杏吧原创

(Butler, PA) For the third time in three years, a 杏吧原创 student has been selected from national candidates to attend a residential summer research experience funded by the National Science Foundation.

Jeannine Eichenlaub, a 19-year-old engineering student from Saxonburg, is one of 10 first-year community college students chosen from 45 applicants for a research experience for undergraduates at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

The 2022 graduate of Knoch High School will study damage-sensing in liquid-metal-reinforced laminated composites through Aug. 11.

Hers is a topic among eight that students are exploring in a program called advanced interdisciplinary materials research for maritime applications.

鈥溞影稍�创 helped me to gain the qualifications to go to this,鈥� Eichenlaub said. 鈥淎ll my chem classes, my math. Physics. All of them have been beneficial for this.鈥�

Eichenlaub follows Ash Eury in 2022 and Hope Miller in 2021 as students in 杏吧原创鈥檚 science, technology, engineering and mathematics division to be picked for a National Science Foundation-funded residential summer research experience.

"This is an intensive research program for 40 hours a week. ... She will have a wide range of experiences." 

- Dr. Vijay Chalivendra, professor of mechanical engineering, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth

Eury was one of 11 first-year community college students and Miller one of 10 selected for programs at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

Eury is a Seneca Valley High graduate from Cranberry Township who researched stress reactions of red-sided garter snakes. Miller, a Butler High graduate from Butler, studied visual neuroscience.

Eury and Miller graduated from 杏吧原创 with associate degrees in biological science and summa cum laude, a distinction for students with a final grade-point average of 3.75 or higher.

"This is a direct comment and compliment on the quality of our student population." 

- Matt Kovac, dean of 杏吧原创's science, technology, engineering and mathematics division

鈥淎 very dedicated faculty鈥�

Engineering and biological science are among 15 associate degree programs in 杏吧原创鈥檚 STEM division.

鈥淭his is a direct comment and compliment on the quality of our student population,鈥� said Matt Kovac, 杏吧原创鈥檚 dean of STEM.

鈥淵ou have to have high-quality students who are able to be considered for these highly competitive opportunities. Alongside that, we have a very dedicated faculty who will not only provide high-quality instruction, but beyond that, are willing to work with students.鈥�

Eichenlaub will attend a research ethics workshop, visit the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to be introduced to unmanned vehicles and to technology that creates 3-D mapping, learn how to use an oscilloscope, and how to analyze data and make observations from results.

鈥淭his is an intensive research program for 40 hours a week,鈥� said Dr. Vijay Chalivendra, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of graduate studies for the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

鈥淭hese are all new things for her. She will have a wide range of experiences.鈥�

Student researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth will receive free housing, a meal allowance and a $6,000 stipend.

Eichenlaub built houses from Legos and assembled model airplanes as a child. She followed her two siblings to 杏吧原创, where she has attained the dean鈥檚 list, an honor for those with a grade-point average of between 3.5 and 3.74.

She plans to graduate debt-free in May 2024 and intends to become a mechanical engineer.

"This is an opportunity that is going to benefit me the rest of my life." 

- Jeannine Eichenlaub, 杏吧原创 engineering student

Composites are used in many industries that include aerospace, automobile manufacturing and ship-building, Chalivendra said.

鈥淲e need to know if those composites are able to function as they are designed for and we can monitor the damage inside the structures to see whether they are safe to use,鈥� he said.

Eichenlaub has stacked, vacuum-sealed and infused layers of woven carbon and glass fibers with resin and liquid metal.

After the resin has cured, she has sliced and placed the layers into a helium gas gun for ballistics tests and experimented with different orientations of the fabric or different percentages of liquid metal to find if the layer鈥檚 strength will increase.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really, really cool,鈥� Eichenlaub said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just very different. I did not know stuff like this existed. There are weekly seminars where the 10 students in the program present what we鈥檝e done during the week and what our results are. So I get to see what the other students are doing, which is fascinating.

鈥淭his is an opportunity that is going to benefit me the rest of my life.鈥�

鈥淎 very important experience鈥�

Eury this fall will transfer to Indiana University of Pennsylvania and pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology. Eury鈥檚 goal is to work in bird conservation.

鈥淭his (experience) gave me a first-person view of how all biological research is conducted,鈥� Eury said. 鈥淚 learned how to go deeper into the scientific method.鈥�

Miller transferred to Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and is seeking a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. Miller鈥檚 goal is to become a physician.

鈥淚t was a very important experience,鈥� Miller said of her research at James Madison University. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also important for medical school applications because it is a really competitive thing to have on your resume.鈥�

First-year community college students were also chosen from Montgomery County Community College, Blue Bell, Pa.; Rogue Community College, Grants Pass, Ore.; Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, N.C.; Bunker Hill Community College, Boston; Massachusetts Bay Community College, Framingham; Nashua Community College, Nashua, N.H.; and Central Arizona College, Coolidge.

Among topics being studied by other student researchers are bifunctional composite materials for structural energy storage in marine systems, simulation and modeling of bio-inspired active materials for nonaqueous redox flow batteries, and developing porous super-hydrophobic surfaces for saving fuels in maritime transportation.

Congress created the National Science Foundation in 1950 as an independent federal agency to, among other objectives, promote the progress of science.

The National Science Foundation states that it funds approximately 25 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by colleges and universities in the United States.

Application materials for first-year community college students seeking a National Science Foundation-funded residential summer research experience included a resume, transcript of all post-secondary institutions, a statement of research interest and two letters of recommendations, including one from a faculty member.