The Future is NEAR - Nanotechnology Research at North Penn High School

2021 Symposium Program

Image 2: The Future is NEAR (Nanotechnology Education and Research) students after their presentation.

2021 Engineering Academy Graduation Class

Lansdale, Pennsylvania - May 21, 2021-

29 Students, 11 Nanotechnology and Engineering Research Teams, One Evening!

The Engineering Design and Development (EDD) senior students of the North Penn High School Engineering Academy presented their research at the annual Nanotechnology and Engineering Symposium on Friday, May 21, 2021 at 7PM via YoutTube live stream.

With Covid-19, the EDD students had the most unique challenge of performing engineering research in a hybrid environment. Each of the teams had members who were working from home throughout the year. Even with this unique environment, each team was able to research, develop a project proposal, and present their work! Some teams developed innovative and creative ways of performing their research experiments!

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.

Congratulations seniors! I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors!
~Mr. Boyer

The Future is NEAR: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants READ MORE

The Future is N.E.A.R. (Nanotechnology Education And Research) program 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.

The 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 society.

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International Research Endeavors A collaborative research endeavor between Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School (QEGS) in Faversham, UK and North Penn High School (NPHS) in Lansdale, PA
	IRT RESEARCH IS ON PAUSE DUE TO COVID-19 Students from NPHS Lansdale, PA, USA and QEGS Faversham, UK have been researching the development of cellulose nanofibers from ionic liquid systems. 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. Please check back often for news and updates.

This year, there are 29 students in 11 research teams in 2 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 often!

Antiviral Textiles
Team Name: AntivireX Tech

HEALTH
RESEARCH

Akhil Jobi | John Steele

The implementation of face masks has been an important step in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. However, the slow progress in flattening the curve, despite taking CDC recommended measures, suggests that current face masks do not fully protect us. Therefore, further research and development is necessary to manufacture safer masks that reduce the transmission of viruses.

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AntivireX Tech:

Improving Air Quality
Team Name: HabiTech

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Ruchi Kalola | Kendra Tiger | Md Zahin

Due to modern agriculture/manufacturing methods and the lack of standardized multinational regulations, the global atmospheric conditions are deteriorating to harmful levels at an alarming rate. Many common airborne compounds are negatively affecting the health of all living things and are attributed to approximately 9% of deaths globally. Current air filtration methods fail to effectively remove toxic airborne contaminants; therefore, further research and development is necessary to improve the global environment.

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HabiTech:

Plastics Recycling
Team Name: Modern Plastics

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Luke Alcorn | Damien Miller | Takiur Rahman | Eric Vibol

Plastic waste is one of the largest environmental threats today for both humans and animals. About 8.8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean every year, and by 2050, it is predicted that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. If nothing is done, many species of animals will go extinct, and they will continue to lose their habitats. On top of the environmental damages, plastic waste costs businesses billions of dollars in damages and losses due to the contaminated natural resources. Further research is necessary to reduce plastic waste and create a more sustainable plastic for the future.

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Modern Plastics:

Energy Harvesting & Storage
Team Name: Solarex

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Andy Fari

Business Problem Statement:

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Solarex:

Impact Resistant Textiles
Team Name: Soteria Tech

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Dan Diehl | Alex Hammond | Joe Hier | Dylan Main

Deaths due to high impact low contact are on the rise. Not just for people with a dangerous profession, but the average citizen as well. Current reports document that there has been a steady increase in the number of injuries and fatalities in these environments. Further research is needed to develop a higher performance material that will reduce serious injuries and save lives.

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Soteria Tech: Impact Testing Brainstorm -

Soteria Tech: Circular fiber collection apparatus

Soteria Tech: Square fiber collection apparatus

Soteria Tech: Rotating fiber collection

Soteria Tech: Fiber collection

Soteria Tech: SEM analysis

Soteria Tech: SEM Analysis

Soteria Tech: Friday team progress resport and class discussion

Agriculture Research / Pest Control
Team Name: Vibe Check

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Sarah Ahner

The use of pesticides in agriculture has been reduced considerably through advancements in technology that monitors fields and focuses on areas of significant infestation. However, precise treatment is only achieved after notable damage has occured, and prevention is still only possible by spraying all areas. The majority of crop monitoring methods are remote, and can only detect the presence of insects or fungal infection after the pests have dealt significant damage. To minimize the use of pesticides without sacrificing crops, a better method of monitoring plant condition must be developed. The condition of individual plants, in real time, should be collected by such a method, so that pests may be found and taken out before more plants can be harmed. Understanding plant communication should be useful, as plant species have been found to signal the presence of pests, drought, and other stressors.

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Vibe Check:

Clean Water
Team Name: Accessible Water Worldwide

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Alap A. Patel | Mahir Sadique | John J. Yi

Two billion people on the Earth lack access to basic sanitation. As the population grows exponentially, that number will follow and the demand for clean water will get increasingly more difficult to sustain. On average, 850,000 people die every year from lack of access to clean water. To develop more effective and reliable solutions, research needs to be done to guarantee the health of future generations.

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Modern Plastics:

Carbon Capture
Team Name: Carbon nanoCapture Development

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Christopher Hughes Bonsignore | Kyle Helmut Schafsteller

Carbon Dioxide contributes to 81% of global greenhouse gas emissions and continues to produce more than 35 billion tons annually. This excess amount of carbon is the leading cause of Climate Change and Global Warming, creating extreme weather conditions, smog, and serious health risks. Although measures are being put in place to reduce emissions, current carbon capture technology is still inefficient for large-scale use.

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Carbon nanoCapture Development:

Fire Suppression and Protection
Team Name: Fire Protection Fibers

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Owen Caulfield Brasch | Maharaz Hossain Joy | Aiden Tiberius O'Brien

IIn 2019 there were 1.3 million responses to fires in the United States. Every response to these fires puts the safety of the firefighters and property at risk. While products have been manufactured to lessen the number of fires, modern-day solutions are just not reliable enough to ensure little to no harm to people and property. Further research needs to be done to reduce the number of fatalities and material damage.

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Fire Protection Fibers:

UVA Protection
Team Name: UV315

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Julia R. Hauser | Erin Zhu

Due to the rapid increase of skin cancer diagnoses over the last several decades, manufacturers have been developing advanced textiles to reduce exposure to the sun. However, current fabrics on the market are bulky, expensive, and chemically harmful to the user and the environment. Further research and development is necessary to create a more versatile textile that is both user and environmentally friendly.

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UV315:

Energy Harvesting & Conversion
Team Name: Voltaic Cycles

ENVIRONMENT
RESEARCH

Brayden George Bell | Josie Lin Biddle | Matthew Francis Chmielewski | Logan Shafer

Energy is an important part of everyday life and is essential to current society and economic structures. However, the world's current major fuel sources, such as fossil fuels and nuclear energy, which have been used since the Industrial Revolution, will not last forever. Furthermore, these current energy sources have a negative impact on the environment. Now there's a need more than ever to find alternative methods to harness energy in a renewable fashion that's on par with the cost and efficiency of fossil fuels. Unless measures are taken, the damage to the earth could be irreversible.

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