The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awarded undergraduate fellowships in the Fall of 2001 to students at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and Hilo. The awards were given for space-related research and provide a stipend of $3000 per semester to each recipient.

University of Hawai'i at Manoa:

• Jason Akagi, a junior in Electrical Engineering, will perform experiments under the guidance of mentor, Dr. Wayne Shiroma of the Department of Electrical Engineering, to better understand brain wave signal processing and its use as an alternative method of controlling robots. Jason's project, titled "Remote Vehicle Control by EEG Biofeedback," will involve the design and construction of a radio-controlled robot that will receive commands via brain wave signals from a person connected to an EEG device.

• Tai Blechta, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will work with mentor, Dr. Lloyd Hihara of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, to study the feasibility of using sol-gel based ceramic coatings as corrosion-resistant undercoats for metal alloys used in aerospace components. This research, titled "Advanced Surface Protectants for Aerospace Alloys" will help us better understand this new coating technology and its use in preventing corrosion, weakening, or failure of metallic components in space hardware.

• Michael Hall, a senior in Electrical Engineering, will design and fabricate a miniature tunable laser with the aim of improving resolution, stability, and power for airborne or spaceborne spectroscopic instruments used for atmospheric and environmental monitoring. Michael's project, titled "Optics: External-Cavity Diode Lasers" will be conducted under the guidance of mentor Dr. Audra Bullock of the Department of Electrical Engineering.

• Dennis Higashiguchi, a junior in Entomology, will work on a project titled, "The Gut Flora of the Formosan Subterranean Termite as a Model of an Exotic Ecosystem." Dennis aims to culture, characterize, and identify microbes that survive in the exotic ecosystem of the termite gut as an analog for identifying extraterrestrial life forms that may thrive independent of solar energy. Dr. Claudia Husseneder of the Department of Entomology will serve as mentor for this research.

• Jonathan Iloreta, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will develop a mathematical model to describe soot formation processes from combustion systems in his work with mentor, Dr. Beei-Huan Chao of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The reduction of soot is a primary concern of fire safety issues in spacecraft. Jonathan's research, titled "Effects of Structure, Hydrodynamics, and Radiation on the Sooting Behavior of Spherical Diffusion Flames" will have practical applications for experiments to be performed in microgravity on the International Space Station.

• Randall Imaoka, a junior in Mechanical Engineering, will continue working with mentor, Dr. Carlos Coimbra, to understand how particles move in viscous fluids. His project, titled "Scale-up Study of Viscous Particle Motion Under Microgravity Conditions," will be used to aid in the design of experiments on the International Space Station. Understanding how particles move in fluids in microgravity environments is necessary to design safe and efficient liquid containers for use in space.

• Lynnette Ramirez, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will study fluid mechanics and particle motion under simulated microgravity. Using high-speed digital photography to map the orbital motions of particles in suspension, Lynnette's work has important implications for research on cell and tissue development and behavior under unnatural or forced conditions as might be experienced during long-term space travel. Dr. Carlos Coimbra of the Department of Mechanical Engineering will serve as mentor for this research.

• Randy Sakagawa, a junior in Mechanical Engineering, will work with mentor Dr. Mehrdad Ghasemi Nejhad of the Department of Mechanical Engineering on the fundamentals of piezoelectric and composite materials and the use of these advanced materials for space structures.. Randy's focus will be on the lateral vibration suppression and precision positioning of Active Composite Panels. His project is titled "Design, Analysis, Manufacture, and Testing of Active Composite Panel Prototypes with Embedded Sensors/Actuators and Vibration Suppression and Precision Positioning Capabilities."

• Cory Soon, a junior in Mechanical Engineering, will work with composite and piezoelectric materials with mentor Dr. Mehrdad Ghasemi Nejhad of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Cory's project, titled "Integration of Active Composite Struts and Panels into an Adaptive Platform for Vibration Suppression and Precision Positioning," is part of a larger research program, including former Space Grant Fellows, to test and monitor structural positioning performance of metals for intelligent aeronautical and aerospace structures.

• Daniel Garrett, a senior in Marine Science, will use remote sensing data to investigate possible increased sea surface temperatures and surface chlorophyll concentrations at active eruption sites along the southeast coast of the Big Island. Daniel's project, titled "The Use of MODIS and In-Situ Data to Study the Relationship of Primary Productivity to Lava Inputs off the Southeast Coast of Hawaii" will be conducted under the direction of mentor, Dr. Michael Parsons of the Department of Marine Science.

• Jennifer Halsted, a senior in Astronomy, will work with mentor, Dr. Michael West of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, to analyze digital images from the Keck I observatory of structures and colors within a unique star pile. Jennifer's research, titled "'Starpile' in Abell 545" will involve data reduction using the IRAF astronomy software to determine the stellar population, magnitude, and structure of the star pile. This data should lead to a clearer understanding of the origin of the star pile as a possible accumulation of stellar remnants from a tidally disrupted galaxy or from multiple colliding galaxies.

The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awarded undergraduate traineeships in the Fall of 2001 to students at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and Hilo, and at the Community Colleges. The awards provided laboratory training and practical experience in any space-related field of science, engineering or math. Trainees received a stipend between $250 to $1,000 per semester.

University of Hawai`i at Manoa:

• Kristy Kadota, a senior in Elementary Education, will work with mentor Mr. Art Kimura of the Future Flight Hawaii K-12 Education Project, on the development and broad dissemination of new hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons related to the International Space Station. Kristy's project, titled "Space: The Ultimate Field Trip" will focus on space science themes in standards-based activities which will be designed and tested for use in classrooms and family science nights.

• Ian Layugan and Dennis Liang, seniors in Electrical Engineering, will work with mentor Dr. Audra Bullock of the Department of Electrical Engineering to participate in the building of a Differential Absorption Lidar. Ian will be involved in the design of the receiver and Dennis will work on the transmitter Liang's Final Report. Laser Detection and Ranging (Lidar) systems are important remote sensing tools for real-time atmospheric measurements.

• Malia Fujimoto and Athena Altman will work with mentor, Dr. Fritz Osell, on the acquisition of star cluster images, variable star measurements, and asteroid tracking using the automated 20-inch Ritchey-Chretien research telescope at LCC.