The University at Buffalo Nanosatellite Laboratory (UBNL), established in 2011 under Dr. John Crassidis, is a collaborative group led by volunteer graduate and undergraduate students. UBNL focuses on building small satellites from concept to launch. To train undergraduates for these missions, they go through a program called the Short Cycle Lab (SCL). In the SCL students engage in projects including mobile ground stations and high-altitude balloons with a variety of scientific payloads. Through hands-on experiences with hardware and software, students are introduced to systems engineering and the basics of every subsystem in nanosat missions. The context of this research lies in the challenge of engaging high school students in STEM, particularly in systems engineering and nanosatellite technology. UBNL’s program addresses this by providing constructive, hands-on learning experiences that bridge classroom knowledge with practical application. The motivation behind this program is to both identify effective educational strategies for increasing high school students’ interest in CubeSat technology and to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in this field. By offering practical experience in systems engineering, the program aims to inspire genuine passion for STEM and to enhance collaborative and technical abilities. The hypothesis assumes that hands-on, project-based learning will lead to higher engagement levels and a deeper understanding of systems engineering. To explore this, the research employs a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Data collection includes surveys and project/workshop evaluations to measure student engagement, understanding, and overall effectiveness of the educational strategies utilized within the program.

Paralysis affects nearly 5.5 million people in the United States. One major cause of paralysis is spinal cord injury (SCI) and around 50 percent of SCIs result in tetraplegia, 34 percent of whom have high-level lesions that leave individuals unable to use the entire upper limb, including the hand. While multiple studies have focused on restoration of movement in tetraplegics using Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs) and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), these methods are expensive, invasive, relatively short-lived, and involve substantial risk for patients. This study sought to determine the most optimal, non-invasive method for people with high-level tetraplegia or amputation to control a robotic arm as a movement aid. There were 10 subjects tested using several different control modalities for moving a robotic arm: head movements, facial muscle electromyography (EMG), intra-oral tongue sensors, and voice. For the first session, hand movements using a joystick are used to control the robot arm to provide a benchmark comparison. For each control modality, the subject made 72 reaches with the robotic arm to 12 different targets repeated 6 times each. Movement time and normalized path length were measured for each trial. In testing with two subjects thus far, head position, tongue, and voice were equally effective in controlling the robot arm as hand movements. These results suggest that simple, affordable, and non-invasive methods could be readily used by high-level tetraplegics to control an assistive robotic arm and thereby enhance their autonomy and sense of well-being.

Intervertebral disc degeneration is highly correlated with chronic low back pain, significantly impacting quality of life and posing a substantial burden on healthcare systems. When disc degeneration occurs, immune cells like macrophages can infiltrate into the disc and cause inflammation. Macrophages are a type of immune cells that express a spectrum of different phenotypes including M1 macrophages known to be pro-inflammatory and M2 macrophages known to be tissue repair macrophages. This study aims to understand at what time points after disc injury macrophages appear and what their phenotype is. To answer this question, disc sections from rat intervertebral discs will be examined at 4, 8, and 10 weeks after intradiscal injury. Immunohistochemical staining will be performed to stain all macrophages using CD11b and CD68 markers. Similarly, CD86 will be used as a maker for the M1 macrophages and CD206 will be used to stain for M2 macrophages. The stained disc sections will be imaged using confocal microscopy and the staining intensity will be quantified using image analysis software. Based on prior research, we expect to observe that macrophages are present at week 4 post-IVD injury and express a pro-inflammation phenotype, however, limited work has been performed to date in rat models. This research holds the potential to inform the development of targeted therapeutic strategies aimed at modulating macrophage activity to reduce or reverse inflammation and slow the progression of low back pain, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

This research project aims to develop a portable and affordable mud wall-building machine to address the environmental impact of cement production, which accounts for 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions according to a study by Princeton University. Inspired by Ronald Rael's advocacy for sustainable construction using mud and William Urschel's 1944 patent for a concrete 3D printer, this project explores the potential of mud as an eco-friendly building material. Traditional mud construction methods are labor-intensive and inefficient, limiting their scalability; therefore, the objective is to create a machine that reduces costs and complexity compared to existing mud 3D printers from companies like WASP and 3D POTTER. The methodology involves analyzing Urschel's original design, 3D modeling a new machine using Rhino CAD software, and 3D printing prototypes of the extruding mechanism to install on the final machine. Data collection will focus on the strength of printed walls, the speed of the wall-building process, and drying times. Currently, I am in the process of building the structure of the machine using 2x4 wood to save more than three hundred dollars on metal parts and simplify the construction process. The anticipated results will demonstrate if this technology from a century ago can be adapted to our modern world to provide a cost-effective and efficient alternative for building small and circular mud structures. If this machine works, it would make sustainable building practices at the small scale more accessible, especially for poor communities in other countries that already live in mud huts.