ONU engineering students seek a simple solution to a very complex problem.
 

Right now there are more than three quarters of a billion people on the planet without daily access to clean water. ¹ While it may not seem like it, this is an engineering problem. Engineers will have to solve it.

There won’t be one solution to a problem this large. There will be many. These solutions, be they new methods, devices or discoveries, will chip away at the problem one family or community at a time until clean water is widely available.

All ideas are on the table.

The table is where Ohio Northern University senior civil engineering majors Sarah Thompson and Mary Purvis found themselves at this year. Under the guidance of Dr. Bryan Boulanger, associate professor of civil engineering, the pair worked on research looking to see if electroporation, the process by which electricity is used to puncture a cell membrane, could be an effective means to purify water.

Boulanger has long been interested in a finding an inexpensive, effective water treatment system that can fit into a backpack and be delivered anywhere in the world. An ambitious goal to be sure, but Thompson and Purvis were willing to try.

Normally, electroporation is used to introduce a substance into a cell, and the thought is that if the process was severe enough it might damage a cell sufficiently to kill it. Since many of the disease-causing microbes routinely found in contaminated water are single-cell organisms like cryptosporidium, giardia lamblia or choliform bacteria, Thompson and Purvis believed it had a chance for success.

Like all research, theirs did not exist in a vacuum. It was actually an extension of research done by some of Boulanger’s graduate students at Texas A&M University, where he taught before joining ONU this fall. His students successfully killed microbes in water by running it through electrically charged silver-impregnated fabric.

“[Those students] didn’t look at the causative effect of why they were having positive outcomes. They were just running their experiment, and it was working, but they didn’t know why,” says Boulanger. “Mary and Sarah’s research tries to explain why this process yielded the results that it did.”

Specifically, Thompson and Purvis looked at the electricity component of the experiment. They wanted to know whether current or voltage was responsible for killing the microbes. While current and voltage are both properties of electricity, the current is the flow of electrons or ions, and the voltage represents the power behind the flow. According to Purvis, she got the idea from power company warnings that current, not voltage, is what causes electrocution. It seemed reasonable to her that, if current can kill a person, perhaps the same could be true of individual microbes.

The students built a small reactor in the civil engineering environmental lab in the Biggs Engineering Building that used the same conductive fabric that the Texas A&M students used, a product called ArgenMesh™ that is 55 percent silver and 45 percent nylon. It is marketed primarily as a means to block radio waves, but its conductivity, low cost and availability met the criteria for developing a system that could fit into a backpack.

They fed the fabric into a plastic tube and connected a power source to either end. As electricity is applied to the fabric and completes a circuit, water collected from one of ONU’s campus ponds is poured into the reactor and left to sit. Then the water is piped out one milliliter at a time and placed onto reactive plates that grow bacteria into colonies large enough to see with the naked eye.

Thompson and Purvis varied the experiment for voltage and contact time with the silver mesh over the span of several weeks in October and November. Due to inconclusive results, they continued the research into the spring semester, this time looking closer at current.

“It started out just looking at voltage. Then we found out that our current was really small because we were using way too much resistance, so we started to look at that. Then we found out that the fabric itself has properties that might be killing the microbes, so we thought about contact time,” says Thompson. “So, just looking at those things forced us to adapt our research. You don’t really realize all the different variables that come into play until you are in the middle of it.”

As often happens in research, the results Thompson and Purvis recorded didn’t match their expectations. They could find no discernable correlation between variations in voltage or current and the number of microbes in water. They did, however, see fewer microbes in the water they ran through their reactor than in the control samples, leading them to believe that the silver in the fabric can kill microbes by itself. Were they not graduating, both students would like to do more experiments to answer newfound questions.

“Now, it’s back to the drawing board,” says Purvis. “There are things we could change in this experiment. For instance, we could use more of the fabric and run tests to see if it is really what’s making a difference here. Also, we could see how long we could make that fabric work.”

Boulanger is pleased with his students’ research even though they themselves were a bit disappointed. He sees undergraduate research as part of the educational process and not necessarily as something that always has to work perfectly, because that just doesn’t happen.

“When undergraduate research is doing what it should, we are utilizing it for education,” he says. “Mary and Sarah did a lot of work. They had to go look up all the literature on the research that had come before. They sourced materials from vendors and figured out what equipment they needed. When problems arose, they reached out to me or one of the electrical engineering professors or students. They did more statistical work than my grad students did, and they did more individual experiments as well. It’s a process, and that’s where the educational value comes in.”

If the science is a process, than the motivation for doing it is something else entirely. For Purvis, her motivation came from her love of engineering and what she feels is its inherent capacity for good.

“The beauty of engineering is that you can help in so many different ways. This project could really help people, but it has an environmental application as well,” she says. “It may take you a really long time to make a difference, but you can. And that’s the reason I wanted to do this.”

Boulanger weighs the motivation behind any research or engineering project heavily. He has done research all over the world and knows that engineering can change lives for the better when done correctly, and that it can ultimately harm people if done poorly or with the wrong motivation. He is critical of projects that don’t ask questions beyond the science and neglect the people that the project is intended to help. Here at Northern, he has found a college that shares those values.

“I think our engineering students are more motivated by knowing they can make a difference in the world than by the economics of being an engineer, or the long hours of being an engineer, or the recognition that may or may never come from a project that you worked on,” he says.

The partnership between Thompson and Purvis doesn’t end with commencement. This summer, both begin careers at Marathon Petroleum in Findlay, Ohio, where they will apply what they’ve learned over the past four years as project managers. They are excited for this new chapter of their lives to begin and, particularly, that their jobs will vary so much from project to project, just the thing for a couple well-rounded engineers who are always up for a challenge.








1. Estimated with data from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation. (2012). Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water, 2012 Update.

ONU’s annual Student Research Colloquium showcases student work.

If, by chance, you were just dying to learn about the “cationic polymerization of beta-pinene via methyl stearate and trityl borate addition” last Friday, boy, were you in luck.

That particular research project, along with 91 others representing Ohio Northern University’s four undergraduate colleges, were on display at the Student Research Colloquium held in McIntosh Center on Friday, April 26. The annual event, which kicks off Honors weekend, is a celebration of student excellence and a showcase for new ideas.

The colloquium is open to all ONU students with no restrictions due to age or subject. This year’s event was the largest yet with more than 195 researchers (students and faculty) presenting research that spanned ONU’s academic disciplines. But that is not the only indicator the colloquium is gaining in popularity.

“I would say the biggest growth has actually been in the audience,” says Mary Drzycimski-Finn, Student Research Colloquium coordinator. “More students are coming out to support their friends and to learn about research opportunities. It’s been wonderful to see.”

Ohio Northern has always valued student research, and many students who go on to graduate school report that the research experiences they had at ONU prepared them well, even giving them a leg up on their fellow students. ONU’s reputation for undergraduate research is known nationally as well. During the past nine years, ten ONU students have been named a Goldwater Scholar, the premier award for undergraduate researchers.

Both of ONU’s 2013 Goldwater Scholars presented posters at the colloquium this year, as did Zachary Dunn, Northern’s recipient in 2012. Morgan Hammer, a senior chemistry and mathematics double major, presented two posters, while Courtney Olson, a junior ACS chemistry major, presented at the colloquium for the first time.

“An event like this makes you feel important. You aren’t just in the lab working; people can see what you’ve done,” says Olson. “It’s also really helpful because you get to talk to professors from different disciplines who give you insight into your research that you may never thought of.”

Olson also credits the colloquium with giving valuable experience and confidence she’ll take with her when she presents her research at the national American Chemical Society (ACS) conference in Indianapolis next year.

Thomas Steinberger, an applied physics and mathematics double major, presented at other conferences before participating in the colloquium this year.

“There is a greater sense of curiosity here,” he says. “For instance, at a physics conference, people are only interested in their particular area within physics. Here, students are asking me all sorts of questions about my research and how it could be applied.”

According to Drzycimski-Finn, one of the goals of the colloquium is to encourage younger students to attend and see first-hand “the scholarly expectations of students at Ohio Northern.” Steinberger noted that many younger students asked him for advice on how to get involved with undergraduate research. His answer is simple: get to know your professor.

“I’ve never heard of a professor turning down a student who wanted to do research with them,” he says.

Dr. Terry Sheridan didn’t. Steinberger asked the associate professor of physics if he could work with him. Their collaboration resulted in experimentation using dust to measure the thickness of the plasma sheath, research that could potentially be applied to the design and manufacture of iPhones or other electronic devices.

It’s the type of quality partnership that would make beta-pinene, methyl stearate and trityl borate proud.
 

ONU student fitness group helping build a healthier campus with popular workout program.

Sometimes a traditional push up just won’t do. Especially when you can stand on your hands and do one that’s far more difficult.

For a new breed of health-conscious Ohio Northern University students, traditional exercise in general just won’t do. These students, members of the new ONU student organization PolarFit, take fitness to a whole new level with exercise regimes modeled after the immensely popular CrossFit® craze that is popping up in gyms all over the country.

The Kinghorn Classic

On Sunday, April 7, PolarFit and ONU hosted the first annual Kinghorn Classic fitness competition. The event attracted 25 participants —students and nonstudents alike — from as far away as Michigan. The competition featured three events: Olympic lifting, skill work and a metabolic challenge.

Scroll down for photos from the event

While CrossFit® is a brand name, it has become synonymous with the style of fitness training that is characterized by a diverse array of high intensity, high repetition exercises with short rest periods in between. These workouts push athletes to perform at long periods of maximum physical exertion. It has become the preferred regimen of the United States Marine Corps, and many police and fire fighters.

PolarFit co-founders Nick Pataro, a junior exercise physiology major from Saline, Mich., and Cory Martin, a senior exercise physiology major from Akron, Ohio, are firm believers in this new kind of exercise, and formed the club to introduce it to ONU students. The club has grown in membership throughout the year to 50 dues-paying members, and Martin and Pataro both see it growing even more.

“There are plenty of people that work out here, but not many really know what it is like to do a high-intensity workout. It’s addictive. When you do it once, you are going want to come back and do it again,” says Martin.

Pataro has always been active. An athlete all his life, he ran and lifted weights as prescribed by a traditional exercise routine. He began crossfit training about a year ago and quickly noticed a difference.

“You move better in every way. You feel better in every way. You start to feel really, really good after only a month or so of doing it,” he says.

Pataro also credits this new training with completely healing a knee ligament tear he suffered his freshman year. Before his knee had been consistently achy and sore. After his first month of training, the pain was gone and he had increased strength and range of motion.

“It’s rehabbed my knee without me having to rehab it,” he says.

If PolarFit seems too good to be true, rest assured there is science behind it. Sara Terrell, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology and PolarFit faculty adviser explains:

“What happens in a workout session is incredibly functional for all walks of life and is exactly what I would preach in my kinesiology classes, such as loading the body through the ground, working in multiple planes of motion and incorporating whole body movement patterns," she says. "Just watch a workout and you will see people working on muscle strength, muscle endurance, power, agility, coordination, balance, pushing, pulling, squatting, at an intensity that really pushes anaerobic conditioning, which also improves your aerobic conditioning. These workouts crank up EPOC, or excess post oxygen consumption. Basically, because you have worked all these areas at a higher intensity your body burns an incredible amount of calories long after the workout is over. “

Actual PolarFit workouts can vary greatly in both the type of exercise and intensity. As instructors, Pataro and Martin apply their education in exercise physiology to ensure students are safe and receiving proper instruction.

A healthier campus

PolarFit is the latest initiative at Ohio Northern to improve health and wellness on campus.

Healthwise
For employees of the University, ONU HealthWise provides access to knowledge about their health, which empowers them to make better choices.

Benefits of the ONU HealthWise program include:
   • One-on-one coaching with health care professionals
   • Improved knowledge about health and wellness
   • Disease state and medication management

 

Traffic Light Plus
This new vending machine labeling initiative encourages healthier eating habits on campus by providing students, faculty and staff with food for thought before buying that favorite snack.

“We bring the knowledge to make sure they are using correct form — we’re never going to have someone do incorrect form, especially for a workout like this — and we know how to progress or regress an exercise to meet the ability of the student,” says Martin.

Terrell is proud that her students started PolarFit to be more than just an exercise club. Martin and Pataro want it to be a vehicle for junior- and senior-level exercise physiology and athletic training majors gain leadership experience while expanding the scope of the club to include more forms of exercise. For instance, if a student is involved in yoga and has mastered proper form and technique, her or she could teach a yoga class under the PolarFit name.

“The part that I like most is that these guys saw a need in the student community and responded to it, not to mention, they are teaching and instructing and learning how to take these workouts and apply them to all skill sets. That’s where the industry can go wrong sometimes is that you have people in the exercise field who can’t adapt concepts to meet the needs of a variety of abilities which is problematic for our profession. Nick and Cory see the concept, make changes as needed to meet the variety of skills of the participants, all while creating this incredibly supportive environment that encourages and facilitates campus camaraderie,” says Terrell.

This supportive environment is certainly a factor in the explosive growth of the club. As word spread around campus throughout the fall more and more students would show up for classes. Before PolarFit, Martin says that he’d see maybe one female student in the Kinghorn weight room in a week. Now he’s is bringing in PolarFit classes with 10 to 15 female students, introducing them to weights and exposing them to free weight exercises they hadn’t experienced before.

PolarFit posts class schedules through its Facebook page
and maintains an active Youtube channel.

If a sense of camaraderie brings a student to a PolarFit workout, the results keep them coming back. Busy college students are finding that they can get the same or better results from a 20-minute PolarFit workout than they can from 45 minutes running on a treadmill. Martin says that students are reporting less soreness after workouts than when they workout on their own, which is the result of being instructed on using proper form.

Pataro and Martin dedicated much of their lives this year to PolarFit this year. They run three to four classes a day, and as the club has grown they find themselves running out of time and space. Yet they still want to spread the word and get more students involved because they know how good it is for them. PolarFit is improving health and wellness on campus and quite literally, building better students. It might seem overwhelming if it wasn’t so much fun.

I absolutely love it, I absolutely love teaching people how to do this stuff. And I love doing it myself.” says Pataro. “If it was up to me I would probably hang out there all day.”

This story and more are available in the Spring 2013 issue of SmullTalk, a magazine for friends of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering

An international outlook enriches the Smull College of Engineering. While the college’s international students, professors and alumni may be small in number, they make a big impact.

Diversity champion

No one has championed the importance of cultural diversity on campus more than Dr. Bruce Burton, ACIT ’94, Hon. D. ’08.

He’s worked tirelessly for several decades to recruit international students to ONU and make the campus an inviting place for students from all cultures.

Burton spent 40 years in the College of Engineering. He started as an instructor in mechanical engineering in 1958, chaired the Department of Mechanical Engineering for 20 years, and became college dean in 1985, a position he held for nine years before stepping down for health reasons. He then taught five more years and retired in 1999.

As dean, Burton led efforts to increase the number of international students in the College of Engineering. He believes a well-rounded education requires exposure to different cultures and that students who learn how to relate to people from other countries are better prepared to work in an increasingly connected world.

ONU may not have a large population of international students, but the University works hard to integrate the students into their majors and campus life, according to Burton. International students live, study and play right alongside their American counterparts.

“Often, students have misconceptions about a certain culture,” explains Burton. “But when they get to know someone from that culture through daily interaction, those barriers begin to break down.”

In 1987, when Burton was dean, he spearheaded an initiative that brought engineering students from Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic to ONU to complete their bachelor’s degrees. The Singapore program – the first of its kind at ONU – continued for several years. Around 30 Singaporean students received engineering degrees from ONU through the program. After he retired in 1999, Burton began working part-time in International Admissions, where he has recruited hundreds of students from different countries. A worldwide traveler, he has visited Russia, China, Kenya, Europe, Egypt, Israel and Vietnam in the role of ONU ambassador.

Burton also brought the Sakae Institute of Study Abroad to ONU. This summer institute prepares approximately 25 Japanese students for study in America. Each year, several Sakae students decide to stay at Northern. Burton also helped to design a program for ONU’s Saudi Arabian students who need to learn English and adjust to American culture before they begin their studies.

With no imminent plans to retire for a second time, Burton says he’ll champion diversity for as long as he’s able. “It’s been gratifying to meet so many outstanding international students,” he adds.

Technology entrepreneur

A technology entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, Keng-Siang Lim, BSCE ’89, got his start at ONU.

Lim was one of the first three students to attend ONU through the Singapore program started by Dr. Bruce Burton in 1987.

Today, he’s a successful entrepreneur in the fast-paced world of technology, building five reputable Internet and software companies and holding 30 approved and pending patents. He’s currently the founder, chairman and CEO of NextLabs Inc., a leading provider of risk management software for large enterprises.

Born in Malaysia, the second of six boys in his family, Lim became an entrepreneur at age 13, starting his own tutoring business. With dreams of building “magnificent structures,” he attended Singapore Polytechnic and uncovered a new passion - computer software.

Lim came to ONU because British universities wouldn’t let him major in both civil engineering and computer science. “Dr. Burton completely changed my perspective when he told me, ‘You can study anything you want at ONU!’ With those few magic words, he changed my life forever. And I am very thankful.”

Lim’s intelligence and motivation made him a standout student at ONU. He looks back on his student days with fondness, remembering his first experience with snow, the kindly gift of a bicycle to help him traverse campus and town, and Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with Burton and professor Clyde Dornbusch and their families. Lim even nurtured his entrepreneurial streak at ONU by helping to open Ada’s first Chinese restaurant!

“ONU is the birthplace of my life in America,” he says. “I met so many great people and felt humbled by the unconditional help and open arms of so many friends and families. Most of what I know about American culture and values I learned at ONU, including my true understanding and embracement of creativity and freedom of thinking.”

Lim says his early exposure to global cultures, languages and religions shaped him into a global citizen and leader. He feels a responsibility to give back to society, thankful to the many mentors who positively influenced his life.

Passionate about education, global citizenship and entrepreneurism, Lim reaches out to young people in high school and college. He promotes outreach programs for cultural diversity and helps budding entrepreneurs learn how to successfully bring their innovations to market.

Chapter icon

Dr. Kanti Shah earned icon status for his dedicated service to his students and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

A professor of civil engineering at ONU for 31 years, Shah oversaw hundreds of student projects – some with an international twist – in his classes and for ONU’s ASCE student chapter.

Born and raised in India, Shah visited the U.S. as a young man and decided to stay and continue his education. He received his master’s degree from the University of Kansas and his doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. He came to ONU in 1971 after working as a civil engineer in India, Kansas and Pennsylvania.

Specializing in environmental and water resource engineering, Shah was a leading expert in his field. He wrote a textbook still used in college courses today. He helped develop the environmental option in ONU’s engineering curriculum and a freshman course that taught analytical and creative thinking.

Shah often engaged his students in hands-on projects to teach them how to think outside the box. Whenever possible, he incorporated an international twist to his lessons. For example, one of his freshman projects required students to develop a series of sketches for tourists to help them overcome the language barrier.

He also tried to open his students’ eyes to the hardships facing people in developing nations. “The average American uses more than 100 gallons of water per day, while the average Indian uses just 25 gallons,” he says. “I would try to point these things out. I would let my students know they were lucky.”

As the advisor for ONU’s ASCE student chapter, Shah helped student members tackle projects for area municipalities, such as designing bridges and sewer systems. During his tenure as advisor, ONU’s ASCE chapter consistently ranked as one of the top five in the country. Alumni and students honored Shah’s commitment to excellence and lengthy service by naming the ONU student chapter of ASCE the “Kanti L. Shah Student Chapter” after Shah’s retirement in 2001.

Leading voice

Dr. Khalid Al-Olimat is a leading voice on campus for religious tolerance.

A professor of electrical and computer engineering and chair of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Al-Olimat cultivates a greater understanding of Islamic and Middle Eastern cultures on campus and in the Ada and Lima communities.

Hailing from Jordan, Al-Olimat received his master’s degree from Bradley University in Illinois and his doctorate from the University of Toledo. He joined ONU’s faculty in 1999, establishing himself as an exceptional instructor and researcher in the fields of power engineering and control systems. In  the past 14 years, he’s garnered numerous teaching awards and research grants.

Al-Olimat values the close-knit community found at ONU. “I really like a small institution,” he says. “ONU recruits top-quality students, and it’s a pleasure to build relationships with them and share my knowledge.”

He believes diversity is important in higher education because it leads to personal growth. “When students are exposed to different cultures, it improves and sharpens their self-knowledge and insight. When they experience multiple viewpoints, it promotes creative thinking,” he says.

A devout Muslim, Al-Olimat willingly shares information about his religion with ONU students and the wider community. He challenges misconceptions and points out the shared values between Islam and other major world religions. After Sept. 11, 2001, he played a vital role in calming fears and promoting peace and religious tolerance on campus.

Describing himself as the “elected Muslim community leader,” Al-Olimat serves as the advisor to ONU’s Muslim Student Association. He, along with other ONU Muslim faculty members, founded the Islamic Society of Ada, a nonprofit entity recently approved by the state of Ohio. These groups bring together area Muslims for shared worship and religious observations and host numerous social and educational events throughout the year for people of all faiths.

Al-Olimat says his goal is to raise funds to build a small mosque in Ada. “My dream is to have an actual mosque in Ada where Muslims can pray daily in congregation,” he says. “The mosque will also allow Muslims to be more involved with the local community and strengthen the relationship between different faith groups.”

Knowledge seeker

Fabio Jacob wants to harness American knowledge and technology and bring it back to Brazil.

He’s spending one year at ONU studying electrical engineering through the Brazil Scientific Mobility program, a study-abroad initiative funded by the Brazilian government.

The contrast between Jacob’s hometown, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Ada, Ohio, couldn’t be starker. The temperature in Sao Paulo rarely dips below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and Sao Paulo ranks as the eighth largest city in the world.

Yet Jacob quickly adjusted to his strange new surroundings. The weather may be cold, he says, but the people are warm. “I’m used to living in a big city, but I like that ONU is a small school because people are really interested in getting to know you. I’ve been impressed by how friendly and helpful everyone has been.”

Determined to make the most of his experience, Jacob signed up for as many classes as he could. He also joined the men’s swimming team and a senior design team that is designing and building an automated lawnmower for commercial use.

Many of Jacob’s engineering classmates have never traveled outside of the U.S., and they are curious about his culture. “I teach them about Brazil and how it compares to the United States. I give them a firsthand account that they can’t get on the Internet,” he says.

Meanwhile, Jacob is soaking up new knowledge and insights every day. “You are used to how something is done in your country, and you think that is just how it is,” he explains. “But when you live somewhere else, you see different ways of doing things. It broadens your mind to new possibilities and new solutions. You adapt, and you are not the same person. The experience changes you, and that change is for the better.”

Jacob plans a summer internship in the U.S. with a multinational company before returning to Brazil. He will never forget his ONU friends and experiences, he says. “I will carry them with me for life.”
 

PHOTO GALLERY

PLAY-BY-PLAY

ONU rolls to victory in game for the ages.

Congratulations to the Ohio Northern University Robotic Football team for its 49-37 victory over the University of Notre Dame this past Saturday at the Brian Hederman Memorial Robotic Competition.

The Polar Bots relied on a power running game and stifling defense to thwart the heavily favored Fighting Irish. Led by running back Dougie's six touchdowns — including the game sealer with four seconds left after Notre Dame had closed the gap to six points — the victory proved once again that running the football is the winning formula for both man and machine.

This is ONU's first victory over Notre Dame in football (robotic or human) in five tries, and avenges a painful 87-0 loss the Polar Bears suffered back in 1913.

The ONU team is made up of Michael Horth, a senior mechanical engineering major from Akron, Ohio; Hunter Turner, a senior mechanical engineering major from Tipp City, Ohio; Loren Camp, a senior mechanical engineering major from Zanesville, Ohio; Shawn Pavel, a senior computer engineering major from Delphos, Ohio; Peter Kleysteuber, a senior electrical engineering major from Fairborn, Ohio; Taylor Zank, a senior electrical engineering major from Angola, Ind.; Noah Orr, a junior computer science major from Centerburg, Ohio; Paul Sorensen, a sophomore computer engineering major from Ada, Ohio; Jared R. Schatzinger, a junior mechanical engineering major from Shelby, Ohio; Michael Limbird, a senior computer engineering major from Attica, Ohio; Tyler Germann, a freshman electrical engineering major from New Haven, Ind.; and Joshua Gedert, a freshman computer engineering major from Toledo, Ohio. The students are advised by ONU faculty members John-David Yoder, professor and chair of mechanical engineering, and Sami Khorbotly, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering.