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2020 Faculty/Staff/Researcher Entries |
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2020 Graduate Student Entries |
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2020 Undergraduate Student Entries |
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Air pollution: A huge threat to Earth by Behrooz Roozitalab |
air pollution, health, environment |
More than four million people die annually due to ambient air pollution. Moreover, air pollution both reduces the crop production and plays an important role in climate change. As industrial activities are growing, pollution emissions are also increasing, in different sectors such as power and industry. These emissions lead to severe air pollution in the megacities. For example, the annual average concentration of particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometer (PM2.5) in Delhi, the capital of India, is about five times the World Health Organization guidelines. Moreover, air quality in a region can be influenced by air quality in other regions, too. For instance, air pollution from burning agricultural fields after crop cultivation can travel more than 200 miles and intensify Delhi's air pollution. Comparing the impacts of air pollution with ones of deadly Corona virus (COVID-19) reveals how severe the problem of air pollution is. If people and governments do not pay enough attention as they do for Corona virus, the Earth will eventually die. The long-term goal of my research is to provide detailed information regarding the state of air quality in India using contemporary tools that helps decision makers apply efficient emission control scenarios. |
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Anonymity by Evie Holyoake |
micro-organism, SEM, grime |
Depicting the grime and living organisms that reside on the surfaces of our buildings, this is an image of an environmental film that was collected over a two month time-span on an uncoated silicon wafer from the roof of the Campus and Recreation Wellness Center (CRWC). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to capture the surface at a micron scale; in real life, the entire image lives in a space the size of a width of a human hair. The specific organism that is pictured is unknown, but is believed to be a type of fungus based off of its size and DNA staining. |
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Bubbles: Let's measure them! by Matias Perret |
bubbles, fluids, measurements |
Bubbles: Let's measure them! This image is intended to spark curiosity, additional information is intentionally not provided. |
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Defying Gravity by Riannon Smith |
hydrogel, blue, semi-solid |
Pluronic F127 powder was added to water to create a thermoreversible hydrogel. After mixing, the solution was dyed blue for visualization and heated to form a semi-solid gel in a glass vial. The semi-solid gel was then disturbed with a metal spatula to break up the smooth surface to determine if the hydrogel would hold its shape upon inverting. Upon turning the vial upside down, the gel peaks stayed in place. For dermal applications, the gel's demonstrated ability to stay in place may help it stay in irregular areas. The gel peaks start to flow and fall apart as the hydrogel cools, returning to a liquid phase. |
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Driving Simulator for Cannabis Research by Andrew Veit |
simulation, cannabis, collaboration |
The miniSim™ is a versatile and cost-effective driving simulation software platform suited to human factors research, clinical research, product development, and driver training. Backed by decades of simulation experience at the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) at the University of Iowa, the miniSim is both sophisticated and affordable. The miniSim provides well-validated measures of driving performance, a safe and repeatable experimental environment, and it enables research that could not otherwise be conducted on public roads. The miniSim has a strong and growing presence in the research field, with over 80 simulators at 62 sites in four countries. One key aspect of the miniSim program is the collaboration that it can facilitate. The miniSim simulator pictured is located at the University of Colorado Denver and is currently applied to understanding the pattern of marijuana dosage and administration that offers therapeutic benefits while preserving the capacity to safely perform a key activity of daily life: the operation of a personal motor vehicle. This is a 3-year multi-disciplinary collaboration between investigators at the Colorado School of Public Health with experience in medical toxicology, occupational medicine, biostatistics and injury prevention, and a team at the University of Iowa and National Advanced Driving Simulator with expertise in engineering, human factors, pharmacology and medicine, and prior research experience on marijuana use and driving performance. |
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Fibroblast-Adipocyte Interaction by Mariam El-Hattab, Ms. |
fibroblast, adipocyte, collagen |
Fibroblasts are collagen producing cells involved in the wound healing process and respond to biochemical and mechanical cues that direct their activity during healing. Adipocytes are typically known to be stagnant and are involved in hormonal and thermo-regulatory mechanisms. Recently however, adipocytes have been shown to be influence fibroblast activity during wound healing and may themselves produce collagen. This image shows a fibroblast cell spheroid (left) interacting with an adipocyte cell spheroid (right). Cells are shown in red and their collagen production is shown in green. Fibroblasts and adipocytes in co-culture migrate preferentially towards one another and radially outwards as time progresses, with this image showing their interactions after 7 days in culture. Each spheroid produces collagen in a pattern that mimics the corresponding cell migration. |
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Flood Action VR by Yusuf Sermet |
virtual reality, serious gaming, disaster management |
Flood Action VR is a virtual reality framework that utilizes real-time and historical weather, disaster, and geographic data to construct a 3D gaming environment to increase public awareness for extreme events. It provides an immersive and interactive environment for training and education on disaster preparedness and response. It integrates a voice-enabled intelligent assistant (i.e. The Flood Expert) that is capable of comprehending and responding to complex environmental queries in natural language (NL) due to its integration with an information-centric flood ontology. The main focus of the game is to let users achieve several tasks (e.g. escaping from the flood zone, rescuing those in need, and transporting medicine and emergency supplies) within a limited time during an extreme disaster scenario while simulating intense weather conditions. The scenarios can be based upon real events and forecasts as well as custom setups. In-game navigation is done by flying a rescue drone. Interactions with the system can be made in different forms including voice-based natural language commands and default input methods (e.g. gesture, controller, touchpad) of the client device. When users are interacting with the system or other players using their voice, the system is equipped with functionality to analyze voice trends to detect emotional and psychological state. |
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For Jenny by Allison Rowe |
cancer, perseverance, treatment |
When I was in 3rd grade, my best friend's mom lost her battle to metastatic melanoma. Today, I am conducting my Honors Thesis on predictive methods for targeted drug therapy to help better treat patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. In this photograph, I am holding in my hand a suspension of same type of cancer cells that were responsible for the death of the woman in the background almost 13 years ago. When the experiment results are frustrating, or the hours in the lab get long, I persevere for her. For Jenny -- may we never stop testing, fighting, and searching for better treatments for cancer. |
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Future of Smart Cities by Brian Shanahan |
future, environment, climate |
This photograph comes from a time in May when Chicago, IL had unseasonable rain patterns and cloud cover at very low altitudes. The emphasis of my research is to conduct future analysis of developing smart cities to combat the concerns of future climate change. A possible solution to improving air quality and city life is the use of a 2-mile diameter filtering dome over large cities. Stadium roofs have become common in sports facilities which during an event hold a similar capacity to that of a city. A popular commonality among stadiums is the use of ETFE, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene which is a fluorine-based plastic with high corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range. A dome concept using this plastic will allow for minimization of pollution and will be able to filter in and out by use of a centralized scrubber tower that would extend the diameter of a dome. Vents will be used to separate out the clean air from the pollutants and allow for monitoring as well. The panels of ETFE are strong enough to withstand extreme weather-related events and handle UV rays. Overall, as urbanization continues to develop and bring more people into large cities this dome design will have applications extending the growth of urban sprawl. |
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Geologist at Work by Ryan Clark |
geology, quarry, bedrock |
This image was taken at an active limestone aggregate quarry, which supplies crushed rock for area roads and other construction projects. We visit quarries like this, as well as road cut and river bank exposures, to study the bedrock and identify which formations are found at the bedrock surface. In many places in Iowa the bedrock is buried by glacial sediments and in those areas we rely on drilling logs from water wells in the area. Compiling a bedrock geologic map involves identifying the depth, thickness, and lateral extent of bedrock formations. This information can then be used to characterize bedrock aquifers and lead to better management of groundwater resources. Our maps can also be used by the aggregate industry to identify where future limestone resources are located, which may also lead to sustainable land use planning to avoid developing areas that may need to be quarried. |
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Hello MTV, welcome to my cubicle by Adam Lev |
symbolic |
People thing this is what engineers do and while I am working on CAD I was actually able to go out into the field and see this project be constructed later in my internship. I interned for an civil engineering firm in Chicago this summer. I needed to provide a picture to register my internship though the college of engineering and this was said picture. I think it is ironic and kind of funny so I figured I would submit it. Over the summer while I was in the office most of the time I was able to work on many different projects that I never imagined being able to put valuable incite on. I was able to travel to many different sites and see what I was working on hands on. Overall a great experience and many Iowa engineers will have similar ones to this as this is the real world of engineering. |
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Infrastructure in Peril by Richard Fosse, P.E. |
infrastructure, resilience, response |
The September 11th attacks were an awakening for our nation to the importance of resilience and the way we respond to large scale disasters. In the years since, it has become evident that the most likely threats to our infrastructure come from extreme weather events and accidents, such as the fire at the Iowa City landfill pictured above. The frequency of such events, especially those weather related, has been increasing at an alarming rate over the past 20 years. Civil and environmental engineers design the infrastructure systems that comprise our communities. My focus has been to better prepare engineers to play a central role in creating the next generation of infrastructure that will help break the cycle of destruction and repair that can be seen all to often on the nightly news. By teaching our students how to focus on resilience, they can identify potential threats and design safeguards, including features to accommodate quicker recovery after a disaster. Our students are also taught about their role as a responder. Damage to critical infrastructure systems thrusts engineers into a responder role to provide immediate evaluation and creative strategies to restore basic functions. The curriculum developed and taught at the University of Iowa is on the leading edge of the emerging field of resilience and has been featured at the American Society of Civil Engineers Congress on Technical Advancement and FEMA's Emergency Management Higher Education Symposium. |
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Inside The Microscope World by Eric Larson |
microscopy, laser, cancer |
Murine sarcoma cells dyed with ethidium homodimer and calcein acetoxymethyl under a confocal microscope after laser exposures. |
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Iowa Baja by Pierce Knarr |
Iowa Baja, Nile Kinnick, Homecoming |
Iowa Baja is a completely self-funded engineering student organization that designs, builds, and races a miniature Baja car. This picture describes the pinnacle of our engineering here at the university. Our car that we're currently building is going to be inspired by Nile Kinnick, the theme of this past year's homecoming. |
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"Isolating" New Information by Alexis Hansen |
whole genome sequencing, bacterial isolates, clinical |
This drawn image contains a depiction of an agar plate used for growing bacteria. The plate has Staphylococcus aureus streaked out for single colonies on it. In the Welsh lab, this research study utilizes bacterial samples from clinical patients are plated similarly and are sent to the state hygienic lab for whole genome sequencing. The whole genome sequence is received and then processed for analysis. A combination of bacteria, a person represented by the letters of their whole genome sequence, and a DNA double helix can be seen on the plate. The lungs surround the image because this research is benefitting patients with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic lung disease. |
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Mapping Flood Vulnerability of Cedar Rapids by Enes Yildirim |
disaster, vulnerabililty, prioritization |
Flooding is one of the most devastating natural hazards across the world. Due to the limited resources, decision-makers need to prioritize regions for mitigating flooding impact by using flood scenarios. Cedar Rapids is one of the case studies of this research. The image shows one of possible direct flood loss scenarios for the community and generates a city and individual building report to help both authorities and the public. Based on the output, decision-makers can justify which region to protect first or how to plan urban development on their communities. Individuals can also be informed to reduce damage to their properties by looking at flood depth and estimated losses or leave their properties to save lives. |
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Mars 3D Crater: Compressed by Jacob Nishimura |
compression, 3D, Mars |
Modern 3D imaging technologies are being used in the fields of medicine, additive manufacturing, forensic science, and virtual reality. As 3D data can now be captured at high speeds with high levels of precision, new problems are encountered when storing, transmitting, or displaying the large amounts of data generated. While some typical methods of storing 3D data use meshes (sets of points and connecting edges), these approaches can require large amounts of data to be stored. Instead, we encode the 3D geometry such that it can be saved in the RGB color channels of a regular 2D image. By doing so, we can employ standardized image compression techniques (i.e., JPEG or PNG) to further compress the data. Recent advances by our lab implement a new method where the 3D geometry can be encoded dynamically, allowing important regions to be stored with more precision than less important areas. The presented image shows a crater on Mars whose data was originally captured by the HiRISE project from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. The left half shows a 3D rendering of the crater's geometry. The colors inside the crater represent regions of the crater's 734-meter depth range. The right half shows the crater after being encoded dynamically with our lab's 3D compression approach. The rapid variation in color inside the crater stores data very precisely, whereas the more gradual changes in color outside the crater store data in a more compressible manner. See the data for yourself! Use our Augmented Reality viewer on this poster by visiting https://marsvpd.glitch.me/ on your smartphone. (Original 3D Crater Data: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) |
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Mixing Immiscible Fluids by Beth Rundlett |
mixing, fluids, colorful |
This is the top view of the initial stages of two immiscible fluids (oil and dyed water) mixing. This experiment is a highly visual one for students to learn how the shape, size, and position of different impellers (mixing blades) create vastly different mixing patterns. |
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NADS Interface and Infotainment System by Steve Cable |
simulation, interfaces, interaction |
I've spent the last few years working on a visually skinnable web interface framework for our suite of simulators and on-road research vehicles. The system uses normal web browsers and websockets to create system-agnostic real-time HMI for research gathering of participant data and diagnostic uses. The system can be adapted to a large array of inputs over many individual, low-cost client devices. Inputs include multipoint touch, gesture, speech recognition, or any number of other external inputs. All interactions can then be logged for later review. For our on-road vehicles, the system has been used to create a in-vehicle engineering display, showing real-time output from various sensors on an automated vehicle. It has also been used for demos for the Iowa DOT regarding alerts to slow-moving vehicles. Although we've been using it for a few years now internally at NADS, it has recently been released to other researchers around the country, who are using and customizing it for use with their NADS miniSim simulators. It's been a great joy to help create something here at the University that can help move the needle for both simulation and driving research, and to be able to help others use the framework to match their research needs. |
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Nanofibers in Air by Matthew Nagorzanski |
polymer nanofibers, passive sampling, pesticides |
To protect their crops, farmers across the state of Iowa used thousands of tons of pesticides last growing season. While useful in their intended application, studies have shown that these chemicals can end up in the air, posing an unknown risk to human and environmental health. The first step to solving this unknown health problem is first knowing what chemicals are present, and how much. My research seeks to develop environmental passive samplers from polymer nanofibers, show here. We develop cloth like mats made up of polymer nanofibers, with embedded carbon nanotubes that give the mats their dark gray/black color, through a process called electrospinning. To test our electrospun nanofiber mats (ENMs) we were fortunate enough to partner with Iowa State's Comparison of Biofuel Systems Project (COBS). We placed our ENMs in metal holders and placed them at the COBS test plot, as pictured here, before post-emergent pesticide application. After a week we took our samplers back to the lab and performed our analysis to see what chemicals our samplers were able to pick up. The benefit of our materials compared to existing air samplers are our materials are much faster at capturing chemicals, have a lower energy input, and later analysis requires much less calculation and modeling than traditional air samplers. We believe our ENM materials represent a promising new material to help characterize the type and amount of pesticides in air across agriculture intensive states like Iowa. |
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Nanoparticle and Drug Spreading on Mucus-Like Gels by Jennifer Fiegel |
lung, drug delivery, surfacant |
My lab does research to improve drug treatment for lung diseases such as asthma and lung infections. We are currently trying to better understand what happens to therapeutic aerosols when they are delivered to the lungs. We know that when drug-containing aerosols deposit in the lungs, they need to spread and distribute the drug so that areas in most need of therapy receive it. But this can be difficult to achieve, particularly in people who have significant lung disease. In this project, we are using surfactants to increase the distribution of drugs and drug-containing particles in the lungs through a process called Marangoni spreading (surface tension-driven flow). This image shows how the addition of surfactant significantly increases the spreading of nanoparticle-containing droplets (top) and model drug-containing droplets (bottom) on the surface of mucus-like fluids (fluids similar to those that coats your upper lungs). The finger-like projections that protrude from the edge of the droplets occur when conditions are right - when a) higher concentrations of surfactant are added to the droplets, b) when the mucus is less viscoelastic (less thick and sticky, and less stretchy), and c) when there is no surfactant already on the fluid surface (in your lungs, however, there is some surfactant on the mucus surface). By studying this process, we can learn how to tune the spreading of molecules and particles in the lungs to achieve better drug therapy. |
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Nanopyramids Etched on Silicon by Wenqi Duan |
silicon, etching, pyramids |
A cross section image taken of nanotextured silicon using a scanning electron microscope in the Central Microscopy Research Facility at the University of Iowa. Pyramids that are only a couple hundred nanometers high are etched down into the silicon substrate using a wet chemical etching process. This process is quick, scalable, and much cheaper than other etching methods such as dry etching or patterning using lithography. Since this is a randomized process, the pyramids all vary in size and height. In a traditionally planar flat surface silicon, light will hit the surface once, some photons will be absorbed, and the rest of the light is wasted as it bounces off surface. By texturing the surface, light that bounces off the side of one of the pyramids will have a chance to strike another pyramid, where more light will be absorbed. |
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OPL Flight Operations by Abbie Moore |
flight, female, engineering |
October 23, 2019 I was given the opportunity to fly backseat as the Experimental Pilot in a one-of-a-kind L-29 test aircraft through the Operator Performance Laboratory at the University of Iowa as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. Katharine Woodruff, a Master's student also working at the Operator Performance Laboratory served as the Test Director. This flight was especially exciting for our entire team as it was the first all female crew as Experimental Pilot and Test Director. |
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Particles affecting our climate and health by Gonzalo Ferrada |
climate change, pollution, aerosols |
Every year, trillions of metric tons of particles are released to the atmosphere by multiple sources: dust storms in the Middle East and Saharan desert; urban activities in densely populated areas such as Eastern China and India; and wildfires happening in Siberia, the Amazon forest and different regions of the African tropical forest. Besides their effects on human health, these particles interact with the solar radiation and can act as nuclei for cloud formation, altering the climate not only in the regions affected, but also globally. Atmospheric models are used to simulate and study the impacts and interactions of these particles in the Earth system and our climate. The figure shows the amount of particles (aerosols) in the atmosphere observed during September 2016 modeled with the NASA GEOS-5 model. Green colors represent a persistent layer of haze, while the yellow and reddish colors denote very polluted conditions in which the sky was never seen as blue. It is important to understand the role of these particles in the climate to create mitigation and contention policies. In recent years, NASA has led several field experiments using fully equipped aircrafts to measure these particles in different regions of the world. It is expected that these observations improve our models and climate predictions. |
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Pollen rupturing by Elizabeth Stone |
pollen, fragments, atmosphere |
It has long been believed that rainfall washes pollen from the atmosphere, reducing allergen exposure and relieving sufferers of allergies and respiratory disorders. However, pollen grains can rupture in the air to release hundreds of pollen fragments less than 2.5 µm in diameter. Compared to intact pollen grains, pollen fragments can penetrate deeper into the human respiratory stem, persist longer in the atmosphere, and be transported longer distances by wind. Captured here is a 60 µm diameter pollen releasing its cytoplasmic material as it ruptures following a thunderstorm on May 18, 2019. Our research provides the first in situ characterization of pollen fragments in the atmosphere. We show a significant increase in pollen fragments with diameters 0.25-1.0 µm coincident with precipitation during the springtime tree pollen season. Peak pollen fragment concentrations occurred during convective thunderstorms with strong downdrafts, high rates of rainfall, wind speeds, and lightning strikes, although lightning is not required for their release. After the storm, pollen fragments persist in the atmosphere for several hours. Our results contradict the commonly-held belief that rainfall washes pollen allergens out of the atmosphere: on the contrary, they demonstrate peak exposures to pollen fragments occur during and after rain events. Better understanding the environmental conditions that lead to high levels of pollen fragments in the atmosphere can help to protect susceptible populations from exposure to unhealthy allergen levels. |
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The Power of Light by Erion Hasa |
photopolymerization, materials, 3-D printing |
Photopolymerization can initiate chemical reactions among liquid molecules by exposing them to a high energy light (e.g. UV irradiation) in order to fabricate soft or hard polymeric materials. This process is extensively used for industrial purposes because of the advantages offered via photopolymerization (e.g. fast reaction rates, low cost and environmentally friendly processes). The power of light shows the strength of photons which enable formation of objects with different shapes. Depending on the morpohology and shape of these materials, we can fabricate polymer networks with combined and desirable properties. Any manipulations over polymer morphology can enhance the strength and flexibility of materials which lead to overall improved mechanical and physical properties. With photopolymerization we can also generate biodegradable polymers to facilitate a better enviroment for the future generations. |
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Proton Beam Eye-view by Dan Hyer |
collimator, proton, radiation |
View from the top of a prototype Dynamic Beam Collimator that was designed, engineered, and built at the University of Iowa. This device is designed to "trim" the proton beam to provide better accuracy when treating proton therapy cancer patients. Our subject, Daniel Hyer, is a faculty member of the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Biomedical Engineering and led the team of engineers, medical physicists, programmers, and machinists who completed the prototype. |
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Random Knowledge by Aaron Silva |
neuroscience, engineering, fluorescence |
Random Knowledge: A vast interconnected network purposed to continue the passage of information -- just like the green fluorescent protein used to label the neural cells. Cells are synaptically connected by the extension of axons to dendrites -- all randomly created with the purpose of one day being able to inform about and respond to complex signals. Neurons are the highway of information in biological systems. Information leaps from one neuron's axon to another neuron's dendrites to continue the passage of information. The release of neurotransmitters from neuron's axon encodes the message for these complex signals. The signal is propagated at incredible speeds throughout the network of connections, assuring that information is transmitted. However, all this information is random in the absence of sensory experiences. The refinement of the network can't occur, so signals are propagated without a destination. Additionally, if connections are lost, there is little chance for the regeneration of the connection. Information is lost to the abyss. My research tried to solve the problem of random and lost knowledge. By fabricating hybrid micro-structures for integrated micro-bio devices, we can build smart circuits that could replace lost connections all from a concoction of neural cells and media. Through the process of differentiating induced pluripotent stem cells to neural cells, we can fix the loss of information. We can create new neurons that are ready to continue the transfer of information. Then, through various microfabrication processes, we can create micro-structured devices that can create smart micro-bio devices. Our approach uses microtubes fabricated on a semiconductor substrate that guides the growth of axons in certain directions to create planned neural connections. One day these smart neural circuits can be the integration between biological specimen and electrical machinery to fix the problem of random and lost knowledge. |
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A Researcher Determined by Patrick Henkhaus |
solitude, perseverance, passion |
The photograph illustrates the solitude of a researcher, doing what they love. Creating a deep connection between themselves and the endless hours of questioning. Here you see Mayra Narvaez, an undergraduate researcher, analyzing how hazardous chemicals propagate though our soil. She spends sleepless nights in lab running trial after trial alone, in search of the answer to the environmental consequences of dichloroacetamide safeners in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. The photograph contains elements of motion and stillness to explain how even as data is flying around and questions are constantly changing, finish lines are moving. The researcher has to be calm collective and be able to analyze the changing problems, finding out how to reach that ever elusive finish line. |
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The risk self-contamination during personal protective equipment removal by Jaqueline Pereira Da Silva |
healthcare, contamination, safety |
In my research, I explored the field of patient safety through a human factors lens. More specifically, I aimed at identifying risk factors and challenges healthcare workers (HCWs) are faced with when trying to comply with safety protocols during patient care. I assessed the frequency and sites of self-contamination on the skin and clothing of HCWs during personal protective equipment (PPE) removal simulations. It was clear to me that a great many problems related to worker adherence to safety standards were likely originating from not easily identifiable sources. I focused on identifying these root-cause problems and developing a model that will promote not only positive but also sustainable performance outcomes, thus contributing to worker success in providing optimal patient care. The current state of PPE design and guidelines is far from being favorable for HWCs to conduct their activities in a safe and productive manner. Healthcare providers along with their patients should be entitled to unambiguous, efficient, and effective safety measures. All efforts should be made to strengthen regulatory systems to prevent individuals from the chance of acquiring infectious pathogens, especially when considering the unforeseeable risk of outbreaks and epidemics. |
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The Slope of Eastern Iowa by Phil Kerr |
GIS, geomorphology, geology |
Over the last 2.5 million years, the face of Iowa has been drastically rearranged such that the story of Iowa's past is hidden in plain sight. This image, a map of eastern Iowa's slope, portrays parts of this tale. This data shown was derived from elevation maps created using LiDAR. Steep slopes are shown as white, while flatter areas are black. By paring field-based information with data sets such as this, patterns and narratives can be found on the landscape. Once the landscapes' subtleties are understood, the hills and valleys speak of times when immense rivers were diverted, and of entire landscapes erased by continental glaciers from the north -- ice that was 1,000 feet tall. Clay-rich, boulder-filled debris left behind as ice retreated now comprises parts of the land pictured here. Most parts of the state are in fact covered by this sediment and almost 700 feet of this clay-rich material can be found in western Iowa. Northeastern Iowa, however, has extensive areas of shallow bedrock, shown here as the whiter area in the map's top right corner. Rivers in this area flow east, draining to the Mississippi; the energy from those rivers' rapid elevation drop carved the canyon-like, rock-bounded river valleys that give this area its distinct landscape. This area was not covered by ice during the last handful of glacial periods and thus retains its rugged topography. Contrary to northeastern rivers, the Iowa River, the thick black line found in the middle-right of the map, is largely not bound by bedrock. Due to the ease which older glacial sediment erodes, the river was able to form a broad floodplain. Furthermore, it was also largely influenced by the activity of the last glacial advance into Iowa, called the Des Moines lobe. As this ice lobe advanced southward, it buried the headwaters of the Iowa, Cedar, and Des Moines rivers then filled their lower reaches with massive deposits of sediment from the melting, debris laden ice. The Des Moines lobe's advance left the broad, flat area, colored black, on the top left side of the map. Toward the end of the last glacial period, strong winds picked up flour-sized dust from this large valley and deposited it downwind, to the southeast. This material, loess, drapes across the landscape and is thickest on the summits- increasing the slope. To the north of the Iowa River is the Cedar and Wapsipinicon river basins, shown as dark gray to the top of the map. The lack of steep topography is due to a phase of erosion from permafrost degradation followed by wind driving abrasive sand across the landscape- the same winds that deposited the loess south of the Iowa River. For the most part, the steeper Iowa River valley kept the sand from blowing out, while the shallower Cedar Valley could not. These geologic processes led to the lay of our modern landscape. |
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TacGlasses for Readers by Christopher Mitropoulos-Rundus |
America, clarity, regenerative braking |
Before my paper, there was not research looking at driver response in crash avoidance using regenerative braking and service braking. Much like how before using the popular and cutting edge TacGlasses, the user was unable to see the beautiful American flag and the intimidating yet graceful bald eagle. After reading my paper, readers can understand the effects regenerative braking has on driver response in crash avoidance, much like after using TacGlasses users can enjoy patriotic visuals. This is in no way affiliated with TacGlasses. The photographers are unknown. The photo compiler is myself. |
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These rivers are not real by Muhammed Sit |
satellite, imagery, river |
This image is a set of outputs from a project where we investigate an application of image generation for river satellite imagery. In that project, we, specifically, propose a generative adversarial network (GAN) model capable of generating high-resolution and realistic river images that can be used to support models in surface water estimation, river meandering, wetland loss and other hydrological research studies. First, we summarized an augmented, diverse repository of overhead river images to be used in training. Second, we incorporate the Progressive Growing GAN (PGGAN), a network architecture that iteratively trains smaller-resolution GANs to gradually build up to a very high resolution, to generate 256x256 river satellite imagery. With conventional GAN architectures, difficulties soon arise in terms of exponential increase of training time and vanishing/exploding gradient issues, which the PGGAN implementation seems to significantly reduce. All in all we are able to generate satellite imagery where real looking rivers, although they are fake, are visible. This image is a collage of some images we generated. |
