Globally, there is a need for more efficient energy sources because many of the current methodologies of generating electricity are inefficient and harmful to the environment. We believe that by utilizing different aspects of our surroundings and capitalizing from the energies already actively present, we can collect energy from our environment with minimal impact. Our intended goal is to develop an energy harvesting device that will harvest energy via photovoltaic, thermoelectric and piezoelectric processes.

In a globalized landscape where information is available to all with literacy and internet access, many students remain unprepared for the demands of a college curriculum or a career in the workforce. Due to the rapid advancement of technology and skills needed in the workforce, many teaching methodologies are inefficient in developing the skills necessary to ensure employment in a competitive environment. By employing virtual/ augmented reality technologies, traditional mandates of curricula could be bypassed, which would allow for the use of individualized, hands-on simulations to teach a broad range of skills from simple to complex and abstract concepts. By employing experiential virtual learning, students could acquire content at a more efficient rate. We now possess the ability to step beyond the various constraints of a typical classroom and can offer immersion into any scenario imaginable regardless of economic, feasibility, or safety constraints. The doors that are opened with the implementation of VR are infinite, including personalized curricula to a variety of careers and vocations that exist or are just emerging!

With the sudden increase in portable electronics comes the race for manufacturers to develop a more efficient battery to power these advanced devices.  Battery separators, a major component of all batteries, place limitations on their efficiency. Our goal is to design and develop the most efficient battery separator which will allow a battery to perform at its optimum level by capitalizing from the fundamentals of nanotechnology and materials science.

Electricity is an amenity that is often taken for granted and the are more than 1.2 billion people worldwide who do not have access. Electricity is a scarce resource, especially in isolated locations and developing nations.  There are cost effective, efficient and clean methods of generating electricity but are not yet viable for large scale applications.  Once such method is a Magnesium Air Fuel Cell (MAFC).  Currently, it yields a performance similar to a standard AA battery while being a 100% clean energy source using salt water to power it.  Our research will focus on characterizing its current limitations and strive to increase its potential power generating capabilities by capitalizing from the benefits of nanotechnology and materials science.

Shape memory polymers are growing in interest with scientist and engineers all over the world at a rapid rate. These materials allow for a great range of capabilities that could be applied to the development of a new material application from vehicles that repair themselves after an accident to medical devices that can adapt to heat or light depending upon the intended application and function.  Our research this year will focus on the design and develop of a temperature based shape memory polymer.

ENERGY
RESEARCH

IMAGE GALLERY

ENERGY
RESEARCH

IMAGE GALLERY

MATERIALS
RESEARCH

IMAGE GALLERY

ENERGY
RESEARCH

In today's world of leisure, commerce and education, electronic devices play a crucial role in making the tasks within them more efficient. However, current battery technologies have significant energy loss due to thermal generation during energy conversion processes.  To increase the efficiency of a battery, we plan to develop a nanofiber-based structure that is designed to capture the wasted thermal energy and convert it back to electrical energy, ultimately increasing the efficiency of the battery. 

IMAGE GALLERY