As we approach the final week in our program, our students have made great progress in their research and we are eagerly looking forward to their final presentations next week. Whilst they have been working on the research, the students have also been participating with Prof. Lehman in his energy workshop and have completed their Sparkfun project with Jen Love.
Over the past couple of weeks, we were able to wrap up Prof. Lehman’s renewable energy lab. We wrapped up the sessions by performing a solar power lab with the students on top of the Curry Student Center outside deck. The students used portable solar panels and covered portions of them to simulate the energy production when there are different cloud patterns in the sky blocking direct sunlight.
Students present their SMART Mirror, which de-fogs the glass when it detects humidity
Throughout the program, the REU students have been spending a couple of hours of their week working on a SMART Project using their Sparkfun kit and Arduino under the guidance of Prof. Love. At the beginning of the program, we started the students with entry-level circuits using Sparkfun and programming the board with Arduino. In only a couple of months, they were able to take the knowledge that they learned to work with a partner to plan, build, and design their own unique prototype that would solve some type of real-world issue. Student projects included a GPS tracking device that could be used to track a bag in case it was lost and a device that tracks the moisture in the soil so the owner of a plant is able to know when it should be watered.
The researcher presents some of the creatures found in the touch tank
To end week 8, we had the chance to take a field trip with our YSP, or Young Scholars Program, students to the Northeastern Marine Science Center in Nahant. Students got to meet with and participate with Northeastern’s Marine Science researchers and their labs. The trip was a great experience and we’re very thankful to the Marine Science Center for allowing us to visit their space.
The REU students at the Nahant Outlook Point
