2008 Undergraduate Poster Competition Winners

The competition was conducted November 17, 2008 at AIChE's Annual Meeting and National Student Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.      
                            

Catalysis & Reaction Engineering                         

1st: Effect of ZnO Morphology on Methanol Steam Reforming Activity of Pd/ZnO Catalysts – Chuan Zhang, University of North Carolina

2nd: The High Temperature Water-Gas Shift Over CrO3/Fe2O3 Catalysts – Christopher Keturakis, Lehigh University

3rd: Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Platinum Nanoparticles and Their Catalytic Effect on the Reduction of Aromatic Nitro Compounds – Erica Sladky, West Virginia University
 

Computing & Process Control

1st: Optimization of Drop-Based Microfluidic Crystallization of Alpha-Lactose Monohydrate – Kaoutar Abbou Oucherif, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology

Education 

2nd: Female Mentoring Efforts in Chemical Engineering at Tennessee Tech – Christy T. Holt, Tennessee Tech University

Separations                

3rd: Palladium Removal from Reaction Mixtures by Fixed Bed Adsorption – Pamela Kubinski & Megerle Scherholz, Rowan University

Environmental 1                                

1st: Soot Oxidation Premixed Flames – Benjamin Brewster, University of Utah

2nd: Development of a Consumer-Friendly Indoor Air Monitoring Device – Karen C. Dannemiller, Brown University

3rd: Characterization of Volatile Compounds of Peach Fruit by HS/SPME and GC/MS: Puerto Rico New Cultivars – Angel D. Rodriguez, University of Puerto Rico

Environmental 2                        

1st: Nanoparticle Adhesion Leads to Impaired Locomotor Function and Mortality in Adult Drosophila – Daniel Vinson, Brown University 

2nd: Single and Multi-Component Organic and Inorganic Aerosols. Effect of Particle Generation Parameters on Morphologic and Hygroscopic Properties – Juan Alberto Lopez Ruiz, Bucknell University

3rd: Electrochemical Deposition of Selenium Onto Activated Carbon Sorbents for Heavy Metals Removal from Water – Ruben Spitz, Brown University

1st: Experimental and Numerical Modeling of Granular Mixing in a Coater Pan – Robert Yau, University of Connecticut

2nd: The Effect of Cholesterol on Lung Surfactant – Jacob M. Vestal, University of California, Santa Barbara

3rd: Production of Poly (3-Hydroxybutyric Acid) from Waste Sweet Potato Starch – James D. Winkler, Rice University

Food, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology 2                            

1st: Characterization of Real-Time Drug Release from Engineered Biomedical Coatings – Garrett Swindlehurst, North Caroline State University

2nd: Novel Method of Scaffold Formation for Artificial Vascular Network – Lucas A. Kinard, Texas A&M University

3rd: Fibrous Biodegradable Scaffolds for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering – Anne E. Hellebust, University of New Mexico
 

Food, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology 3              

1st: Smart Biomaterials and Surface Engineering – Afshan I. Samli, Oklahoma State University

2nd: A Treatment for Myopia, Hyperopia, and Keratoconus: Collagen Crosslinking to Reshape the Cornea – Dennis L. Ko, California Tech

3rd: Tailoring Biomimetic Collagen-Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels for Articular Cartilage Repair – K. E. Roelofs, Princeton University 

Food, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology 4                   

1st: Characterization of Recombinant Therapeutic Protein Adsorption in the Presence of Selected Surfactant Species at the Air-Water Interface – Warren D. Gray, Oregon State University 

2nd: Cellular Division: Analyzing Spatial Localization and Endoplasmic Reticulum Morphology in Budding Yeast, S. Cerevisiae – Lindsay Schmiedel, University of Delaware

3rd: Kinetic Evaluation of Bifunctional Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors – Annamarie Jordan, University of Iowa

Food, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology 5                          

1st: Principal Component Analysis of the Differentiation of Dendritic Cells – Jennifer Knipe, West Virginia University

2nd: Field Strength Dependency of Red Blood Cell Rupture Rate in Dielectrophoretic Microdevice – Eric Rutan, Mississippi State University

3rd: We "Knee"d to Look at What We're Losing, Too! - the Effect of Mechanical Loading and Hydrogel Structure on the Release of Extracellular Matrix Components – Suzanne Giunta, University of Rochester 

 
Fuels, Petrochemicals & Energy 1                     

1st: A Hand-Held Solar Cell Inspired by Nature – Frederick Hijazi, Vanderbilt University

2nd: Nanostructured Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anodes – Yannick C. Kimmel, University of Virginia

3rd: Geothermal-Solar Hybrid for Continuous Steam Generation in Cerro Prieto, Mx – Nayla R. Bezares, University of Puerto Rico

 
Fuels, Petrochemicals & Energy 2              

1st: Development of a Self-Consistent Database of Thermodynamic Properties of Sulfuric Acid and Hydrogen Iodide in a Wide Range of Composition, Temperature and Pressure – Eugene Choi, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

2nd: Optimization of the Fuel Cell Interface by Controlled Deposition of Catalyst and Ionomer – Remington E. Fischer, Vanderbilt University

3rd: On the Mechanism of NaBH4 Hydrolysis: Raman Spectra of Solid Species – Hilary S. Marsh, University of Dayton
 

General Papers                    

1st: Microfluidic System to Deliver Aqueous Superoxide – Francisco J. Chaparro-Carrasquillo, University of Puerto Rico 

2nd: Applying a Low Temperature Limit of a Cubic Equation of State to Model Pure Component Phase Equilibrium – Caitlin A. Kowalsky, Hope College

3rd: Application of the GC-Saft-Vr Equation to Predict Fluid Phase Behavior – Joel R. Westwood, Vanderbilt University

General Papers 2      

1st: Enzymatic characterization of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus CTPase: the gene product of Bd HD100 Bd2220 – Allison Suarez, Johns Hopkins University

2nd: Josh Oliver, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

Materials Engineering & Sciences 1          

1st: Tetherless µgripper for Tissue Biopsy – Bryan Benson, Johns Hopkins University

2nd: Examining Integration Techniques Using Living Yeast Cells into Self-Assembled Nanostructures – Cynthia Douthit, University of New Mexico

3rd: Polyanhydride – Doxorubicin Conjugate Particles as a Controlled Release Formulation for Chemotherapy – Nisarg J. Shah, Johns Hopkins University

3rd: Detecting DNA Hybridization with Liquid Crystals – Kevin Daly, Rice University

Materials Engineering & Sciences 2          

1st: Development of Transparent, Flexible, Superoleophobic Materials – Amy Tsui, Rutgers University

2nd: Electric Arc Production of Nanoparticles for Energetic Materials – Daniel Tappmeyer, University of Missouri 

3rd: Structural and Electronic Properties of Poly-Bithiophene Linked Transition Metals for Catalysis – Santosh Koirala, Texas A&M University

Materials Engineering & Sciences 3                      

1st: Polymer Nanocomposite Films – Angelica Sanchez, University of New Mexico

2nd: Materials of Controlled Shape and Stiffness with Photocurable Microfluidic Endoskeleton – Robert O. Bradley, North Carolina State University 

3rd: Elasticity of Polyelectrolyte Nanomembranes: Effects of Solvent Ionic Strength, Molecular Weight, and Thickness – Ashley D. Cramer, Lafayette College

3rd: Magnetic Nanoparticles for Combination Cancer Therapy: Synthesis and Characterization of Flow Behavior in Simulated Blood Vessels – Lauren M. Blue, University of Alabama 

Materials Engineering & Sciences 4                           

1st: Characterization of Aluminum Oxide Thin Films Formed by Chemical Vapor Deposition by Optical, Ion, Electron, and X-Ray Characterization Methods – William J. Sweet, Vanderbilt University

2nd: The Effect of Collector Geometries on the Nanofiber Alignment – Matthew Cagnetta, University of Connecticut

3rd: The Study of the Phase Transfer of Gold Nanoparticles by Surface Modification – D. Brad Akers, Clemson University