Oksana Schuppan

Air Quality Inquiry project extends from rural Colorado into Mongolia

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:54:18 +0000

Air Quality Inquiry project extends from rural Colorado into Mongolia Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 09/21/2020 - 10:54

Oksana Schuppan

For the past three years, Air Quality Inquiry (AQIQ) has been reaching K-12 students across rural Colorado, teaching them to conduct their own air quality research with affordable sensors developed by Professor Michael Hannigan. This year, AQIQ Education Director Daniel Knight decided to mix things up. He and his team extended the program across the globe to reach Public Lab Mongolia, a nonprofit whose mission is to make data available to the Mongolian public.

Above: Mechanical engineering graduate student Evan Coffey teaches partners in Mongolia about the AQIQ Pods during his trip to Mongolia in November 2019. Photo credit: Enkhtungalag (Tunga) Chuluunbaatar.
Top: View of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in November 2019. Photo credit: Evan Coffey.

When Public Lab Mongolia learned of AQIQ, they were determined to adopt a similar model so that high school students in Mongolia affected by poor air quality from burning coal to heat households could learn more about the science behind it. In spring 2020, they traveled to CU Boulder and signed a partnership agreement with CU Boulder Provost Russell Moore. They agreed to form a new chapter of AQIQ at the National University of Mongolia.

Knight said he is excited to see the impact of their newest partnership in Mongolia in addition to continued work with five rural high schools on Colorado's Western Slope and three rural high schools on the High Plains in Northeastern Colorado.

As part of the program, a mechanical engineering course at CU Boulder, Project-Based Learning in Rural Schools was developed to equip college students with the skills needed for working with high school students to develop an air quality project of their own. A similar model will be implemented at the National University of Mongolia. College students will learn to use Pods in their first semester, and their second semester will give them an opportunity to teach and mentor younger students who will be designing their own air quality experiments.

Before travel restrictions came about as a result of COVID-19, the full AQIQ team had planned an in-person training that would take place during the summer with Public Lab Mongolia and the National University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar. Since prior plans were no longer an option, alumni of the Project-Based Learning in Rural Schools course at CU Boulder stepped up and taught the AQIQ curriculum remotely despite the 15-hour time difference. Public Lab Mongolia was able to use the Pods they had taken home following their visit to CU Boulder earlier in the year. As part of their training, they gained experience by completing an AQIQ research project studying automobiles and public transportation in Ulaanbaatar.

Civil engineering graduate student Britta Bergstrom.

One of the CU student mentors who helped with their training was Britta Bergstrom, an MS student studying civil engineering and pursuing a teacher’s licensure through the School of Education’s Post-Bac Licensure Program. Bergstrom taught partners at Public Lab Mongolia a module which explored how to design an AQIQ research project. Bergstrom's involvement with AQIQ is captured in her responses to the questions below.

Why did you get involved with AQIQ?

I saw the AQIQ program would allow me to combine my passion for teaching, engineering, and travel, and I quickly emailed Dr. Knight to discuss enrollment. What made me want to stay involved was a combination of a variety of things including the welcoming and easy-going faculty, an opportunity to travel, a lighter workload and most importantly, the opportunity to get into a classroom and teach.

Describe the AQIQ course, Project-Based Learning in Rural Schools.

In the fall, we spend each week simulating what we will be teaching in the spring, and by the end of the fall semester, we go to our assigned schools once for a chance to meet and engage with our K-12 students through an ice breaker game. Then, in the spring, mentor-teacher pairs visit their schools a handful of times to teach four different themes: an introduction to air quality, an exploration of combustion, how to design a research project, and how to interpret and present data. The lessons end with a poster symposium, which allows the students to present their air quality research and the data they collected. These projects explore everything from the difference in volatile organic compound amounts in cologne versus perfume to how much carbon dioxide an old truck outputs versus a new hybrid car.

How has AQIQ inspired interdisciplinary collaboration?

AQIQ's partners in Mongolia conduct an experiment using an AQIQ Pod to study automobiles and public transportation in Ulaanbaatar as part of their summer training. Photo credit: Enkhtungalag (Tunga) Chuluunbaatar.

I am pursuing an MS in civil engineering and a teacher’s licensure through the School of Education’s Post-Bac Licensure Program. This course was the perfect intersection between my areas of study. When I joined the class, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my classmates represented a variety of educational backgrounds. This course is appealing to students with a variety of passions, including teaching, environmental issues, research and study design and global engineering. This ultimately creates a very enriching culture within the class, because despite students taking the class for different reasons, there must be collaboration between students with different interests in order to teach the younger students.

Looking ahead, what excites you about AQIQ?

This coming year we are broadening the diversity of educational backgrounds of students involved by reaching out to non-engineering programs such as the School of Education and the Environmental Sciences Program. Students in this class do not need to have background knowledge in air quality, but they do need to have a basic understanding of how research projects are conducted and be excited to work with middle or high school students. As this program moves forward, I’m personally most excited to see the course continue to connect departments across the University of Colorado Boulder, as well as a way to connect universities and schools across the world. We’re seeing this already with our Public Lab Mongolia partnership, and I think there is high potential to work with other non-governmental organizations and schools globally in the future.

What did you learn from your experience training Public Lab Mongolia this summer?

Working with Public Lab Mongolia this summer gave me my first opportunity to practice remote training, which is closely tied to remote teaching and is already proving helpful in my teaching courses this fall. Specifically, I was able to practice presenting a powerpoint and giving explanations over Zoom, as well as how to effectively brainstorm remotely as a group. I was also able to increase my global mindset and experience by learning about Mongolia! During our first meeting, we learned about the air quality and environmental challenges in Mongolia and got to experience the language as all of the materials were translated into Mongolian. Then, partway through the summer, one of the lead mentors, Tunga, gave us an impromptu lesson on Mongolian culture where we learned about traditional Mongolian wrestling, festivals and food. I love learning about different cultures around the globe, so this was a very meaningful experience for me.

For three years, Air Quality Inquiry has been reaching K-12 students across rural Colorado. This year, Daniel Knight and his team extended the program across the globe to reach Public Lab Mongolia, a nonprofit whose mission is to make data available to the Mongolian public.

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Honoring Duane Chesley as students receive gift of education

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Aug 2020 13:54:42 +0000

Honoring Duane Chesley as students receive gift of education Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/28/2020 - 07:54

Oksana Schuppan

Duane Chesley (MechEngr’58) valued education because of how it impacted his life, taking him from humble beginnings on a farm in Nebraska to full colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.

For 30 years he served with the Army, and throughout that time also worked in engineering for the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. General Services Administration, Dow Chemical, and Chen Northern Inc. Because he believed education could uplift a person’s life circumstances, he not only supported his two daughters and five grandchildren as they pursued schooling but also endowed a mechanical engineering scholarship at CU Boulder to support students who might otherwise be unable to attend.

Above: Duane Chesley (center) with his two daughters, Gretchen Goral (left) and Heidi Chesley (right).
Top: Duane Chesley (left) at the 2012 Engineering Scholarship Dinner with the recipient of his mechanical engineering scholarship (right).

It wasn’t until Chesley died at the age of 83 in February 2020, after a recent diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome, that his daughters, Heidi Chesley and Gretchen Goral, learned the extent of his donations.

“It goes to show his humility,” said Heidi. “He wasn’t one to give money to have his name listed in a brochure. He really just believed that whatever your position or background, education is the key.”

Chesley graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1958. While at CU Boulder, he was a member of the Army ROTC and a member of the ski team. He loved the Buffs football team, became a regular at Macky Auditorium later in life, and even shared with his daughters that his name is written on the ceiling of The Sink, a restaurant on the Hill, a tradition among many CU Boulder students. Heidi said her father loved the institution, all aspects of it.

“When we were children,” said Gretchen, “he would purposely drive us through Boulder on our way to visit our grandparents in Longmont, even though he knew that wasn’t the fastest route.”

Unsurprisingly, both she and her sister followed in their father’s footsteps. They became CU Boulder alumni themselves, graduating from Leeds School of Business. Their spouses also attended CU Boulder, and Gretchen’s son, Geoffrey, graduated with his degree in architectural engineering in 2011.

“Even when my oldest son was at CU, Dad loved the new buildings around campus and all the ways the engineering school had grown and changed over the years,” said Gretchen.

“He wasn’t someone who was stuck in the past,” said Heidi. “He loved that the college was always evolving, whether its infrastructure and architecture, inclusivity, or philosophy.”

When Chesley's wife, Viola—Heidi and Gretchen’s mother—died in 1995, the university became a place of healing for their father. Heidi said continuing to learn and participate in university events was one way he immersed himself in things not wrapped in her memory.

Duane Chesley in 1958, the year he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from CU Boulder.

“The last event he attended at CU was the engineering scholarship dinner,” said Gretchen, an annual event that recognizes scholarship donors and recipients in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. “He had open heart surgery scheduled in October, but he specifically postponed it to be at the dinner.”

Growing up, Gretchen said, anything school- or learning-related, her father would want to be involved in and encouraged, whether it was piano recitals, sitting down to help his daughters with a math assignment or supporting their ambitions in graduate school. This support continued with his grandchildren as he attended almost every violin, flute or piano recital, choir concert, musical, sports game, and Grandparent’s Day at Colorado Academy, always “checking in” on their studies and progress.

“It didn’t matter that we were girls and not boys; we could do anything,” said Heidi. “When I told him I had decided to keep my maiden name, he was just like, ‘Of course you should do that!’ He was the type of person who allowed us to be very strong women. He was a feminist, although he would have never used that term.”

Chesley had high standards, likely tied to being in the military and an engineer, his daughters said. He demanded a high level of excellence and work ethic from himself and others, was extremely organized, made lists to stay on top of things, and demonstrated strong attention to detail.

“I think he would have wanted future generations to know that working hard is more important than being naturally gifted in something or being born into a certain circumstance,” said Heidi. “If you work hard, always giving that extra bit, you can attain a lot. At the same time, he would want future generations to have money saved for a rainy day and then to remember to give back.”

Heidi said she knows her father’s giving to the university brought him great happiness. It was part of who he was to share what he had been able to provide for his family and what hard work had afforded him.

91��Ƭ�� His Gift

Duane Chesley endowed a mechanical engineering scholarship, supporting students who have a sophomore standing or above. He also established a mechanical engineering earn-learn apprenticeship endowment that will allow students to earn income while working directly with faculty and performing engineering work while undergraduates.

Duane Chesley (MechEngr’58) valued education because of how it impacted his life, taking him from humble beginnings on a farm in Nebraska to full colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. At CU Boulder, he endowed a scholarship and established an earn-learn apprenticeship to support mechanical engineering students.

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Summer pivots lead to new programming during coronavirus

Anonymous — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:56:22 +0000

Summer pivots lead to new programming during coronavirus Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/03/2020 - 18:56

Oksana Schuppan

The challenges of COVID-19 have inspired innovation among staff, faculty and students in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. Instructors have re-envisioned their courses to allow for hands-on learning despite social distancing, faculty and graduate students are finding safe ways to return to research, and two summer programs, the ME Summer Design Intensive and ME SPUR, have provided valuable engineering experience to 38 participating students. As internships and other professional development opportunities were being canceled, the department was devoting time and energy to programs that could bridge the gap.

ME Summer Design Intensive

“Summer Design Intensive started with an email sent in April with the subject line, ‘crazy idea,’” said Katherine McConnell, senior professional development advisor in the mechanical engineering department. “We wanted to find a way to make the summer valuable for students whose plans were impacted by COVID-19 but hadn’t attempted anything like this before.”

As she and others began to hear of canceled internships, they set off to provide 27 students with experiences similar to what might be gained in an internship. After much brainstorming, they decided to develop a design-based program featuring skill-building workshops and multiple layers of mentorship from department alumni and peer mentors. The concept was developed by McConnell, Idea Forge Mechanical Lab Engineer Shirley Chessman, Instructor Janet Tsai, Senior Instructor Julie Steinbrenner, and student apprentices Daniel Malek, Austin Ross, Dorothea French and Ioana Dumitru.

Design project ideas were collected from faculty and staff, including everything from fluid flow simulations to computational modeling, 3D printing, designing class modules, K-12 outreach activities, and more. Students also had the opportunity to work on self-directed projects, a choose-your-own-adventure option for students wanting an open-ended project with more flexibility, McConnell said.

Kathryn Kubacki (left) and Jose Martinez Loachamin (right) worked together on an ME Summer Design Intensive project.

Jose Martinez Loachamin, a student participant and fourth-year student in the CU-CMU partnership program, and Kathryn Kubacki, a fourth-year student at CU Boulder, worked on a 3D-printed respiratory system in collaboration with the Ferguson Biomechanics and Biomimetics Lab. The system they developed will help train clinicians in the process of intubation, which will also ease the process for patients.

“The biggest takeaway for me was the client interactions that I had through the program,” said Martinez Loachamin. “The mentors were fantastic at helping through the design process, the workshops helped solidify a lot of the knowledge I had acquired from the ME program, and my clients helped me bridge the gap between human anatomy and engineering.”

Kubacki agreed and said she was excited to work with Associate Professor Ginger Ferguson and is looking forward to continuing project development during the school year.

The opportunity to interact with and get support from practicing engineers was a priority in developing the program, said McConnell.

“The mentorship students receive in their first internship is really valuable, and we wanted to do what we could to still provide an opportunity to make those connections,” McConnell said. “It’s been exciting to see how quickly everyone came together to make this happen, and I just love that it’s this huge, community-based effort that’s almost entirely volunteer-powered.”

Because the program was hosted fully online, this meant alumni from across the U.S. and world could also get involved. In total, the program welcomed 40 alumni who volunteered as industry mentors, workshop leaders and project reviewers.

Alumna and board member Diana Manning said she got involved as a mentor because it was important to her that students know there are people in industry who are happy to help them along the way and encourage them during such a big decision point in their lives.

“They’re asking good questions, and that means they’re thinking,” she said. “That takes some courage but is so important when it comes to learning. A learning mindset is key to lifelong success.”

Recent alumna Emily Jordan also got involved and led a Python Workshop Series attended by about a third of the students. Her course took them through the general building blocks of software development, such as conditional statements and for loops, and ended with applications of object-oriented programming.

“During my time at CU, I loved teaching and working as a learning assistant and independent tutor, so the opportunity to lead the Python Workshop Series seemed like a natural next step for me,” Jordan said. “It’s been a new challenge, but I’ve had a lot of fun working with students and helping everyone learn a few things about Python.”

As the five-week program comes to a close at the beginning of August, student project portfolios will be showcased on the mechanical engineering website. Students will also present their work via Zoom conferences to their peers and industry partners.

ME SPUR

During campus closures due to COVID-19, Senior Professional Development Advisor Katherine McConnell contacted Director of Active Learning Sharon Anderson, who leads CU Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (CU SPUR) to see if the two could work together to provide an opportunity for students seeking to gain research experience. What they created was ME SPUR, a program similar to but smaller than CU SPUR that enabled students to work with mechanical engineering faculty on research that could be conducted remotely.

"I had just finished 40 CU SPUR project assignments when the research labs shut down,” said Anderson. “Only 10 of the projects could be completed remotely, so partnering with Kat McConnell and the mechanical engineering department was a win-win for everyone involved."

“We have so much amazing research happening in the department,” said McConnell. “Any opportunity to give students a chance to work on that research is something I’m excited about. By partnering with CU SPUR, we were able to provide summer employment for 13 students working on 10 unique and interesting projects.”

One of those students is Paula Pérez who lived in Miami, Florida, with family while researching the impacts of Colorado’s Stay-at-Home and Safer-at-Home Orders on air quality alongside Professor Jana Milford. Pérez said it was her first-choice project because she had been curious to learn more about the causes and impacts of indoor air pollution as they relate to energy consumption, environment and health.

Paula Pérez researched the impacts of Colorado’s stay-at-home and safer-at-home orders on air quality along with two other undergraduate researchers through ME SPUR.

“I’m passionate about using engineering for global development, so this focus gave me a new perspective on related problems,” Pérez said.

“One of the most interesting discoveries for me has been how interconnected different pollutants and activities are, and as a result, how difficult it is to understand direct cause and effect,” said Pérez. “It was peculiar to see that nitrogen dioxide pollution wasn’t very strongly correlated to decreases in traffic even though traffic is understood to be one of its major sources.”

After her work with ME SPUR, she said she is also more confident in her data analytics skills, understands how these skills can be used within a team setting after working with two other students on interrelated data, and has improved her data visualization skills to effectively communicate insights drawn from her research.

“I was really struck by the students’ level of interest in all aspects of the project, from background research on air quality to data gathering to statistical analysis,” said Milford, who worked with Pérez and two other undergraduate students. “They were resourceful in gathering data and stepped up to learn new statistical analysis methods.”

Milford said they didn’t miss a beat even though they were all working remotely on different schedules.

McConnell said the faculty have also been fantastic.

“I think I gave them about a week to provide project descriptions, and we had 10 faculty who sent research ideas in right away and jumped in to help,” she said. “We had students working on everything from biological modeling to air quality, robotics, and magnetic field design projects.”

ME SPUR students will conclude the program by completing a written piece about their work that will be featured on the mechanical engineering website during August and September.

The mechanical engineering department would like to thank CU SPUR, Phillips 66 and the Mechanical Engineering Strategic Advisory Board for their support of the 2020 ME Summer Design Intensive and ME SPUR programs.

The challenges of COVID-19 have inspired innovation among staff, faculty and students, leading to the development of two summer programs for 38 participating students: the ME Summer Design Intensive and ME SPUR.

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Return to Research: Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Lab hits the ground running

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 13:29:28 +0000

Return to Research: Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Lab hits the ground running Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/30/2020 - 07:29

Oksana Schuppan

For approximately three months, many researchers in the College of Engineering and Applied Science have been working remotely. Now, they are gradually and safely returning to campus to continue their work in the lab. While away, researchers said they adapted quickly and overcame unique challenges, and as they return, they look forward to claiming a new normal in their labs and moving forward in their research.

Above: Graduate student Parker McDonnell conducts research in the Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Laboratory. (PC: Glenn Asakawa)
Top: Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram and Parker McDonnell work in the lab after returning to campus in June 2020. (PC: Glenn Asakawa)

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram’s research combines biology and robotics to uncover principles of robustness that make animals successful at locomotion in natural environments. He and his lab, the Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Laboratory, study small animals like cockroaches and how they handle occurrences such as head-on collisions, body deformations and partial or complete amputations to learn how these principles might be successfully integrated in small robots. He and his group are working on expanding the capabilities of these robots by developing novel actuators, sensors and bioinspired appendages.

Graduate student Parker McDonnell works alongside Jayaram. Below, McDonnell shares about their return to research.

How many people are currently back to work in your lab? What’s the general mood about returning?

Two: myself and Professor Jayaram. We are both excited to get back to work on research this summer, especially while things are quiet on campus.

How is your lab restarting research after two months away? What are your priorities now? How have they shifted?

We are in a unique situation since our lab is quite new, and for the most part, the current students are new hires, including myself. Most students weren't planning to arrive until the fall anyway, and for me, I'm lucky that most of my design work can be done remotely; it's only in the last week or so that I've needed to be on campus to do work!

Our top priority right now is to recreate the cutting-edge solutions in microrobotics from Professor Jayaram's previous research and other current literature in-house, and in addition, to improve these designs using the newly acquired state-of-the-art tools we have at CU Boulder. This will give our new lab the opportunity to build confidence by establishing a baseline for our methodology before we begin to advance the field forward. By the end of the year, we hope to have a novel spider-inspired autonomous crawling robot that can be used to run experiments and demo to our potential collaborators.

Live spiders housed in aquariums in the Animal Inspired Movement and Robotics Laboratory. When campus closed, graduate student Kristen Such took the spiders home to care for them.

What changes, postponements or issues did you face in your research?

The biggest issues were centered on receiving orders and communicating with lab members. We had a laser system that was stuck in customs for months due to COVID-19, and we just received it a few days ago. On the communication side of things, Zoom, Slack, and email have been critical for the team to stay in touch and keep progress moving forward. I can't imagine trying to keep in touch during a pandemic without the internet.

As I mentioned previously, a lot of my design work and lab equipment procurement could be done remotely on a computer as no one was working in the lab.

What precautions are you taking to stay safe?

In addition to wearing masks and regularly cleaning surfaces, we are limited to only two people in our lab area. Going forward, it will typically be me in the lab, and Professor Jayaram will stop by from time to time.

What are the biggest challenges as you restart? How will you address them?

We were fortunate enough to already be in a reset state at the end of the semester as old students left and new students joined the lab. COVID-19 isn't causing issues for us now, but if facilities don't open up fully in the fall, we will start to see more of an impact on our work as access to equipment and interaction with team members may become limited. In this scenario, Zoom, Slack and other platforms will be critical in keeping everyone up-to-date. Furthermore, bringing certain lab items home to aid in remote work could be another tactic to speed up research.

Have you noticed any “silver linings” to your time away from campus?

I think everyone agrees, it’s nice being able to make lunch at home every day, rather than sticking something in the microwave at work! Also, it's easy (for me at least) to stay focused on a task at hand, when there isn't as much activity going on around me. Plus, I'm able to take better care of myself during the day, be it going for a quick run before lunch or stepping outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air when I'm feeling overwhelmed.

CU Boulder is in the midst of a phased return to on-campus research and creative work in summer 2020. In this series, CU Engineering researchers share tips, tricks and takeaways as they navigate a new approach to research prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CU Boulder researchers are gradually and safely returning to campus to continue their work in the lab. Read about Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram and graduate student Parker McDonnell's return to research.

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Idea Forge machine shop coordinator puts his sewing skills to the test

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 23:51:07 +0000

Idea Forge machine shop coordinator puts his sewing skills to the test Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/29/2020 - 17:51

Oksana Schuppan

Above: Greg Potts in the machine shop at CU Boulder's Idea Forge.
Top: A mask sewn by Greg Potts for his granddaughter.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Greg Potts, Idea Forge machine shop coordinator, joined many others in pursuing a new hobby: mask-making. He has made over 250 masks and plans to sew at least 100 more.

"The mask-making started after cleaning out my closet during quarantine and realizing I had some old button-down and golf shirts to spare," said Potts. "My wife also donated a number of blouses and old high-thread-count flat sheets that were no longer needed."

The masks are double-layer cloth masks with an aluminum adjustable nose piece and adjustable elastic over the ears. They are made completely from recycled material. Potts said he can get about 12 masks out of a shirt or blouse and about 80 liners out of a king-sized sheet.

The first 100 masks Potts donated to CU Boulder for essential workers on campus. The others he gave to family, friends, and the Idea Forge staff. As Idea Forge staff return to campus, he said they will each receive five of his masks. The remainder will be given to anyone who needs one.

Some of the 250 masks sewn by Greg Potts.

Potts said he has another 100 masks in process, though now that he is back to work in the Idea Forge machine shop, they are taking longer to complete as he works on them part-time in the evenings. In total, one mask takes him about 45 minutes to produce. That means to produce 250 masks, he dedicated over 185 hours.

"I learned to sew when I was a teenager, said Potts. "There used to be a company called Frostline Kits in Boulder that sold goose down outdoor products in kit form: jackets, vests and sleeping bags, for example. I made a number of them with my mom's help back in the day but hadn't done a lot of sewing since. However, I had been looking to buy a sewing machine for a while to do various projects, so I thought this was a good time to get one and do something that might help in some way."

Potts said he loves teaching the process of design and engineering to students in mechanical engineering.

"It has truly been a dream job for me, doing what I love doing," Potts said.

In many ways, Potts said making masks is no different. He creates a design, then streamlines the most efficient process and works on the skills to do it. He said he doesn't think he'll retire off of mask-making, but it has been fun.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Greg Potts, machine shop coordinator in the Idea Forge, joined many others in pursuing a new hobby: mask-making. He has made over 250 masks and plans to sew at least 100 more.

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CU Boulder researchers uncover the secret to a faster soft actuator

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 19:04:16 +0000

CU Boulder researchers uncover the secret to a faster soft actuator Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/29/2020 - 13:04

Oksana Schuppan

Researchers in CU Boulder’s Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering recently uncovered new information that could revolutionize the design of electrohydraulic soft actuators to enable robots to perform at faster speeds.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Philipp Rothemund.

The experimental setup includes a high-speed camera that tracks a marker at the bottom of the soft actuator. This diagram also shows the weight that hangs from the actuator. Click here for license information for this figure.

In 2018, the Keplinger Research Group developed a new type of soft actuator that mimics the way muscles move in nature. In addition to being faster, their design was stronger, cheaper and more dexterous than other available technologies at the time. But what exactly contributed to their success? Researchers set out to discover, finding that the right geometry, materials, and applied external loads not only contributed to their original design but could now make their high-performance actuators even faster.

“Soft actuators mimic the way muscles move and need to move quickly, especially when used in robots that jump, run or fly,” said postdoctoral research fellow Philipp Rothemund, the lead researcher on the project. “I was interested in understanding why our electrohydraulic soft actuators, compared to others, are as fast as they are.”

Their findings, described by Rothemund, PhD Student Sophie Kirkman and Assistant Professor Christoph Keplinger, will be released this week in a paper titled “Dynamics of electrohydraulic soft actuators” in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The electrohydraulic soft actuator is composed of a flexible outer shell that is covered with electrodes and houses an oil-based liquid inside. When voltage is applied to the electrodes, the actuator contracts, and when the voltage is turned off, the actuator elongates with the help of a weight—or load—that pulls it into full extension, resulting in a motion that mimics the way muscles move. Researchers in this study measured the time it takes for an actuator to contract and elongate as the actuator’s geometry, properties of the outer shell and the liquid inside, and applied external loads were adjusted.

What they found, Rothemund said, was surprisingly simple.

“Now, all we need is to measure the speed of two actuators, and based on the result, we can predict how other actuators of the same type are going to react,” Rothemund said.

To measure speed, Rothemund applied a square wave voltage, which turns from off to on and back again, and used a high-speed camera to record the motion of a visual marker he added to the bottom of the actuators. From this recording, he determined exactly how long it took for the actuator to contract and elongate.

Rothemund discovered two dynamic regimes—or states—in which an electrohydraulic soft actuator can exist. Changes in geometry, properties of the liquid inside, and external load affect the actuation speed differently depending on whether the actuator is in the viscous regime, where the liquid inside is thick, or the inertial regime, where the liquid inside flows easily.

In the viscous regime, the thicker liquid resists flow through the actuator, slowing the speed of actuation. For these actuators, Rothemund said a shorter actuator, less-viscous liquid, larger applied voltage and larger applied external load, which hangs at the bottom of the actuator, will significantly increase speed.

In the inertial regime, the liquid flows more easily, making high-speed movement possible. For these actuators, Rothemund said the speed is limited by the inertia of the external load and largely influenced by the length of the actuator—shorter actuators move faster. He said actuators in the inertial regime are faster than those in the viscous regime.

“Other researchers in our group are already using these results to their advantage,” said Rothemund.

Electrohydraulic soft actuators designed to operate in the inertial regime enable unprecedented speeds of motion that he said may one day contribute to a new generation of bio-inspired robots.

[video:https://youtu.be/wGYxmUN7DmU]Speed comparison between electrohydraulic soft actuators in the inertial regime versus the viscous regime.

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Return to Research: A new normal for the Labbe Lab

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 15:31:10 +0000

Return to Research: A new normal for the Labbe Lab Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/26/2020 - 09:31

Oksana Schuppan

Above: Assistant Professor Nicole Labbe.
Top: Graduate students Cory Rogers and Sadie Stutzman at work in the Labbe Lab.

Assistant Professor Nicole Labbe’s lab develops robust chemical kinetic models, using state-of-the-art theoretical methods to accurately unravel chemistry relevant to practical energy problems. These computational models, combined with various experiments, assist in unraveling how fuels operate in extreme temperature and pressure environments found in engines, turbines and rocket thrusters. Her work is used to help develop new technology to increase fuel efficiency, decrease harmful emissions and reduce dependence on non-renewable energy sources.

Below, Labbe shares about her return to research.

How many people are currently back to work in your lab? What’s the general mood about returning?

We have three students and myself returning to lab. The students are so excited. Getting back into the lab has brought back a sense of normalcy to my experimental crew.

How is your lab restarting research after two months away? What are your priorities now, and how have they shifted?

Restarting is definitely a challenge. We don’t have experiments that you can just turn on. We have been working for over three weeks now, and our system is still not 100 percent back up and running. Hopefully we’ll be back to taking data in a week. With that, we’re now over three months behind on getting data, and we’re trying to prioritize work based on deadlines and critical needs as we start to play catch-up. It will be a tough summer getting back on track.

What changes, postponements or issues did you face in your research? Were you able to do any work remotely?

My group is lucky. We are both an experimental and a theory and modeling group. With that, many of my students didn’t have much of a change other than work location. The others were remotely trained to help with modeling work that would support their experimental efforts. So while we’re behind on taking data and submitting journal articles, we were able to stay productive.

We did not have any critical employees who remained working during this time. To us, health was priority number one, so while we fell behind, it seemed like the right thing to do.

What precautions are you taking to stay safe?

We aligned our lab safety operating procedure with that of the Department of Energy national labs, which includes mandatory mask and glove wearing, maintaining six feet of distance, daily thermometer readings, lab cleaning three times per day and more. We even have guidance on how to assess the way new stressors can impact work. For example, wearing PPE all day can be a distraction and could affect safety, so I’ve asked students to periodically check in with themselves to make sure we operate our equipment safely.

What are the biggest challenges as you restart? How will you address them?

Our biggest challenges are catching up and getting one-on-one time with my students. While I’ve tried to be available as much as possible for my students, it’s still much different going over procedures via Zoom rather than teaching someone hands-on, in person.

Have you noticed any “silver linings” to your time away from campus?

The biggest silver lining was that despite our wedding being canceled, my husband and I got married on our back porch. Our family and friends couldn’t be there, but being home let us have a pseudo-extended honeymoon staycation together.

CU Boulder researchers are gradually and safely returning to campus to continue their work in the lab. Read about Assistant Professor Nicole Labbe's return to research.

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Self-guided design project turns into an opportunity to save lives

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 14:47:43 +0000

Self-guided design project turns into an opportunity to save lives Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/16/2020 - 08:47

Oksana Schuppan

CU Boulder engineering student Adrian Gutierrez designed an automated bag valve mask with the potential to help those affected by coronavirus in Mexico

Adrian Gutierrez, a rising senior pursuing CU Boulder's Engineering Plus program with an emphasis in mechanical engineering and a concentration in engineering management.

Rising Engineering Plus senior Adrian Gutierrez has successfully developed an automated bag valve mask, a device he hopes will help those with coronavirus in Mexico, his home for 18 years.

A bag valve mask, sometimes referred to as a self-inflating bag ventilator, is a handheld device that assists patients struggling to breathe. A BVM is typically used for short periods of time – like during transportation in an ambulance – because it requires manual compression for air to be pumped into a patient’s lungs. An automated device works on its own and can be programmed to provide consistent pressure and volume of air for any patient.

An automated BVM is not meant to replace a ventilator, but it is helpful for someone with coronavirus whose symptoms are not yet critical or who can’t access immediate hospital care, Gutierrez said.

“The goal is not to replace the ventilator,” said Gutierrez. “Our goal is to figure out a way to make a BVM faster and easier to work with.”

When CU Boulder transitioned to remote learning during spring 2020, a hands-on mechanical engineering course in component design was one of many classes affected by the inability to gather and exchange material in person.

While student teams are ordinarily tasked in this class with developing vehicles powered by drills, coronavirus called for a new approach, including the option for students to complete a self-guided project of their choice.

"The campus shutdown meant the elimination of the hands-on project for component design, but Adrian found a way to complete a meaningful hands-on project that applied the key concepts from the course," said Adrian's instructor, Teaching Professor Derek Reamon.

Above: View of the linear actuator that compresses the automated bag valve mask to simulate breathing.
Top: Automated bag valve mask prototype designed by Adrian Gutierrez and a team of engineers at Kopar, an industrial automation company.

Gutierrez began his work on the automated BVM upon returning to Mexico to live with his family during the peak of the pandemic in the U.S. In Mexico, the pandemic was still on the rise with forecasts pointing to a surge in coronavirus cases in early June.

“We’re seeing a shortage of ventilators and even after the peak, there will still be a need,” said Gutierrez. “We can help the people who really need the ventilators get them by providing the automated BVM to those who are not in critical need.”

Knowing this, Gutierrez worked diligently in partnership with a team of six professional engineers at Kopar, a Mexican industrial automation company, to execute as quickly as possible. The team includes head engineer Antonio Cardoza, application engineer Edgar Gonzalez, project facilitator Jimena Gutierrez, application engineer Ivan Hernandez, Siemens specialist Edgardo Martin, and CAD engineer Yamileth Reyes. In just two weeks, Gutierrez’s design and working prototype were complete.

“What we did was mount it with a linear actuator going up and down,” Gutierrez said.

This allowed for a constant flow of air and adjustment parameters like number of breaths per minute, volume of air, and a pause between inhale and exhale.

“At the time, I was also taking a course through CU Boulder in fluid dynamics, so as we were figuring out settings that would allow for a certain number of breaths per minute, I was using theoretical flow analysis concepts to troubleshoot,” said Gutierrez.

Gutierrez said another important feature is the screen interface, designed for a medical professional to learn in just 15 minutes. There are three presets: one for infants, one for children, and one for adults, allowing for quick care even when little is known about the patient.

“You can turn it on and have someone surviving,” said Gutierrez. “When a medical professional knows more, they can customize the settings further.”

Flow, pressure and temperature sensors make this possible.

Gutierrez said his passion for serving his community began in middle school. When he realized he had access to the parts for an automated BVM, he was again determined to help.

“I said, we need to do this if we can. Why don’t we give it a shot? Hopefully, we do get it out there, but if not, we tried,” he said. "The automated BVM we’ve developed is also not for profit. We just want to help. If it’s replicated anywhere else, that would be nice."

He said some people will get sick and not have the money to have a ventilator, so a low-cost option is important.

In Mexico, Gutierrez and his team continue to work on the device, troubleshooting and fine-tuning to ensure it will work reliably and keep people safe. At this point, it is ready to be replicated if needed, including all software. Gutierrez said he hopes the device will one day make it to hospitals where it has the potential to save lives.

[video:https://youtu.be/QrHB6Rq7riY]Demonstration of the automated bag valve mask as number of breaths per minute, volume of air and a pause between inhale and exhale are adjusted.

Rising Engineering Plus senior Adrian Gutierrez successfully developed an automated bag valve mask, a device he hopes will help those with coronavirus in Mexico, his home for 18 years.

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