Image 2: The Future is NEAR (Nanotechnology Education and Research) students
after their presentation.
Lansdale, Pennsylvania - May 30, 2019-
51
Students, 18 Nanotechnology and Engineering
Research Teams, One Evening!
The senior students of the
North Penn High School Engineering Academy
presented their research at the annual
Nanotechnology and Engineering Symposium on
Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7pm.
The evening began in the Auditorium at 7PM
where the 18 research teams presented their
research endeavors which focused on
identified challenges in the Environment,
Energy and Healthcare sectors. The evening
continued in the auxiliary gymnasium where
the student teams offered demonstrations of
their work and answered questions from
audience members.
Engineering Design and Development, or EDD,
is the capstone course of a national
Pre-engineering program called Project Lead
the Way. In this course, students work
together to research, design, and develop
solutions to global engineering problems.
North Penn's EDD course has a unique
nanotechnology research program, developed
by its instructor, known as The Future is
N.E.A.R. (Nanotechnology Education And
Research). The EDD course and NEAR program
introduce the fundamentals of materials
science, nanotechnology, engineering
research principles, and a rigorous
application of their skills and knowledge
while cultivating their interest in
engineering, problem solving and life-long
learning. Students seek opportunities to
design and test solutions to global issues
by capitalizing from the fundamentals of
nanotechnology and engineering utilizing the
latest published research available. In the
course, students gain essential 21st century
skills that will prepare them to become
successful and marketable leaders in a
global technological society.
For a second year, the Technology and
Engineering Education department partnered
with the North Penn High School Class of '62
Scholarship committee. They sponsored two
$500 awards for our seniors! We are so
thankful for all they have done for us and
are looking forward to working with them in
the future!
Please review the video and pictures from
the evening as wall as a synopsis of their
research endeavors and posters
by
following this link.
The Future is N.E.A.R. program
(Nanotechnology Education and Research) is a STEM education
endeavor designed to offer
North Penn High School
students a glimpse into the exciting world of
nanotechnology, experimental design and engineering
research.
Students work in teams to research &
develop solutions to global issues by capitalizing from the fundamentals of
engineering and nanotechnology utilizing some of the latest published research
available. The NEAR program parallels the Engineering
Design and Development course (EDD) of the
Project Lead the Way
engineering academy and offers its students an opportunity
to gain 21st century STEM skills that prepares them to
become successful leaders in a global technological society.
READ MORE
In space, water is of extremely high
value to sustain life on the
International Space Station (ISS).
The ISS has two
water recovery systems as the sole
method of producing clean water. Our
endeavor involves the design and
creation of a device capable of
producing small quantities of clean
water...
READ MORE
International
Research Endeavor
(USIRT1819 / UKIRT1819) A collaborative research
endeavor between Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School (QEGS) in
Faversham, UK and North Penn High School (NPHS) in Lansdale,
PA
Students from
NPHS Lansdale, PA, USA [1] and QEGS Faversham, UK [2] in
collaboration with the University of Bristol, Bristol UK
[3]. have begun to research the development of cellulose
nanofibers from ionic liquid systems.
In general, nanofibers and their applications in the
biomedical, agricultural, healthcare, energy, environmental,
and many other sectors have evolved over the years with
research and development being performed in many leading
universities and research groups throughout the world [4],
[5], [6], [7], [8]. North Penn High School students began
researching the electrospinning and polymer nanofiber
development process in 2005 in the Future is NEAR program
(Nanotechnology Education And Research) [9]. Since then,
their research has advanced into many different sectors;
including, energy, environment, healthcare, and more.
Cellulose nanofibers have never been researched at North
Penn before. This research endeavor is particularly
interesting, not only because of the international
collaboration, but because cellulose has many inherent
properties that could improve the function of nanofibers
developed in many applications.[10]
Please check
back often for news and updates.
This year, there are
50 students in 17 research teams in
3 Engineering Design and Development classes within the North
Penn High School engineering academy. The main
research endeavors that the students are involved with are
listed below. Many of the students within these teams
will also be performing various extended and supplementary
experiments. A team research section will be added to the website
soon to
share various images and videos of the students' research.
Please check back soon!
Jason Beideman | Hunter
Fidik | Benjamin Jimenez | Darsh
Patel
Excess carbon
dioxide is directly linked to impacts on human health, the
greenhouse effect, and climate change. Carbon dioxide emissions has
been a problem since the Industrial Revolution, where the burning of
fossil fuels increased significantly, releasing more of the gas into
the atmosphere. While trees and foliage have the ability to consume
carbon dioxide, more than 200 fully grown trees would be needed to
absorb the amount released from the average vehicle. There is not
enough space on the earth to plant the required number of trees to
fix our carbon dioxide problem. Current attempts to solve the carbon
dioxide problem are too expensive to implement on a larger scale,
costing approximately $600 per ton removed from the atmosphere.
Research on the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide is
necessary to maintain a balanced atmosphere and sustain the
equilibrium that the earth has supported for millions of years.
Each year,
millions of people suffer worldwide from burn related injuries or
severe wounds and must receive medical attention. Since 1871, the
most common used method in hospitals to treat these victims is skin
grafting. However, with advancements made in materials science
research, it is possible to create more efficient methods in aiding
in the regenerative process.
Andrew Farid | Andrew La |
Nathan Tagert | Frank Sadiq
Electric vehicles
are known for their inefficient energy consumption. It has been
increasing drastically around the world for the past couple of
years. The Dynamic Energy Research Team will be researching about
how we can use the wasted kinetic and thermal energy that an
electric vehicle produces and make it self- reliant. Our goal is to
boost up the efficiency of an electric car from where it is today by
using piezoelectric, thermoelectric, and thermal interface
materials.
Access to clean,
reliable electricity is essential to sustain a quality life, from
providing light and heat, to properly maintaining stored medicine
and food. Approximately sixteen percent of the world’s population
lacks access to electricity; especially those in underdeveloped
nations and remote locations. Developing a reliable source of
electricity can improve the features of their lives. A solution
needs to be developed to bring electricity to all global
inhabitants.
Nearly 90% of our
energy comes from non-renewable sources; fossil fuels, coal, natural
gas, and nuclear power. These sources are inefficient, unreliable,
harmful to our environment, and are quickly diminishing. However,
working towards 100% of the world's energy coming from renewable
sources would not only benefit humankind but the Earth as well. With
advanced research and development, renewable energy sources can
power the world.
Alex Scheffler-Murry |
Ryan Heintz | Kuldeep Patel
Burning fossil
fuels contributes to substantial changes in Earth's climate and
ecology in addition to harming public health and human industry.
Cleaner, renewable sources of energy are needed. Current renewable
energy sources are impractical, and further research is required to
improve their viability as fossil fuels competitors.
Millions of
people are lacerated every year and if these injuries are not
properly cared for, there is a high risk of infection and other
complications. On average, wounds take 2 to 14 days to heal;
however, most bandages only have an effective life of 2-3 days
before they needs to be replaced. Advanced healing methodologies are
needed to improve the healing process.
Nonrenewable
energy sources, such as fossil fuels, are dwindling as well as
causing harm to the environment. As a result, research and
development on renewable energy technologies has begun to turn them
into a viable source. Unlike fossil fuels which can be stored for
long periods of time and can be used on demand, current renewable
energy technologies are limited to use at the time of collection. A
system to monitor and store the energy generated by renewable
technologies is essential to effectively replace current energy
production methods.
Solar power is
one of the most widely employed sustainable energy sources in the
world. This energy, channeled through solar panels, is being
integrated into industrial and commercial setups at a remarkable
rate. Despite this, solar panels face the problem of long-term
inefficiency, as the technology is compromised when exposed to the
natural elements. Aside from common weather interference -- such as
rain, snow, and sleet -- one of the biggest problems of solar panel
longevity is drastic temperature fluctuations experienced over a
long period of time. This issue, known as thermal cycling, is
responsible for the gradual breakdown of solar panels over time,
resulting in long-term inefficiencies.
Deionized Water
is a pure form of water. In this process added ions and minerals
that could contaminate an experiment are extracted for the purpose
of developing water with no possible experiment contaminant. Most
Deionized water filter systems are up to four to seven separate
canisters. The canisters are separately filled with a sediment
filter, an activated charcoal chamber, and a separate chamber for
both cations and anions. The sediment filter and activated charcoal
chamber help take out all the heavy metals and other minerals in
water. The cation and anion canisters are filled with an ion
exchanging resin which, takes the polarity out of the water. Over
time the cation, anion, and sediment filter canisters need to be
replaced.
Tissue
engineering has the potential to assist patients in recovering from
injury and disease. Scaffolds are necessary to provide structure and
nutrients to the surgery site. Currently, there are six methods to
create a cell scaffold, but there are problems with each of the
methods. These scaffolds are inserted into an area in which tissue
damage has transpired, however, each of the current scaffolds has
flaws. Each method has problems regarding either the integrity of
the structure of the scaffold, consistency of the scaffold,
cytotoxicity, or consistency of protein release. Through certain
methods, we are able to improve the integrity and quality of the
scaffolds patients receive and eliminate the niche problems that the
several forms of creation possess. A scaffold capable of effectively
assisting the growth of cartilage cells is needed in order to
successfully regenerate tissue.
UV radiation
comes in three different forms from the sun, but only UVA and UVB
make it to the earth's surface where it is absorbed by skin cells.
UV radiation is a leading cause of skin cancer with over 5.4 million
cases reported each year. Current methods of preventing sunburn such
as creams and sprays have helped reduce the chances of getting skin
cancer, but there is much more room for improvement in UV detection
technology. Further research is needed to be done to reduce the
number of skin cancer cases every year.
Water is
essential to sustain life. Due to increasing societal and
environmental pressures through population growth and climate
change, the finite supply of water on this planet is under great
stress. Three in ten people worldwide (about 2.1 billion) lack
reliable access to clean water. Current methods of purifying water
are complex and require expensive infrastructure and machinery.
Therefore a small, affordable but effective method of producing
clean water is necessary.
Today, 20 million
americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy, also referred to as
nerve damage. Unfortunately, the most current treatments, such as
nerve grafting and implementing synthetic nerve conduits, comes with
limitations and adverse effects. Since treatment of peripheral
neuropathy is not as effective as possible, development of more
beneficial methods must be pursued.
The use of and
demand for mobile devices has seen a large increase in the last
decade. Current methods to charge these devices are insufficient and
require an outlet. Even with today's latest technology, even
portable charging devices require a stationary plug to charge them.
Further research is required to develop a more effective way to
store electrical energy in a mobile device.
Cutaneous injuries are a universal aspect
of medical care, with approximately 300 million chronic wound
patients worldwide. Current solutions use bandages as a leading
protection, however, in their current state, they have no qualities
that can help promote cell reproduction and heal a wound faster.
Advancements are required to develop more effective bandages and
better control wounds.
Energy efficient
windows are essential to better control the flow of energy and light
in commercial and residential buildings. Current windows are not
energy efficient. Approximately twenty five percent of the energy
used to heat and cool buildings is lost through the windows.
Research and development needs to be made to reduce the energy lost
through the windows in buildings.
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