 Storage Strategy – HCOOH as a Potential H2 Carrier

One of my career goals is to help develop cleaner and more effective energy sources. This research allows me a glimpse into what that would mean for my future and allow me to better understand the different opportunities chemical engineering has.

Jaime Tellez Gonzalez

Mentor:

Geoff Brennecka

Project Title:

In-Situ Monitoring for Improved Additive Manufacturing of Ceramics

Real-time monitoring allows us to find errors as they occur, which allows us to explore the sources of those errors and find solutions. Additionally, it allows us to modify processes as they’re occurring and opens the door for exploration by changing parameters, and better optimization.

Ashley Turnage

Mentor:

Susanta Sarkar

Project Title:

Machine Learning Based Virtual Screening of Drugs Against Matrix Metalloproteases

This project combines molecular screening and purification techniques to analyze the movement and behavior of matrix metalloproteases. This project is extremely interesting because of the potential it has to prevent and cure degenerative diseases and to create better, more effective drug delivery systems!
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