Celebrating undergraduate research

After working on a research study of muscle compensation for quadriceps weakness in older adults, Alaine Wetli knew she wanted to pursue a career in biomechanics. Now the recent materials science and engineering graduate hopes to lead a lab one day that works to reduce the failure rate of prosthetics.

Getting hands-on experience is just one of the many benefits that students gain from being involved in undergraduate research. At Ohio State, engineering and architecture students have a wealth of research opportunities to choose from, in areas ranging from ecology to video games to medical devices.

“Undergraduate research is one of the best opportunities the university offers for students to express their individual creativity and develop critical thinking skills,” said David Tomasko, associate dean of undergraduate education and student services. “It also provides for extended, close interaction with a faculty member and graduate students that creates long lasting relationships. The skills developed are as valuable as obtaining a co-op or internship in industry.”

Wetli’s mentor in the Women in Engineering program introduced her to Mechanical and Aerospace Associate Professor Rob Siston’s lab during her freshmen year. She soon started doing the "dirty jobs” in the lab, working her way up until she was given her very own project during her senior year.

“It gave me a sense of individualism, because my advisor was there and my PhD student was there, but this is my project,” she said. “It broadened my knowledge, but also helped me learn what I want to do and how I can actually achieve it. I’m going to grad school in this [area] because of this project.”

Wetli was one of 38 students who presented research on a wide variety of topics at the 6th annual Undergraduate Research Forum for Engineering and Architecture Students in the spring. In addition to showcasing the work of undergraduate researchers from across the college, the forum provides engineering and architecture students with the opportunity to practice their research presentation skills ahead of the university’s annual Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum.

For Denman presenter Charlie Merriam, a conversation with Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering Assistant Professor Gajan Sivandran led to a research project that integrates both his civil engineering major and public policy minor. It also taught him new methods for approaching open-ended problems.

He studied existing datasets to see how federal policies affect nutrient loading in the Hoover reservoir, one of three sources of water for the city of Columbus. Merriam, who graduated in May and accepted a position with the Navy, said working on the project also strengthened his passion for working in water resources.

“I’d like to be involved in making cities greener and making our water in general cleaner,” Merriam said. “But I’d also love to get people as inspired to take care of this as I am. I’d love to teach some of the basic conservation practices to people and involve them, especially young people, in these kinds of projects because that’s where the change is going to happen.”

While many undergraduates participate in a faculty member’s existing research, the college also supports students who want to explore their own interests through independent research. That’s exactly what aeronautical and astronautical engineer Steven Scherer did with his project to create a loss of control warning system for small general aviation aircraft.

Loss of control is the biggest single attributing cause to general aviation accidents, Scherer explained. While detection methods, such as stall warnings are readily available on the market, sometimes their warnings can come too late. A pilot himself, Scherer knows too well just how easy it can be to lose control. Using some code and sensors that can be integrated into most existing aircraft hardware, he developed a system that can ensure pilots always have at least two to three seconds warning to correct a potentially dangerous situation.

Scherer, who will begin a position in Boeing’s Engineering Career Foundation Program this summer following graduation, valued the opportunity to conduct his own independent research.

“I think the biggest benefit was taking what I learned in the classroom and actually applying it to something that I am personally interested in,” said Scherer. “With the knowledge that I have now, I can understand and make a lot more engineering decisions. And I understand the aerodynamics behind what I’m doing, which I couldn’t have done without the education I got here.”

Merriam and Scherer are just two of the dozens of Buckeye engineering students who presented their research to the Ohio State community and industry partners at the 20th annual Denman Undergraduate Research Forum on March 25. The Denman provides undergraduates with an outlet to showcase their work, hone presentation skills and provides another opportunity to interact with alumni.

For alumni like Mark Morsher (’89, electrical engineering), who served as a judge at the college’s undergraduate research forum, the events are another example of how the college’s academic programs continue to excel.

“When I was in school, we didn’t have research opportunities as an undergrad,” he said. “It’s really impressive to see how uniformly well-rounded the students are.”

Written by Candi Clevenger, College of Engineering Communications, clevenger.87@osu.edu