The researchers use time, money and health as the basic individual/family resources to education university community to rethink the resources and survive the pandemic period.
Time, Money & Health Decision Making Model Education
funded
Modeling the Crushing Behavior of Polymer Foams in Sandwich Structures Operating in Arctic Regions
Lightweight, composite sandwich panels are being increasingly used in navy combat ships, but not much is known of their behavior at Arctic temperatures. Project explores crushable behavior and energy absorption of PVC foam at temperatures as low as -60 deg C.
Making Test Device to Study Material Removal Mechanisms in Grinding of Silicon Nitride
The grinding of brittle materials, such as ceramics, presents several unique challenges not found in the grinding of metals. Among these challenges are the use of diamond abrasives, the dressing of grinding wheels, a tendency towards higher specific energies, and the tendency of the workpiece to crack under grinding.
Serenity in the Garden – A Local Pilot-Study Utilizing Applied Qualitative Sociology to Improve Social, Environmental, and Food Justice for Incarcerated Women and Their Communities
The aim of this local pilot-study is to further develop and qualitatively assess an educational gardening program for incarcerated women in Northeast Ohio. This is part of a larger project that started in Spring of 2019 and will continue until 2021.
Enterprise Holding Foundation and University of Akron Joint Service Learning Project
This service-learning project will be conducted by The University of Akron coordinators of Service-Learning and will work with the local Enterprise branch and local United Ways.
Electrochemical sensors for microbial activities in benthic sediments: a sentry for lacustrine P biogeochemistry
Release of phosphate-P immobilized in benthic sediments poses a remnant threat to induce harmful algal blooms (HAB) despite adequate management of external loads of phosphate. This process, referred to as internal loading of P, is induced by microbially mediated alternations of sediment and porewater chemistry and bacteria that “breath” iron are mostly responsible for controlling the release of P from sediments. We have developed an electrochemical split-chamber zero resistance ammetry (SC-ZRA) technique that we can use to detect microbiological activities.
Smart genomics to develop plant based vaccines
This project entails developing plant based vaccines using smart genomics. Vaccines are essential for protecting all segments of the civilian population from pandemic influenza to other emerging infectious diseases.
Photo-Programmable Biohybrid Microstructures
The project consists of designing and fabricating photo-programmable microstructures consist of microfluidic ecosystem and interacting biological species. The biohybrid system exploits power, sensing and navigation of the biological components and the sensivity of the photo-active parts to tune the dynamics of species within the micro-ecosystem.
Design of polyester scaffolds for encapsulation and release of therapeutics
The Joy Lab has developed a platform of polyesters and polyurethanes that are being utilized for the incorporation and sustained delivery of therapeutics. The undergraduate student working on the project will work specifically towards the synthesis of the polymers, incorporation of the therapeutic within the polymer and analyze the release kinetics. The student will gain experience in synthesis and characterization of polymers and in the analysis and interpretation of experimental data.
Microbial Corrosion Monitor
There are over 300,000 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline in the US (Pipeline 101 see web addresses; P&GJ paper 2016). To meet the growing need to transport shale gas in the US, approximately 3,400 miles of new gas pipeline were constructed in 2015-2017 (ferc.gov), and that trend is likely to continue, as the US continues to develop as a major natural gas and petroleum exporter.
Wearable Health Sensors
Our team has developed flexible, lightweight fabric materials that can selectively determine physiological information from sweat forming on the surface of the skin. The technology is the first lightweight fabric sensor to provide real-time information regarding hydration levels during exercise or training through selective determination of sodium ion levels.
Ultrasensitive Force Probe
The formation of polymer networks inevitably introduces topological defects, such as loops. While these defects undermine the mechanical properties of the materials, they could also bring opportunities for the design of new materials.
Tuning intermolecular distance to achieve tunable fluorescence
Controlling and measuring the intermolecular distance in supramolecular structures are important as well as challenaging. To achive both at the same time, we are chemically incorporating an aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminophore into a charged macromoleculre, which can self-assemble into stable supramolecular structures of different intermolecular distances through the careful regulation of the physical interactions between the building blocks.
Photolytically degradable, hydrolytically degradable, and chemically recyclable commodity plastics
“White pollution” is a problem of massive scale. To replace the current nondegradable commodity plastics with degradable plastics, a key challenge is that the new raw materials must be readily available at costs comparable to current monomers such as ethylene and propylene. Low-carbon footprint is highly desirable for these raw materials in order to achieve overall environmental sustainability.
“Smart” degradable polymers: polymers with locked degradability that can be unlocked on demand
Synthetic degradable polymers are of pivotal importance for recycling and sustainability. While the degradability allows polymers to be recycled, it can also cause stability issue, which impairs the storage and functioning of materials.
Improved techniques for early and cost effective diagnosis of pediatric sleep apnea
This project involves current work with Akron Children’s Hospital (ACH), and entails finding new and cost-effective ways of diagnosing pediatric sleep apnea using new tools such as low-cost Arduino micro-processors, new low-cost sensors, wireless technology, advanced signal procssing algorithms such Wavelets, etc. Selected students will work within a research group and may be onboarded at ACH so that they can help in clinical tests at the hospital.
3D printed battery components
The project will focus on the 3D printed polymer electrolyte and related lithium ion battery components.
Mechanochemistry of a helical metal-ligand complex
Mechanical stress is ubiquitously present in materials and biological systems, and the force-induced bond scission and materials failure have been extensively studied. In recent years, utilizing mechanical force to do targeted and constructive chemistry, largely fueled by the concept of mechanophore, i.e., stress-responsive moiety, has become a new trend.
Evaluating materials for jet engine and hypersonic applications
There are a variety of material and testing concepts being pursued for high temperature, extreme environments with stress for a number of advanced materials (high temperature ceramic composites and coatings) research projects.