www.union.edu/CT
A 3D image correlation photogrammetry system is being used to characterize surface strain on bullfrog hearts in vivo. Two CCD Cameras are aligned above an anesthized specimen focusing on a 1x1 cm region. Black and white face paint are used to create a random speckle pattern on the myocardium surface. Images are then recorded of the beating heart while synchronized with a pressure transducer secured within the ventricle. The whole field, high-resolution technique provides detailed information on strain rates over the entire photographed surface of the heart. The displacement fields allow for determination of regional deformation and characterization of the heterogeneous, anisotropic properties of myocardial tissue. Mammalian hearts consist of two ventricles which pump blood to either the systemic or pulmonary circuits. Future benefits of this study include defining the role of the solitary ventricle in determining the path of blood flow in a bullfrog heart. Other applications include characterizing the material properties of myocardial tissue when exposed to certain hormones.
This project investigated density, thermal conductivity, porosity and light transmission characteristics of silica-aerogels fabricated using the "Fast Supercritical Extraction Technique for Simplified Aerogel Fabrication" developed at Union College. Aerogels are the lightest known solids and can be made up of 99% air. They are very attractive for use as insulation, as biological/chemical sensors, fuel storage and particle collectors. The aerogels were prepared by hydrolysis and polycondensation of tetramethylorthosilicate, using a hydraulic hot-press for supercritical drying in a one-step process. Methanol was used as the solvent with catalytic ammonium hydroxide. The physical properties were measured using a microbalance, a thermal-constants analyzer, a nitrogen gas adsorption system and a spetrophotometer. Process tests have resulted in a two-fold decrease in the amount of time to form the aerogel and a decrease in aerogel density from 0.3g/cm3 to 0.06g/cm3. The surface area measurements using a 6 point BET analysis with nitrogen were between 320 m2/g and 440 m2/g, while average pore sizes obtained from BJH calculations were between 10nm - 16nm. The measured thermal conductivity using the transient plane source method was 0.035W/m/K.
Visit Smitesh´s Site
The Internet has become a source of global news, entertainment, and communication. How does the Tibetan autonomy movement use the Internet to further its goals within and outside of the People's Republic of China? Information obtained from interviews and detailed observations both in Tibet and in North America reveals that the Internet has improved communication within the movement, facilitated political actions, and increased public awareness of the Tibetan cause. Although the Internet is accessible to a majority of westerners, this is not the situation in Tibet or China. Not only is Internet access expensive and the technology unavailable in many places, but Chinese censorship and filtering of certain websites remains prominent in both the region of Tibet and in China. For these reasons the message that Tibetan on-line activists promote is intended for western audiences and for Tibetan refugees spread throughout the world.
The idea of digital ethnography is to study and record a culture through digital means. During a three month field study in Rakiraki, Fiji this new form of ethnography was attempted. The project goal was to create a cultural learning tool and establish a continual cross-cultural dialogue between Union students on a term abroad in Fiji and anthropology students here on campus as well as high school students in Fiji and in Niskayuna, NY. An interactive web site, driven by a database, was designed and implemented to facilitate the distribution of information.
Visit John's Fiji Site
The goal of this project is to design, manufacture, and refine a walking machine to compete in the SAE Walking Machine competition in April. The main focus of this project is the design of the Electrical and Navigational systems to perform autonomous tasks. Using a mechatronic design theory we will interface the navigational system, motor and actuator control of the robot through a Union College Universal Controller (UC2) board.
Visit the Walking Machine Challenge site