The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awarded undergraduate fellowships in the Spring of 2000 to students at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and Hilo, and the Community Colleges. At Manoa and Hilo, the awards were given for space-related research and provided a stipend of $3000 per semester to each recipient. At the Community Colleges, Fellows received stipends that depended on the scope of the projects.

University of Hawai'i at Manoa:

• Wendi Maeda, a senior in Electrical Engineering, will continue her research on miniature optical systems with mentor Dr. Jung-Chih Chiao of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Wendi's work, titled "Optical Attenuators on a Single Chip," uses MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. This research benefits the space industry's growing need for smaller and more efficient optical signal processing devices on satellites. Final Report
• Kendall Ching, a junior in Electrical Engineering, will continue his research on multi-layered designs and structures of 3-D integrated circuits with mentor Dr. Wayne Shiroma of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Kendall's project, titled "Multilayer Photonic Bandgap Integrated Circuits," is using photonic-bandgap technology in the quest for smaller, power-efficient instrumentation for space-based communication and sensor systems. Final Report
• Keith Sunderlin, a senior in Mechanical Engineering, will be researching the use of strain gauges and piezo-electric material to make a velocity sensor for dead-reckoning navigation in space or underwater environments. Keith's project, titled "Omni-directional Velocity Sensing Whisker (Sensor)," is being conducted under mentor Dr. Song K. Choi of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Final Report
• Leon Geschwind, a senior in Global Environmental Science, will work with mentors Drs. Luke Flynn and Andrew Harris of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology on "Multi- and Hyperspectral Comparative Studies of Active Lava Flows." Data from Landsat visible and thermal images and hyperspectral field measurements will be combined to map active lava flows and lava tubes on Kilauea. Using lava cooling rates he obtained in last semester's project, Leon will attempt to use his map as a tool to predict lava ages in remote sensing images. Final Report
• Crystal Yee, a senior in Electrical Engineering, will design and test fiber-optic strain gauges with mentor Dr. Jung-Chih Chiao of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Her investigation, titled "Fiber-optic Strain Gauges," is part of the pioneering research efforts in the use of fiber-optic sensors to test and monitor mechanical properties of metals in new aeronautical and aerospace vehicles. Final Report
• Georgiana Young, a junior in Geology and Geophysics will use Mars Global Surveyor data to research the corrugated landforms, known as aureole material, around Olympus Mons volcano on Mars. She will create a database of landform shapes and sizes to better understand the materials and to test the hypothesis that they have a volcanic origin. Her work, titled "Analysis of the Olympus Mons Aureole Material on Mars using MGS Data," will be conducted under mentor Dr. Peter Mouginis-Mark, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. Final Report
• Jack Bennett, a junior in Electrical Engineering, is working in the field of fiber-optics communications. With mentor Dr. Jung-Chih Chiao of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Jack will study laser and Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) technology to design a micro-optical device on a single chip using MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS). The title of his project is "Micro-sized Optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing Devices."

• Sze Mei Chung, a senior in Biology (pre-med) will be studying terrestrial volcanism using Geostationary Orbiting Earth Satellite (GOES) data. Field studies on the Big Island will aid in the interpretation of satellite data of thermal activity, eruptions, and lava flows. Her work, titled "Remote Sensing of Volcanoes," will be performed under mentor Dr. Luke Flynn of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. Final Report
• Jeff Chang, a junior in Electrical Engineering, will continue to research the use of Micro- ElectroMechanical System (MEMS) impedance tuners in coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines. His project, titled "Miniature Impedance Tuner for High Frequency Transmitters," has practical applications for space communications and remote sensing systems. Jeff is working under the direction of mentor Dr. Jung-Chih Chiao of the Department of Electrical Engineering. Final Report

• Tobias Hewitt, a senior in Geology, will continue his research on the mineralogy of lava tubes. He is determining the conditions under which magnesioferrite forms in an effort to assess its use as a diagnostic mineral for locating tubes in volcanic provinces using in remote sensing data. Tobias' project, titled "Magnesioferrite Formation Within Lava Tubes" is being conducted with mentor Dr. Ken Hon of the Department of Geology. Final Report
• Gail Ostrander, a senior in Geology, will continue her study of soil moisture using visible and thermal data from the AVHRR satellite. Gail's project, titled, "Sensitivity Analysis of the NDVI Snapshot Method Applied Using AVHRR Data" covers three locations with different climates and hydrologic conditions. Mentor for this project is Dr. Jene Michaud of the Department of Geology. Final Report
• Ogden Ingalls, a sophomore in Physics, will continue working with mentor Dr. William Heacox of the Department of Physics and Astronomy on applying statistical models to a study of masses of halo dark objects. Ogden aims to better understand dark matter-gravitational lensing events in the Large Magellanic Cloud in a project titled "Microlensing: Determination of Mass Distribution in the Milky Way." Final Report

• Dennis Higashiguchi, a sophomore in Liberal Arts, will be characterizing bacterial species in the gut microbes of Coptotermes formanus, the Formosan termite. His study of microbial communities and ecosystems is relevant to current astrobiology research on the origin, evolution, distribution, and destiny of life in the universe. Dennis' project, titled "Characterization of an Exotic Microbial Ecosystem" will be conducted under mentor Dr. John Berestecky of the Department of Microbiology.

• Sharon Harlow, a fourth year Education major, will work with mentor Dr. John Pye of the Math/Science Division on a project, titled "A Case Study in Remote Sensing and its Application to Emergency Management." Working at the Pacific Disaster Center on Maui, Sharon will gain practical experience in the principles of remote sensing and its use by emergency managers.

• Brian Africano, a third year Liberal Arts major, will be working on a project, titled "Monitoring Near-Earth Asteroids With the USAFRL/Boeing RTS Raven System." Brian will observe and analyze data using the automated, Raven small telescope system at the Maui Research and Technology Park. Mentor for this project is Dr. John Pye of the Math/Science Division.

• Mark Hedley, a sophomore in Physics and Astronomy, and Cassandra Mason, a sophomore in Mathematics, will work together on "Setting up a Radio Astronomy Telescope at WCC to Monitor Radio Signals from Jupiter." Working under the direction of mentor Dr. Richard Flagg, they will monitor and record radio bursts from Jupiter with prototype equipment being assembled and tested for a future radio telescope system on campus.

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  Spring 2000 Undergraduate Traineeship Program

  The Hawai'i Space Grant Consortium awarded an undergraduate traineeship in the Spring of 2000 to a student at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. The award provided laboratory training and practical experience in a 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:

  • Evan Hajime, a senior in Chemistry, will continue working with mentor Dr. David Harwell of the Department of Chemistry on the synthesis of silicon and metal-enhanced silicon nanoparticles. These super crystals of semiconductor materials are the first step in the formation of molecular computational devices. Evan's work benefits current research to improve semiconductor performance in space-based electronics.

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  Hawai`i Space Grant Consortium homepage
  http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/