| Abstract |
ABSTRACT: As U.S. economy becomes more global, the classical definition of job qualifications for engineers is changing. In addition to technical qualifications, there is a great need for multi-national, interdisciplinary, and multi-cultural competence for engineers. In this project, two U.S. engineering students gained valuable research experiences at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), a top engineering university in China. China has a fast growing economy and is the largest trading partner with U.S. By combining the expertise of highly qualified faculty members from both University of Houston UH, and HIT, innovative research related to composite structures were conducted by using the-state-of-the-art facilities at HIT. One student performed novel research on the topic of self-heating concrete/composite using carbon nano fiber paper as electrodes. The other student performed th research of damage detection of a composite wind blade using fiber optical sensors. Additionally, the students also visited five other Chinese universities and joint student symposiums were organized during each visit. Through their summer research stay in China, the U.S. students were exposed to a totally different culture and learned the Chinese education and research systems, which will increase their readiness for a job in a global economy.One of the participants was a female student and this IREE supplementary fund increased the participation from the underrepresented population in engineering. In addition, this IREE project strengthened UH-HIT collaboration in the area of nano materials, nanocomposites and fiber optical sensors and stimulated innovative interdisciplinary research.
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| Bio |
Christiana Chang is currently a graduate student studying mechanical engineering at the University of Houston. She received her bachelor's degree in the same department in the Spring 2008. Her current research topics focus on the use of carbon nanomaterials to improve damping and thermal properties of composites. In the following year, she will participate in a new program pairing graduate students with science teachers in public schools to develop research relevant activites to encourage more students to pursue technical fields.
Michael Fernandez is a senior mechanical engineering student at the University of Houston. After graduating at the end of the Spring 2009 semester with the Bachelor of Science degree, he plans to earn a Ph.D., also in mechanical engineering. He is currently evaluating several offers and will soon decide which program will best support his research interests in controls and robotic systems. |
| Cite this work |
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
G. Song, C. Chang and M. Fernandez, "Collaborative Research: Development of Multifunctional Nanocomposites with Engineered Carbon Nanopaper", Trip report presented at the NSF IREE 2008 Grantees Conference, May 2008, Washington, D.C.
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