Development of Technologies and Methods for Metabolite collection and processing

Metabolomics is an emerging field of research that provides insight into health and disease by studying the levels of various small molecules (metabolites) in the body. In this project, we are developing new tools that will improve and standardize methods for collecting and stabilizing fecal samples for metabolomics studies based on the analysis of fecal […]

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Design and implementation of plasmonic-enhanced ultra-high frequency terahertz transmitters and receivers

Terahertz spectroscopy for material imaging/sensing and characterization has received a great deal of attention over the past decade. Terahertz (THz) electromagnetic waves have frequencies in the range of 1012 Hz. Terahertz spectroscopy and imaging has many applications ranging from security, communication, food production, quality control for pharmaceutical industries, and cancer diagnosis. In the heart of […]

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Bioorthogonal spin labeling approaches for high sensitivity electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

In order to investigate proteins in their natural environment one can attach tiny reporter molecules to them that can be traced with appropriate instruments. However, these small reporter molecules may often cause strong perturbations to the functionality of the proteins, or cannot be seen due to experimental restrictions like low concentrations. Bioorthogonal chemistry aims to […]

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Cognitive Powertrain and Metaveillogrammetric sensing for transportation

There is massive growth in the area of smart cities (e.g. sensors in streetlights), smart cars, and “smart people” (sensors on people, e.g. wearable computing). In some cities like San Diego, there are cameras and microphones in nearly every streetlight in the downtown core area. Most cars made now have one or more cameras in […]

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Conversion of Greenhouse Gases to Value Added Products

Carbon nanofiber is a material with extraordinary mechanical, thermal, electrical, and chemical properties. It has applications in a wide variety of industries including transportation vehicles, concrete, electronic devices, textiles, ink, coatings, lubricants, tires, and agriculture. Yet, the production of carbon nanofibers is an expensive and energy-intensive process. This project targets to develop Carbonova cycle, a […]

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Powered Hip Prosthesis

People with an amputation at the hip or pelvis have the most difficulty returning to walking because their artificial limb (prosthesis) must replace the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Current prosthetic hip technologies barely meet the person’s needs, leaving these amputees with few options. This project will build from current powered prosthetic knee technology (Össur […]

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Adsorbent screening for CO2, N2, and O2 for Landfill Gas separation by Adsorption

The proposed project would seek to develop a technology and identify adsorbents that are better able to remove impurities such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen (N2), and oxygen (O2) from biogas (mostly CH4, also referred to as natural gas) produced from landfills, using adsorption technology. Interns will be carrying out adsorbent screening, by determining kinetics […]

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Alloy and process optimization for improved mechanical properties in age-hardenable and work-hardenable Al sheet manufactured via a new production process termed thin strip casting, TSC

Conventionally, structural Al sheets are produced via casting thick ingots using Direct Chill (DC) technique, followed by an energy-intensive reduction procedure to the final thickness. A new production process developed by CASTechnology, termed Thin Strip Casting (TSC) technique, can directly output thin sheets, thus reducing the cost as well as the carbon foot print associated […]

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Investigation of Low-Ductility Geogrid Reinforcement for Ground-supported Concrete Structures

Steel rebars are the dominant reinforcement elements in reinforced concrete structures due to their relatively adequate manufacturing, material property and established construction codes. In an ideal environment and under nominal loading, conventional concrete reinforcement is expected to govern the design strength based on which they are designed. However, under environmental loading conditions, such as very […]

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