ASM International Worcester Chapter

Student Night
WPI Major Qualifying Project Competition

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
O'Connors Restaurant
1160 W. Boylston St., Worcester.

Undergraduate students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute must complete a Major Qualifying Project (MQP), under the guidance of academic advisors, in order to obtain their degrees. Ideally, the project synthesizes all previous study in order to solve problems and perform tasks in the chosen major field, with students striving to communicate results confidently and effectively. Prof. Lados is congratulating Brendan Malloy, a senior in the Mechanical Engineering Dept, as he accepts his prize.

This is the second year, the Worcester Chapter of ASM International sponsored a competition for the best MQP
presentation in the Mechanical Engineering department with special emphasis on materials research.
The three chosen finalist teams gave brief presentations of the highlights of their accomplishments.

WPI Major Qualifying Project Competition Finalists:

Template Assisted Layer-By-Layer Fabrication of Protein Nanotubes

Keith T. Harrison

This paper investigates the process variables involved in layer-by-layer (LbL) fabrication of protein nanotubes. Three main provess variables were identified as having potential to significantly affect end results. These included protein concentration, solution volume used per layer, and storage time. The effects of each variable on protein activity were studied through controlled experiments and then rationalized in this report.

Electrospinning an Organometallic Compound to Create Metallic Fibers

Brendan Malloy

The goal of this project is to fabricate nanowires by electrospinning an organometallic solution and burning off the organic component of the compound. Several different solutions were electrospun with varying results. Solutions consisting of organometallic, a solvent and a polymer showed a much higher degree of electrospinnability than solutions composed of just organometallic and a solvent. After thermal degradation, SEM analysis revealed that no significant metallic or polymer structure remained. While this was not the anticipated result, these experiments showed that both fibrous and bead-like structures could be formed by electrospinning organometallic-based solutions.

Fabrication Methods for the Characterization of Nanorods Using Multilayer Polymer Thin Films

Nick Souviney, Ryan Blair

Nanoporous templates have seen increased use as a method of creating controlled size nanotubes and nanorods. Currently, the metod has focused on the creation of nanomaterials composed of singular polymers or polymer blends. Our study focuses on creating nanomaterials composed of alternating sections of various polymers in a highly controlled manner. The heterostructured, one dimensional polymer nanomaterials may serve for various uses, including biosensors, drug delivery, and biomimetic applications.

Highlights of the Evening

students enjoying the meal(table 1)	students at table 2	Winning Entry
Presentation by Nick Souviney and Ryan Blair	Presentation by Keith Harrison	Presentation by Brendan Malloy
ASM Judges at MQP Day	The three entries

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Last modified: May 12, 2008, 11:08 EDT