Janelle Irwin Taylor
Nearly a dozen Florida Polytechnic University students won an award that allows them to present their research at the Florida Academy of Sciences annual conference next month at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.
The undergraduate and graduate students won the Florida Academy of Science Council’s Hays Travel Award for projects searching for solutions to 21st century problems.
“This award is significant because students have to make it through a very competitive selection process,” said Melba Horton, assistant professor of biology. “This encourages them to work hard to get the opportunity to be in a forum with experienced researchers and other fellow students in the scientific community.”
Most of the 11 projects from Florida Poly students focus on finding scientific and technological solutions to environmental, agricultural, and cybersecurity problems facing Florida and other areas worldwide.
This is the fourth year that Florida Poly research projects have been recognized with the Hays Travel Award. Students will be able to receive an enriching academic experience that also helps them in their professional development, said Sesha Srinivasan, assistant professor of physics and mentor.
“This award gives them the opportunity to obtain internships in industry and opens doors to permanent jobs after graduation,” Srinivasan said. “Another important aspect is that it helps the students seek and apply for higher education programs.”
The winning research projects include:
— Comparison of the efficiency of photocatalytic remediation of landfill leachate and wastewater with a solar simulator and UV-visible light batch reactor. By: data analytics graduate student Michael Nelson of Ghana. (Mentors: Srinivasan and Scott Wallen).
— Design and fabrication of custom-built variable photocatalytic continuous reactor for water detoxification. By: mechanical engineering senior Wyatt Liptak. (Mentors: Srinivasan and Wallen)
— Exploratory analysis of citrus farming amid the “greening” problem in Polk County, Florida. By: business analytics freshman Miguel Amaral. (Mentors: Horton, Reinaldo Sanchez-Arias)
— Recyclable functionalized diatoms as carbon dioxide scrubber. By: mechanical engineering senior Geoffrey Doback and mechanical engineering senior Christopher Scaduto. (Mentors: Horton, Christopher Coughlin)
— A hand-based device toward a keyboard-free computer interaction. By: computer science freshman Adam Novak. (Mentors: Horton, Abdelwahab Hamam)
— Dermatologic biomarker on preventing security breaches of electronic health records in advanced dermatology and cosmetic surgery: A Conceptual Framework. By: computer science sophomore Sarah Boyd. (Mentors: Horton, Mustafa I. Akbas)
— Theoretical adaptive immune-inspired intrusion prevention system. By: computer science freshman Chelsea Toolsie. (Mentors: Horton, Navid Naiafabadi).
— Feasibility study of dolomite for carbon capture. By: mechanical engineering senior Mc Ben Joe Charles. (Mentors: Srinivasan, Wallen, Gary Albarelli)
— Neural network based prediction and simulation of local red tide occurrence in Florida. By: computer science freshman Maxwell Medved. (Mentors: Horton, Akbas)
— Dilution series and standardization analysis for the wastewater treatment processes. By: mechanical engineering sophomore Jared Nurse. (Mentors: Srinivasan and Wallen)
