Student Projects

• Microbes
• Forensics
• Statistics and Decision Making
• Computer Programing
• 3D Printing
• Environmental Water Quality
• Robotics

Microbes

Microbes are prolific in the natural environments and are encountered in daily life constantly. A better understanding of how these microbes interact with each other, surfaces, and humans could lead to better control of disease spread from surfaces. Students will be exposed to standard microbiological techniques, including media preparation, bacterial growth and characterization, and DNA extraction and sequencing. Additionally students will be exposed to creation and characterization of anti-microbial materials through simple organic synthesis procedures.

Agency: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Mentors: Preston Fulmer, Ph.D.

Forensics

Introducing students to the forensic sciences, both in theory and in practice. Lectures relevant to the forensic disciplines: Serology and DNA, Chemistry, and Latent Prints. Lectures will include the DNA profiling process, chemistry of explosives, and latent print theory. Students will also be taught about forensic careers in the private, government, and military sectors. Mock cases, utilizing current technologies, will be simulated and the students will process, using techniques such as DNA collection, blood spattering determination, and finger print dusting to classify and resolve evidence.

Agency: Defense Forensic Science Center

Mentor: Jaclyn Garfinkle, Ph.D.

Statistics and Decision Making

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) threat events typically result in some form of a hazardous cloud. For example, the detonation of a chemical weapon, the spray release of a biological agent, the meltdown of a nuclear reactor, or the fallout cloud resulting from a nuclear detonation all result in aerosolized particles that are transported through the air to surrounding populations. Real-life data describing the movement of these threats through air is limited, in many cases, researchers turn to statistics and modeling to help predict this movement. Students will use statistical methodologies to model this hazard and determine how sure they are of their analysis.

The students will then be asked to play the role of scientific advisors to the Commander of Ft McHenry and the Captain of the U.S.S. Constellation as they are faced with a fictitious threat of a British attack using smallpox during the War of 1812. Using decision analysis and their knowledge of how biological agents are dispersed, the students will decide on modifications to defense plans to deal with the smallpox threat. Daily intelligence reports will give more details and clues on the smallpox threat as British forces move towards Baltimore.

Agency: Institute for Defense Analyses

Mentors: Drew Miller, Ph.D. - Part 1; Charles Synder, Ph.D. - Part 2

Computer Programming

Harnessing the power of Raspberry Pi, the flexibility of Arduino Microprocessors, and the simplicity of littleBits circuitry, students will  use novel technologies to explore their imaginations to make something that does something.

Agency:  Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Mentors:  MAJ Dale Taylor

3D Printing

Programing, assembing, and utilizing a 3D printer. The challenge for the 3D printing group is to assemble and trouble-shoot 3-D printers. The participant will design objects using CAD software, program and print the 3D designs, and redesign, as needed. The participant will learn about additive manufacturing and research areas of 3D printing, such as printed parts for protective masks, holders for improvised explosive device detectors, medical prosthetics, printed batteries, antennas, fuse elements, wings for unmanned aircraft, and replacement parts in remote locations.

Agency: Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Mentor: Lester Hitch and Richard Moore

Environmental Water Quality

The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia as well as the District of Columbia. Runoff from land, storm water, and wastewater treatment effluent contribute to the water in the stream and rivers which flow into the bay. Different chemicals impact the health of the bay and are monitored by the EPA and other organizations. Too much of any chemical can have a negative effect on the bay, causing the depletion of oxygen and the death of the fish and other organisms in the bay. Students well collect water samples from several locations in the Chesapeake Watershed and analyze them for nitrate, ammonia, phosphate, and bacteria. Based on the measurements, students will be able to piece together how human activity can impact the Bay’s ecosystem

Agency: Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Mentor: Morgan Minyard, Ph.D.

Robotics

Learning about robotics through a mixed lecture/activity environment utilizing Vex Robotics kits to analyze how robotics components interact with each other to accomplish a task.  The students will complete a robotics challenge in which they are simulating one of two real life scenarios.  In the first scenario, the students will construct and program a robot to remotely retrieve a simulated explosive device and deposit it into a safe container.  The second scenario is to create a surveillance ROV to scout an enemy compound and record how many insurgents are inside.

Agency: Cecil County Public Schools

Mentor: Ms. Shelly Wilke

Teacher Projects

• Quantum Mechanical Simulations
• Characterization of BSL-2 Yersina Species
• 3D Printing

Quantum Mechanical Simulations

Performing simple quantum mechanical calculations to get simple quantum mechanical properties for a set of pesticides and traditional chemical agents, and correlating those properties to the octanol/water partitioning coefficient (pKow).

Agency: Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Mentor: Jerry Cabalo, Ph.D.

Teacher: Joe Olski

Characterization of BSL-2 Yersina species

Performing assays, including biochemical, phenotypic, and genomic, to support the critical Reagents Program and building a database for critical bacterial strains.

Agency: Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Mentor: Kristen Willis, Ph.D.

Teacher: Michael Moore

3D Printing

Programing, assembing, and utilizing a 3D printer. The educator will design objects using CAD software, program and print the 3D designs, and redesign, as needed. The educator will learn about additive manufacturing and research areas of 3D printing, such as printed parts for protective masks, holders for improvised explosive device detectors, medical prosthetics, printed batteries, antennas, fuse elements, wings for unmanned aircraft, and replacement parts in remote locations. This project will provide the educator with engineering, programming, innovation, and career information to use in the classroom.

Agency: Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Mentors: Lester Hitch and Richard Moore

Teacher: Onika McClain-Oglesbby