OSCAR Student Mubeen Farukh Researches the Heat Transfer Capabilities of Bimetallic Nano Particles

My name is Mubeen Farukh and I am a senior at George Mason University majoring in Mechanical Engineering. My research is on the heat transfer capabilities of bimetallic nano particles about 2 micrometers in length (a human hair is about 100 micrometers in diameter). I became interested in nano-particle after my research professor, Dr. Moran,  introduced their potential in an introductory presentation. He explained how they are self-propelled due to a redox reaction with hydrogen peroxide solution. This results in the particles ‘swimming’ in the solution, which in turn induces mixing of the solution.  As I got involved in the research, I learned about the potential uses of self- propelled nano-particles for targeted drug delivery, along with electronics and machine cooling.

This research is related to fluid mechanics, and particle interactions with the surrounding fluids. I plan on working in the field of fluid mechanics using the same (or similar) software that I am currently using for my nano-particles research. Participating in this research has allowed me greater access to professional insight into the field as well as software experience which I can build on later in my career.

A lot of my work involves reading and dissecting papers written by other researchers in the field of self-propelled nano-particles. On a day to day basis, I work on reading scholarly articles that mention self-propelled particles of various shapes (round, cylindrical), sizes, materials, and with different end goals, usually other than heat transfer. I communicate with my research professor via email and bi-weekly meetings on campus. Some of my work also involves working with COMSOL Multiphysics software to simulate simplified nano-particles and their behavior.

One important takeaway from my research this summer is the level of detail with regards to nano – particles. The physics at the nano scale requires a higher level of precision to deliver accurate simulation results.

OSCAR Student Rodrigo Vasquez Researches the US Education System

What got me interested in this project is from what I have studied independently compared to what I have been told to study. In much of my research I have come to find out that the people who are responsible for educating me, are not educated at all. I got involved in this project from my communication with Noam Chomsky. I had set up an interview with him, and when I told the director of my FAVS department (Giovana Chesler), she suggested to turn that interview into a documentary. I hope this film helps students and teachers learn more about our education system. The goal is to make positive change in the world, and not by making a film, but by creating action.

This project has gotten bigger then I had originally expected. We are now getting people that I would have never expected to get. This means that the film will keep me tide up for the next couple of years. That also means that I can continue learning from some of the most interesting people I have met and are going to meet.

I do a lot of research for the right people to interview. I look at the problems in our education system as well as the good things. I have to make sure that the people I interview have a good idea of what the project is and the long-term goal of it. I also have to deal with administrations, politicians, and corporations that protect themselves from students asking questions. That means I have to learn to be patient and understanding of their demands.

There are many things that I have discovered recently, but one thing that has surprised me is the difference between administrations and educators. Administrations like the ones in GMU or the education department are wary of me asking them for an interview. Teachers and students are happy to interview for this this film. I have learned from many people in education profit from students and that is rampant at GMU. This film hopefully will change that.

OSCAR Student Shumaila Inayat Develops & Implements a Series of Nutrition Tools

I am one of the research assistants of the summer project CONNECT which is dedicated to developing and implementing a series of nutrition education tools that will support behavior change in a diverse group of elementary-school-age children within the Fairfax area. This program provides enriching nutrition education learning experiences, guided practice, and skill-building in a real world setting. My interest in the science of food and nutrition and the curiosity of how our body processes all the different nutrients got me interested in this project. I also wanted to get involved in something where children are taught about the importance of eating healthy and how their food reaches their tables. Therefore, this project was best opportunity for me to educate them.

I am majoring in public health and minoring in nutrition. My long-term goal is to become a Registered Dietician and work with children. Children are the most vulnerable population and I think it is very important to teach them about the science of food so they can make healthy choices later on in life.

For this project, our team came up with lesson plans that includes nutrition incorporated games, hands-on cooking experiences, and lesson on a nutrition topic each week. It also includes visits to farmer’s market, grocery stores, apiary, greenhouse, food forest, and farm so children can see how their food reach them. Each week we have a pre-test and a post-test to determine how much children know about a certain topic and how much they have learned.

Throughout my research I have discovered that children will always learn if the learning method is made fun and easy for them. Also, children will learn better and faster if they are given the opportunity to get involved. Another thing that I discovered is that it is very important and beneficial to work/interact with others that are not in the same line of profession because of the different ideas that everyone has.

OSCAR Student Karina Escobar Researches Interpersonal Violence Among Latina Women

Hello, my name is Karina Escobar. I am a rising senior this fall at George Mason. My field of study is Community Health/Global Health. Growing up, I was always interested in helping others in any way that I could. When I saw the application for the IPV (Interpersonal Violence) among Latina women, I immediately wanted to be a part of it.

Like any research project, data needs to be collected. So, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, interviews were scheduled at the MAP clinics located in both Manassas and Culmore. From there my colleagues and I conducted those interviews with female participants who were either 18 or older and had been born outside the U.S. We asked questions from a survey that we had created previously. From the questions asked, our goal was to gain more knowledge about what Latina women experience when it comes to intimate partner violence. From their responses, it can help better shape or create future programs by knowing what to focus on.

This opportunity has been so incredible so far, it has helped shaped my understanding of what women face first hand. From the people I have met, I learn and live a part of their life through their stories. From this experience, one thing that I have discovered would be the impact that the people I have met had on me. I didn’t realize how emotionally strong I had to be. I think about how different my life is compared to other girls my age. It makes me more appreciative of how lucky I am to not have been through what they have.

Everything I have learned throughout this term, I will take with me. Seeing the determination and self-empowerment of some to have a better life, inspired me to have the same determination to fulfill my dreams and long-term goals.

OSCAR Student Jorge Fernandez Davila Analyzes Mass Genetic Data

As a biology student, I have been wanting to join research to obtain experience in the research force. In December of 2017, I began looking for internships and I came across a couple which I applied for and even though I had a couple recommendation letters from different professors sent in, I was not accepted. I kept looking for internships during the spring semester and in February I received an email that had a research opportunity for GMU undergraduate students analyzing mass genetic data over the summer and it was paid for so I decided to apply. I obtained an interview which I prepared for and I obtained the position.

My long-term goals are to become a biologist and do research as a career. This is my first research opportunity and I see it as a way for me to begin doing more research related to what I want to do. In this research, I am analyzing mass genetic data and using biology software tools which are preparing my computational skills. 

Computing tasks are to be done on a weekly basis, obtaining data, formatting data and analyzing data. The first few weeks we obtained normal data, we searched through NCBI GEO and found about 6 different sets that had patients in gene symbols and a TPM associated with each gene. The TPM is the normalized expression quantity for genes, and the gene symbol is a specific annotation for genes. After obtaining normal data we moved on to downloading our diseased patient data (Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) and we focused on formatting these files to have it match our normal patient data which includes gene annotations and TPM for each gene. We also used our diseased patient data to make files that included Raw reads with corresponding gene IDs. The point of putting these files together is so that differential gene expression analysis can be done by using coding packages to perform it in specific coding consoles, some required non-normalized data and some required normalized data.

I have discovered several things this term doing research. In terms of working, I have discovered that research is fascinating and unexpected. Unexpected in how things can change at last minute, for example one can discover that the way one was originally doing things will have to be modified or completely changed and having to start over is always frustrating but that’s how research goes. In terms of the research itself, I have discovered many new things that I didn’t know, especially about gene expression and RNA-seq analysis. Spreadsheets have been a daily routine, I have discovered new functions that I did not know about before, and faster ways to manipulate large data sets in spreadsheets.