Summer Research Program

Department:
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Engineering

About the lab:
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a research and development center funded by the National Science Foundation. NRAO designs, builds, and operates its own high sensitivity radio telescopes for use by scientists around the world. Summer students will enjoy the opportunity to work with world-class scientists, imaging specialists, and engineers at the NRAO Headquarters located in Sloan Hall on the University of Virginia Grounds.

Prerequisites:
Basic skills include elementary electronic circuits, coding in C or Python, and a bit about micro-controllers (Arduino or Raspberry Pi.)

Specific project(s) available:
Developing Remote Operational Capabilities for the 10-Meter Radio Antenna at UVA. A Scientific Atlanta 10-Meter diameter steerable parabolic antenna located on the Grounds of the University of Virginia is being recommissioned as a radio science and engineering instrument for education and outreach initiatives.  The recommissioning work itself is divided into several student-based tasks, one of which is to provide remote antenna operating capabilities, via a secure Internet connection, for real-time classroom and laboratory applications.  The scope of work includes developing a graphical user interface (GUI) that interacts with the existing antenna control system to enable drive motors and readout antenna pointing positions.  Video cameras will also be included as visual aids for the remote operator.  In the process, the student will learn about antennas and control systems coupled with robust computer interfacing.

Web site:
https://www.nrao.edu/

Department:
Astronomy

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Theoretical astrophysics

About the lab:
My research focuses on theoretical study of astronomical objects.  My primary areas of interest are the study of matter falling into black holes and the interactions of stars with their environment.  Most of this research involves doing state-of-the-art simulations on supercomputers, which generates lots of output data.  Summer research students will work with me and members of my research group to use software tools to visualize and analyze the output of these numerical simulations in order to better understand these systems and make predictions that can be compared with observations.

Prerequisites:
Some experience with computer programming would be a bonus, but is not required.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined.

Web site:
http://people.virginia.edu/~swd8g/

Department:
National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Astronomy/engineering

About the lab:
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a research and development center funded by the National Science Foundation. NRAO designs, builds, and operates its own high sensitivity radio telescopes for use by scientists around the world. Summer students will enjoy the opportunity to work with world-class scientists and engineers at the NRAO Headquarters located in Sloan Hall on the University of Virginia Grounds.

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
ngVLA – the Next Generation of array astronomy exhibit
The intern would take on an engineering challenge to create a prototype display where the participant could arrange dishes in a variety of ways. The arranged dishes would include sensors to which the software would respond, and, in response, display a simulated image based on that arrangement. The more dishes and the more concentrated the arrangement, the brighter the image, the more widespread the arrangement, the higher resolution in the image. Add more dishes to the widespread array and it gets brighter. This is a two-part project: (1) research the array science and, and (2) build an interactive model. The culminating activity could potentially involve a trip to the VLA to test their prototype in the RFI chamber at the VLA.

Web site:
https://www.nrao.edu/

Department:
Astronomy

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Near-field Cosmology, structure and evolution of galaxies

About the lab:
The general area of focus is analysis of datasets involving kinematic and chemical information on star clusters and galaxies in the Local Universe, which will be used as tracers to probe the underlying distribution of dark matter.

Prerequisites:
Introductory Physics sequence, some programing knowledge (preferably Python)

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://astronomy.as.virginia.edu/research/near-field-cosmology

Department:
Biology

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Evolutionary Biology

 About the lab:
My lab studies how populations living in the wild rapidly adapt to changing environments. We primarily utilize two experimental systems - Drosophila and Daphnia - to study the genetic basis of rapid adaptation to seasonal fluctuations in selection pressure. The overarching goal of my lab is to first identify the genetic basis of natural variation in traits under seasonally variable selection using quantitative genetic and molecular genetic techniques and to subsequently study the evolutionary history of these genes in order to test basic aspects of evolutionary theory utilizing tools and models from population genetics.

Prerequisites:
Programming skills (e.g., Python, R, Perl) along with some familiarity with statistics
- OR -
Research or work experience in a laboratory setting
- OR -
Basic course in evolutionary biology or ecology or genetics

Specific project(s) available:
Characterizing the genetic basis of predator induced defenses in Daphnia

Web site:
http://www.bergland-lab.org

Department:
Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Microbiology/Infectious Diseases and Immunology

About the lab:
We investigate how pathogenic microbes evade clearance by cells of the innate immune system. Our model is the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which is responsible for the prominent sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea, and its ability to subvert killing by neutrophil white blood cells. For summer research projects, students will generate mutants in genes that are implicated in bacterial survival after exposure to neutrophils and measure the bacterial mutants' viability after neutrophil challenge. Students will learn a variety of techniques in molecular biology (PCR, cloning, DNA sequencing), bacterial genetics and physiology (transformation, bacterial growth in different media), immunology (purifying neutrophils from human blood), and microbial pathogenesis (infection assays).

Prerequisites:
General knowledge of biology is essential. Coursework in microbiology, immunology, and/or molecular biology is a plus.

Specific project(s) available:
See above.

Website:
http://mic.med.virginia.edu/criss/

Department:
Biology

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Molecular Biology - Plants

About the lab:
We are interested in functional genomics and genetic manipulation of plant secondary metabolism. Student will use standard molecular biology techniques (gene cloning, cell transformation, gene expression analysis via knock in and knockout engineering of genomes including use of CRISPR-cas9).

Prerequisites:
Experience in laboratory research; basic molecular biology and bioinformatics

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://bio.as.virginia.edu/people/mpt9g

Department:
Chemistry, Molecular Physiology & Biological Physics, Center for Cell and Membrane Physiology

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Biophysical Chemistry and Microbial Cell Biology

About the lab:
We are an interactive research lab with two primary research objectives:
1. Development of 3D super-resolution fluorescence imaging methods, including instrument design, sample preparation, and computational image analysis.
2. Application of these methods to understand molecular-level spatial and temporal phenomena inside intact bacterial cells and cellular-level interactions within developing microbial communities. To achieve these objectives, we operate in a multidisciplinary research environment that integrates aspects from several areas of chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, as well as biophysics, optical physics, engineering, and computer science.Undergraduates students will work with 1-2 graduate students in a research team and be learn state-of-the-art microscopy and computational image analysis techniques, and fluorescently label live bacterial cells for subsequent fluorescence imaging. 

Prerequisites:
A passion for learning.

Specific project(s) available:
Develop new sample preparation methods enabling correlative super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy

Web site:
http://www.gahlmannlab.com/

Department:
Chemistry

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Catalysis, energy processes, organometallic chemistry, synthesis

About the lab:
The Gunnoe group is focused on the development of new homogeneous catalysts for reactions of relevance to clean energy as well as large-scale petrochemical processes. Research efforts include the development and study of catalysts for water oxidation (relevant to the conversion of sunlight to fuel), alkane oxidation (relevant to the conversion of natural gas to liquid fuel and high value chemicals) and arene functionalization (relevant to petrochemical processes). Students in the Gunnoe group receive training on synthesis and characterization of transition metal and organometallic complexes and application of these new complexes toward new catalytic reactions. Substantial experience with NMR spectroscopy is obtained. Many of our projects are highly collaborative and involve collaborations with other chemistry groups, materials science groups and chemical engineering groups. 

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
Development of new catalysts for: 1) water oxidation (solar to fuels), 2) alkane oxidation (natural gas to liquid fuels and high value chemicals) and 3) arene functionalization (relevant to petrochemical processes). 

Web site:
http://gunnoelab.virginia.edu

Department:
Chemistry

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Chemical Biology

About the lab:
The Hsu laboratory studies immune function and disorders using the principles of chemical biology. We study the immune system because of its ubiquitous role in physiology with the goal of using our findings to provide new insights and treatment options for human disease. We are interested in understanding how cellular phenotype and function is regulated in vivo to produce a robust and specific immune response. Our research group focuses on developing chemical methods and probes to advance our understanding of biochemical pathways that support and direct immune function in mammalian systems. To achieve our goals, we integrate state-of-the-art chemical and mass spectrometry-based technologies to enable metabolic and pathophysiological measurements of enzyme-disrupted cells and animals. Research opportunities for students include understanding how "fat" signals in our body in order to develop new therapies.

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://hsulab.com/

Department:
Chemistry

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Inorganic Synthesis and Electrocatalysis

About the lab:
The Machan Research Group is interested in energy-relevant catalysis, particularly at the interface of molecular electrochemistry and materials. The development of efficient and selective transformations to produce commodity chemical precursors and fuels using CO₂, O₂, H₂, and H₂O as reagents remains an ongoing challenge for the storage of electrical energy within chemical bonds. Our approach is inspired by the numerous metalloproteins capable of catalyzing kinetically challenging reactions with significant energy barriers in an efficient manner under ambient conditions. This type of reactivity is achieved through the convergent evolution of active sites with tailored coordination environments and macromolecular structures which can, among other things, transport substrates and products to and from the active site. Our research focuses on developing new inorganic complexes and materials which incorporate co-catalytic moieties, non-covalent secondary sphere interactions, and substrate relays as catalysts. These efforts represent an opportunity to address the problems posed by diminishing petrochemical reserves, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and the shift to renewable energy. In order to characterize and optimize these systems, research in the Machan group uses synthetic inorganic chemistry, electrochemistry, and advanced characterization techniques (spectroelectrochemistry, stopped-flow IR and UV-vis spectroscopies). This enables us to develop an understanding of electronic structure and mechanism in transformations of interest. Students can expect research on renewable energy using organic synthesis, inorganic synthesis, electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry, GC/MS, NMR, IR, UV-vis.

Prerequisites:
Organic Lab

Specific project(s) available:
Reduction of CO2 to Liquid Fuels

Web site:
cwmachan.com

Department:
Chemistry

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Materials Chemistry, Nanotechnology

About the lab:
The general areas of focus in the lab are developing well-defined nanomaterials for renewable energy and environmental applications by integrating the effort in nanomaterials synthesis, physical structural characterization, and catalytic/electronic property studies.

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://chem.virginia.edu/faculty-research/faculty/sen-zhang/

Department:
Computer Science

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Cyber-Physical Systems

About the lab:
The lab is currently focused on experimental methods in computer science and sensing systems for energy-efficient smart buildings. Some projects focus on computer system performance (e.g. system reliability) while others focus on building performance (e.g. energy conservation). Highlights from this project include learning thermostats, improved water heating, and non-intrusive occupant tracking in the home.

Prerequisites:
Computer programming

Specific project(s) available:
Wireless sensing of occupancy in buildings. Many smart home applications would like to know the room location of occupants, but tracking people in a convenient and practical way is notoriously difficult. We are developing several new techniques for room location tracking by scanning a person's identity at the instant they cross the doorway threshold. One solution called the Doorjamb tracking system requires 1 sensor per doorway and can track the room location of multiple occupants with over 90% accuracy without requiring any RF transmitters or wearable tags, and without the use of privacy-invasive sensors such as cameras or microphones.

Web site:

Department:
Systems and Information Engineering/Computer Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Mobile sensing, health informatics, wireless health

About the lab:
The general focus of the lab is modeling, mobile app development, and data analysis.  My research group designs, develops, and evaluates adaptable health information technology and analytics to advance well-being and assist in the management of chronic diseases. 

Prerequisites:
Programming and/or probability and statistics

Specific project(s) available:
The student will work closely with one or more graduate students from my lab to design wireless health technologies and/or computational methodologies to enable adaptable monitoring of chronic diseases such as diabetes, depression, and anxiety.

Web site:
http://people.virginia.edu/~lb3dp/index.html

Department:
Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Mechanobiology

About the lab:
Our group engineers dynamic biomaterials to explore the interplay between cells and their microenvironment. We apply these platforms to address fundamental human health challenges including: 1) Treatment of diseases such as fibrosis and cancer, 2) Repair and replacement of tissues and organs, and 3) Improved understanding of how cells transduce microenvironmental signals.

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://www.che.virginia.edu/people/faculty/caliari.html

Department:
Chemical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Nanomaterials, solar cells, materials chemistry

About the lab:
Our research group aims to advance the fundamental understanding of relationships between structure of semiconductor nanomaterials and their optical, electrical, and magnetic properties. New insights obtained from our research enable development of novel semiconductor nanomaterials with tailored properties for next generation solar cells, light-emitting diodes, medical imaging agents, and spintronics. The general areas of focus are chemical synthesis of nanomaterials and solar cell fabrication and testing.

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://faculty.virginia.edu/choi/

Department:
Chemical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Environmental Catalysis

About the lab:
My lab focuses on two major areas. 1) We clean exhaust emissions from diesel engine vehicles specifically, reducing carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions from high fuel efficiency engine exhaust. 2) We are trying to use methane as a reactant to make any larger hydrocarbon and thereby make natural gas to chemicals routes economically attractive. The basic tools and techniques the student will use include a pilot-scale reactor system designed to simulate transient phenomena in engine exhaust, a reactors designed for use at natural gas wellhead sites, and an infra-red characterization system that helps us identify chemical reaction intermediate species that form on the surfaces of catalysts.

Prerequisites:
Physical chemistry

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://www.che.virginia.edu/people/faculty/epling.html

Department:
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Water resources, flooding, computer modeling, stormwater management

About the lab:
Students can expect to use geographic information system (GIS), program using Python and other computer tools to analyze water systems. Our current focus is on real-time flood prediction.

Prerequisites:
Water resources engineering, hydrology, GIS, computer programming

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://cee.virginia.edu/jonathangoodall/

Department:
Chemical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Polymeric Materials (Complex fluids)

About the lab:
Our research group focuses on the synthesis and formulation of complex fluids of polymer solutions and melts.  We use range of techniques to synthesize these soft materials such as controlled radical polymerization and we characterize the soft materials using single molecule experiments and bulk property measurements. The techniques include confocal microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, static and dynamic light scattering, as well as micro- and macro-rheology.

Prerequisites:
Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science 

Specific project(s) available:
Investigate best ways to control the distribution of immiscible polymers in polymer films to make thin, optically clear polymeric films with special heat transfer properties.

Web site:
http://www.che.virginia.edu/people/faculty/green.html

Department:
Biomedical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Infectious disease, device design, and molecular biomechanics

About the lab:
Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which cells move and to use this knowledge for solving thorny problems in infectious disease and in muscle contraction. Our lab studies the mechanics of these processes at the level of individual molecules using laser traps (akin to the "tractor beam" of Star Trek fame), fluorescence microscopy, and reconstituted motile and adhesive systems. One of the most interesting questions is how molecular motors - the enzymes that drive cell motion - function and are regulated in the complex cytoplasmic milieu. We are particularly interested in how this happens in parasites like those that cause malaria, toxoplasmosis, and cryptosporidiosis. We are answering questions like what forces are generated by molecular motors in parasites, in what direction, and under what circumstances? Ours is the first lab to be able to answer these fundamental questions. Students working on these research projects learn cell culture, special techniques for working with pathogens, use of the laser trap, and data analysis. We are also interested in preventing infectious disease. Waterborne bacteria are particularly troublesome, not only in the developing world, but also in hospitals and nursing homes. Wastewater is a medium for transferring antibiotic resistant bacteria to vulnerable patients. We develop clinical devices to prevent this transfer, and laboratory devices to study how it happens. Students working on these design projects learn computer aided design (CAD), 3D printing, microcontrollers, electronics, and bacterial cell culture.

Prerequisites:
While no prior experience is required, introductory courses in biology and chemistry are valuable for our research projects. An introductory course in engineering design or experience as a "maker" is especially useful for our design projects.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://faculty.virginia.edu/guilford/index.html

Department:
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Structural health monitoring and smart cities

About the lab:
The Mobile Laboratory for Rapid Evaluation of Transportation Infrastructure (MOBLab) focuses on characterizing the behavior of in service or operational structural systems. The lab is well suited for field investigations, but also utilizes laboratory techniques of assessing the performance of these structures. Students working in the MOBLab will perform hands-on experiments on actual infrastructure components and systems.

Prerequisites if applicable:
Technical backgrounds in engineering, image processing, math, physics, or computer science preferred.

Specific project(s) available:
Image-Based Structural Health Monitoring (iSHM): The investigation proposes to leverage advances in vision-based assessment to develop and approach for integration into the domain of structural health monitoring. Within the scope of this work, we proposed to evaluate the capabilities of vision-based deformation measurement approaches for describing condition state, system behavior, damage identification, and model updating. Student(s) would be working within my research group on this project and have the opportunity to collaborate with grad students and other undergraduates from UVA.  The project would be experimental in nature and include testing of structural members and image processing.

Citizen Engineering for Urban Infrastructure Evaluation: This investigation aims to leverage community citizens as smart sensors within an emerging smart cities framework. Building from the popular concept of the citizen scientist, citizen engineers will be engage to move beyond just collectors of data, they will be trained to translate this collected data into usable measures of condition state. This project would include preliminary data collection via available mobile and wearable sensors, as well as processing of the data collected. Student(s) working on this project would be focused on developing and testing hypotheses about the types of data that can be collected from citizen engineers and assessing the quality of their measurements.  

Web site:
http://cee.virginia.edu/devinharris/

Department:
Biomedical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Biomedical Imaging, Neuroscience

About the lab:
Our laboratory combines optics and ultrasound for in vivo high-resolution imaging of anatomical, functional, metabolic, and molecular contrasts at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Our research efforts encompass three main aspects: pushing the technical envelope to cover temporal scales that range from fast cellular dynamics to chronic disease progression, revealing novel optical/acoustic contrast mechanisms to enhance imaging sensitivity and specificity, and bridging the gaps between mechanistic studies in animals and clinical practice in humans. Students can expect to work with a senior graduate student on analyzing high-resolution brain images acquired in awake, behaving animals.

Prerequisites:
MATLAB

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://bme.virginia.edu/hu/

Department:
Biomedical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Cancer research and infectious disease

About the lab:
Our lab designs new experimental and computational approaches for analyzing signal-transduction and transcriptional networks. We draw from engineering principles to inspire new techniques that can be applied to network-level questions about signal transduction and gene expression. We are particularly interested in using our methods for problems in cancer biology, where the molecular “signal processing” has gone awry and cellular responses are inappropriate. General areas of focus for the lab are molecular genetics and cloning, computational modeling, and quantitative cell biology.

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://bme.virginia.edu/janes/

Department:
Materials Science and Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Corrosion of metals

About the lab:
We are trying to (1) understand the chemical and physical processes that control the degradation of materials in environments, (2) characterize the rate of damage in its different forms and develop accelerated tests, (3) develop scientific and engineering models to predict damage that can applied to actual structures in service

Prerequisites:
The student will work in the laboratory with chemical and electrochemical methods in collaboration with a graduate student and another undergraduate. Students will prepare test samples, run tests, analyze results and present those results. ALL skills will be taught by our group members.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://www.virginia.edu/ms/research/kelly/index.html

Department:
Civil and Environmental Engineering & Architecture

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Decision-making for sustainable infrastructure

About the lab:
We try to apply behavioral sciences to design decision-making in engineering and architecture. So, for example, we do experiments to see how the framing of a sustainability rating system shapes the choices that users make. We also will be using brain-scanning technologies to see which regions of the brain are active during different types of design. 

Prerequisites:
Intellectual curiosity and work-ethic are the two most important traits. If you have these traits, we can find tasks to align with your skills.

Specific project(s) available:
See above. You will have the opportunity to work on a range of ongoing projects and also to shape your own independent project, if desired. 

Web site:
www.essoresearch.org

Department:
Chemical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Energy Storage Materials

About the lab:
We are working on new materials and electrode designs for batteries and other energy storage devices.  We are focused on synthesis, fabrication, characterization, and/or evaluation of battery materials.

Prerequisites:
Students need to be comfortable in a chemical lab environment.  Some computer skills and computational analysis would be helpful.  Completion of a college-level chemistry laboratory course required.  Completion of introductory engineering coursework would also be helpful.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://faculty.virginia.edu/koenig/

Department:
Chemical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Cancer biology, cell signaling, targeted therapeutics, computational modeling

About the lab:
The Lazzara lab studies problems of dysregulated cell signaling primarily in cancer with a central goal of identifying novel combination therapies that will provide durable patient response. Our work is currently focused on glioblastoma (the most common malignancy of the brain in adults) and pancreatic cancer. Basic laboratory techniques including mammalian cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, biochemical analysis techniques including western blotting and immunoprecipitation assays and a variety of molecular biology approaches for genetic modification of cell lines. In addition, our lab utilizes computational modeling to help analyze and interpret complex data sets and to develop predictive understanding of complex biological systems.

Prerequisites:
No introductory coursework is required, but coursework in molecular cell biology or biochemistry would be useful. While prior skills or experience in cell biology laboratory work is not strictly required, experience in some of the aforementioned techniques (especially mammalian cell culture) would be very useful.

Specific project(s) available:
Multiple different projects are available to suit the interests of specific candidates. An example of one available project is to implement a protocol for the encapsulation of brain tumor cells in a scaffold that mimics key aspects of the brain tumor microenvironment. Using this system, the student would test the ability of the scaffold to impact cell response to therapy or to alter the cell regulatory functions of specific signaling proteins of interest to our lab. Another available project would focus on the factor regulating the phagocytic capacity of macrophages in brain tumors.

Website:
faculty.virginia.edu/lazarra

Department:
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Fluid Dynamics and Energy Systems

About the lab:
FRIL projects focus on unsteady fluid dynamics including micro- and nano-texturing coatings for self-cleaning, fluid dynamics and heat transfer of energy-storage systems, inlet aerodynamics of supersonic aircraft and inlet particle separators of helicopters, as well as bio-inspired morphing wind turbines to reduce off-shore cost of energy.

Prerequisites:
Junior level in engineering completed.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Website:
https://lothlab.wordpress.com/

Department:
Materials Science and Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
High Temperature Materials:  Understanding materials’ durability for energy, power, and propulsion applications

About the lab:
The general area of focus is high temperature furnace exposures (T=700C to 1800C) of material samples, followed by characterization using light and electron microscopes and x-ray diffraction analysis.

Prerequisites:
All lab techniques will be taught.  Introductory undergrad chemistry required, Introduction to Materials Science is useful but not required.

Specific project(s) available:
Current projects include the study of reactions for alloys, ceramic composites, coatings, and ultra-high temperature ceramics in high temperature environments relevant for their application in aircraft engines or hypersonic vehicles.

Web site:
http://www.virginia.edu/ms/research/opila/

Department:
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Structural Engineering

About the lab:
The research in Resilient and Advanced Infrastructure Laboratory (RAIL) focuses on applying smart technologies and interdisciplinary expertise to the development of resilient and sustainable civil infrastructure systems.

Prerequisites:
N/A

Specific project(s) available:
To enhance longevity and structural performance, next generation concrete infrastructure must integrate high performance material and structural systems that are durable and safe, and health monitoring systems that can obtain real-time data on the condition of structures and timely detect anomalies in the structural performance. Multifunctional cementitious composites that are intrinsically smart and durable can avoid deployment of two separate systems (high performance structural systems and health monitoring systems) to achieve this goal. This project will explore the design, fabrication, and implementation of multifunctional cementitious composites.

Web site:
http://cee.virginia.edu/osmanozbulut/

Department:
Biomedical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Computational modeling and Tissue Engineering

About the lab:
Our research is interested in understanding how microvessels grow and remodel during normal physiological development and in the setting of different important diseases where their involvement in disease progression is absolutely central, such as heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, diabetic retinopathy, cancer, and chronic wound formation. We are also interested in applying our knowledge of the microcirculation in order to grow new tissues (tissue engineering) and regenerate damaged tissues in the body (tissue regeneration). Our research aims to address a critical bottleneck for all of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine aspirations: growing new functional and sustainable microvessels that can deliver blood to the tissues that we are trying to heal and/or replace. The general areas of focus for the lab are 3D bioprinting, computer modeling, cell culture, and small animal experiments.

Prerequisites:
Cell culture, experience working with mice -- or at least not an aversion to small animal work (and programming experience is a plus!)

Specific project(s) available:
Designing and making 3D bioprinted constructs using computer models and adult stem cells from mice.

Web site:
http://www.peircecottlerlab.com

Department:
Biomedical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Systems biology, cardiac regeneration

About the lab:
Heart function and failure are controlled by complex signaling and transcriptional networks that are just beginning to be mapped. Our lab combines computational modeling and high-throughput experiments to discover molecular networks and drugs for heart failure. The student will be taught how to develop new computational models of molecular pathways. The student will apply these skills to develop a novel computational model of a signaling pathway related to heart failure or cardiac regeneration.

Prerequisites:
Engineering majors should have taken an introductory computer programming course, ideally in Python or MATLAB. Life science majors should have taken courses in cell biology and/or biochemistry.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://bme.virginia.edu/saucerman/

Department:
Electrical Engineering/Biomedical Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Microfluidics, Biosensing, Tissue Regeneration

About the lab:
Our NEMS group focuses on engineering nano-device interfaces to biosystems to harness electrical, magnetic, and optical signal transduction methodologies. Applications include early diagnosis of diseases through the sensitive detection of trace biomarkers in body fluids against high concentration of background proteins; guidance of cells for morphogenesis and tissue regeneration, and the directed assembly of nanostructured materials. Manipulating cells and patterning cellular microenvironments by microfluidics are some areas of focus.

Prerequisites:
Cell culture, fluorescence analysis, biomolecular analysis, patience and skills with hands-on work

Specific project(s) available:
Patterning stem cell aggregates as tissue constructs for wound healing

Web site:
http://people.virginia.edu/~ns5h/; https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iS12HRMAAAAJ&hl=en

Department:
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Perform research to solve geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering problem using innovative and sustainable method and materials. 

About the lab:
Two main projects are ongoing in my lab: 1) Application of bentonite-polymer composite geosynthetic clay liners to manager special and hazardous waste, i.e., prevent migration of contaminants from  coal combustion ash, low-level radioactive waste, and high pH bauxite leachate, 2) measure the thermal properties of municipal solid waste.

Prerequisites:
Good practical ability and some basic chemistry

Specific project(s) available:
Students can help to evaluate the performance of bentonite-polymer composite geosynthetic clay liners. He/She will explore to various geotechnical and environmental lab tests and gain experience about using analytical instruments. For example, hydraulic conductivity test, water content, chemical analysis using various analytical instruments (e.g., ph/Electrical conductivity meter, ion chromatography, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, total organic carbon analyzer).  In addition, there are opportunities to design and build small experiment instruments.

Web site:
http://cee.virginia.edu/

Department:
Environmental Sciences

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Ecology/Remote Sensing

About the lab:
I study vegetation-climate interactions in the context of climate change. My research work includes spatial ecology, plant physiology, remote sensing, and climate change. Specifically, I am interested in the climatic controls on vegetation photosynthesis and related plant functioning, the feedbacks of vegetation to the climate, and the impact of climate change on vegetation phenology. I develop novel approaches to quantify photosynthesis and leaf traits remotely, and I use advanced computation approaches such as data assimilation to bridge the gap between observations and models to improve our predictions of carbon, water and energy fluxes. We use remote sensing techniques to understand the vegetation photosynthesis. We have several potential projects including controlled experiments in greenhouses; using drones to monitor forest health; using satellite data to monitor plant photosynthesis.

Prerequisites:
Some knowledge on plant physiology and remote sensing would be preferred but not required

Specific project(s) available:To be determined

Web site:
http://www.evsc.virginia.edu/yang-xi/

Department:
Psychology (Neuroscience)

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Behavioral and Sensory Neuroscience

About the lab:
We are interested in the structure and function of the songbird auditory system. The student will participate in an ongoing project to characterize the morphological cell types in the auditory cortex of zebra finches. Techniques include small animal handling, histology and possibly immunohistochemistry, neuron tracing, and statistical analysis.

Prerequisites:
General wet lab skills (reagent preparation, basic safety) required. Background in neuroscience or biology preferred.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://meliza.org/

Department:
Physics

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Quantum computing, quantum optics, AMO physics

About the lab:
The general areas of focus are experimental (laser physics, nonlinear optics, quantum optics and quantum information), as well as theoretical (quantum computing and quantum simulation with continuous variables). Right now we're working on quantum optics for quantum computing and for quantum interferometry.

Prerequisites:
Quantum physics for majors (first semester) is a definite prerequisite.

Specific project(s) available:
To be determined

Web site:
http://faculty.virginia.edu/quantum/

Department:
Physics

Area of research and sub-discipline:
Thermoelectric materials

About the lab:
Nanostructured materials show promise for efficient thermal-to-electric energy conversion. Our group works on the synthesis, characterization, and modeling in order to understand the “nano” effect on thermoelectric properties. The experimental efforts include sample preparation, measurement, and characterization. Theoretical and computational studies are performed to understand the properties. The goal of the project is to achieve high performance electrical generation from heat source.  Possible research opportunities for students are materials synthesis, characterization, and computation.

Prerequisites:
First and second year physics, some hands-on experience (like a laboratory course), some experience in using the computer.

Specific project(s) available:
Title: Thermoelectric Materials for Heat to Electrical Conversion

Web site:
http://www.phys.virginia.edu/People/personal.asp?UID=sjp9x