Projects
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Clemson Honors EUREKA! Research Project
Before starting my freshman year at Clemson, I applied and got accepted into the EUREKA! Honors Research Program. I worked under Dr. Nicole Martinez in Clemson's Environmental Engineering Department.
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My project was investigating the effects of radiation and endocrine disrupting contaminants on seed growth. This project is of particular relevance to Clemson University because the contaminants investigated are currently polluting the lake that is attached to campus, Lake Hartwell. At the end of the project, my mentor and I were able to produce statistically significant results as certain seed growth scenarios hindered plant growth at a great degree.
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Through this project, I was able to get great exposure to lab research in a higher education setting. Additionally, I was able to practice professionalism and research presentation. The environmental toxicology principles learned during this project will continue to serve me well in my future profession.
Biokinetics Yogurt Project
To explore the kinetics of a biological system, our group chose to make yogurt in a lab from a starting culture, milk, and sugar. The experiment it self took six hours in the lab stirring and performing tests on the yogurt being made.
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This project allowed me to apply the knowledge I learned in Biokinetics to understand the exponential growth seen by the bacteria in the yogurt. We were able to find various growth parameters as gauges of how our yogurt was progressing. Our research could be used as a template for other students interested in making their own yogurt.
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In the future, the knowledge of bacterial cell growth can aid me in performing calculations on algal cell growth in wastewater design.
Ecological Engineering Research Presentation
During my Junior year, I completed a research project that investigated the effectiveness of a wetland treatment pond for a school's waste water. My research found that this method for water sanitation was effective for the needs of the Indonesian University being investigated.
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This project allowed me to see the importance of the techniques for sustainable water filtration that we had been learning in Ecological Engineering over the course of the semester. Using smart design to guide a project is the basis of Biosystems Engineering and I was able to see a real-world example of this through the completion of this project. The research I compiled for this project could be used for a student interested in investigating the effectiveness of wetland treatment ponds.
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I can use the knowledge of ecological design obtained from this project in my future career to design sites more sustainably. By swapping traditional wastewater designs with these low-impact technologies, the ecological footprint of projects I work on could be significantly decreased.
Capstone Engineering Design Project
In my fall semester of senior year, my Capstone design group worked on a project to filter reservoir water from Lake Issaqueena to be used for irrigation. Our system took water from the lake, filtered it for algae and then disinfected the water to kill any pathogens that are present in the water. Our design process involved meeting with our professor and advisor multiple times per week to review our progress as a group. We conducted a site visit to conduct tests on the reservoir water and see what algal and pathogenic species were present. Working with an employee from AECOM, a civil engineering firm, we were able to receive guidance on the system and were able to utilize industry knowledge in our design. Our professor, Dr. Darnault, advised our presentation and ensured that the deadlines for our Capstone project were met.
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Our design could realistically be constructed at the site our group has chosen. The water provided by the system would aid in water stability for the region. When draughts are experienced, farmers could have this filtered water as an additional source for their crops. While the climate of Clemson, SC is relatively stable, additional pressures on freshwater resources from climate change only increase the need for a design similar to ours.
This project allowed for me to use many of the skills I have learned in my other courses at Clemson. Components of ecological engineering were factored into the sustainability of the design. My AutoCAD class prepared me to model our filtration system in Civil 3D AutoCAD.
I will use this experience in the future as a professional engineer to be able to see projects through from start to finish. Overall the most important skill learned from this project was teamwork. Our team of five Biosystems Engineers had to coordinate communication between our advisors, as well as each other to ensure that all aspects of the project were completed.
Algae Oil and Paper Project
My group and I worked on a project to model the production of oil and paper from algae. This project focused on the sustainability of algal carbon capture and the ability to produce economically viable products from growing algae. The growth of algae in a continuous flow system was modeled using Superpro and accurate predictions of the volumes of final products produced by the system were modeled.
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This study added to the existing knowledge that shows the ability of algae to capture carbon and produce valuable products in a sustainable way. The ability for a system to pay for itself by selling the algal oil and paper was demonstrated.
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This project allowed me to learn more about real world applications to what we are learning in school. We had to research the market values of algal paper and fuel and then use these numbers to run economic analyses for the output of this system. In the future, I will use the knowledge of system modeling in Superpro when I am designing a similar system.
Algae Carbon Capture Project
While taking classes online during my Junior year, I conducted an experiment investigating the effect of heat on algae growth in a controlled environment. This was done by introducing a starting algal culture into two identical 10 gallon fish tanks of freshwater. One tank had a fish tank heater and the temperature of the water was kept approximately 10 degrees warmer than the other tank at all times. Over the course of the experiment, the algal concentrations in each scenario were measured.
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This experiment resulted in a dramatic difference of algae in the two treatments. The growing condition with the water heater had a much higher final algal concentration. These results could aid what is known about optimal algae growing conditions. If someone is interested in maximizing the carbon captured by algae, the water temperatures should be kept high, relative to the outside temperature.
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This project taught me a lot about how to conduct an experiment that was relatively long-term compared to short, in-lab experiments. Additionally, this process taught me to be more resourceful, as all of the supplies to conduct this experiment were needed to be gathered from what I already had at home, because we were not on campus at the time.