2018 Application Area 1: Alternative Energy
Recent worldwide economic and social events have illuminated the need for energy independence and a reduction in fossil-fuel-based energy sources. This trend is reinforced by future energy requirements, which are predicted to triple within the next 35 years. Rapidly growing energy requirements, combined with the economic and ecologic problems associated with fossil energy sources, make the development of efficient, inexpensive and environmentally benign energy sources one of the biggest technological challenges of the 21st century. As we migrate to new energy sources—alternatives to fossil fuels—researchers have been addressing many technological challenges to make renewable technologies viable. Research in new energy technologies is extremely diverse, ranging from conceiving and validating new power generation concepts, identifying and engineering novel materials, improving efficiency, lowering costs, to integrating the new technologies into the power grid.
Researchers across UC Berkeley have been tackling energy challenges for decades and are continuing to do so. In the summer of 2018, community college faculty participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program at UC Berkeley will have the opportunity to join some of these laboratories to undertake research projects that may have applications in the field of alternative.
Applicable disciplines: engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science
2018 Application Area 2: Wearable Electronics and Sensors
Wearable electronics and medical technologies have experienced a tremendous interest in recent years. The development of flexible and light-weight electronic systems, such as wearable medical devices, vitality sensors, and health monitors will likely transform medical care and personal diagnostics in unimagined ways. These new devices introduce tremendous versatility in terms of sensing locations in the body, which is currently limited to medical patients’ ear or finger. In addition to these clinical needs of monitoring vitals signs and symptoms with minimal impact for patients, the tremendous interest in wearable electronics is also driven by our increased desire for ‘around-the-clock personal-health monitoring’ using fitness and activity trackers such as Fitbit, Jawbone, and Misfit. Coupled with the advent of the Internet-of-Things, wearable electronics have thus become a hot commodity with an enormous market potential, making this an attractive topic for community college students.
Researchers at UC Berkeley are at the forefront of developing flexible and lightweight electronic systems, such as wearable medical devices and vitality sensors that will likely transform medical care and personal diagnostics in unimagined ways. In the summer of 2018, community college faculty participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program at UC Berkeley will have the opportunity to join some of these laboratories to undertake research that aim at enabling wearable electronics.
Applicable disciplines: electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science
2018 Application Area 3: Nanoelectronics
The continued miniaturization of electronic devices and components has been the driving force behind the tremendous growth of the semiconductor industry, which has dramatically transformed science, engineering and society as a whole. Since the famous observation by Gordon Moore in 1965 that transistors undergo continued size downscaling, we have experienced a 1000-fold decrease in device feature size. We have now entered the ‘nano-regime’ (the size range of 1-100 nm) in which entirely new families of materials and electronic components have become available, including nanotubes, quantum dots, nanowires, and two-dimensional materials (atomically thin sheets such as graphene). In contrast to conventional bulk semiconductor devices, the properties of these new nanoelectronic components are governed by quantum mechanics, with enormous potential for downscaling, faster speeds and more energy efficient operation.
Researchers across UC Berkeley are pioneers in nanoelectronic research and have greatly contributed to the development of new materials, devices, and circuit designs. In the summer of 2018, community college faculty participating in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program at UC Berkeley will have the opportunity to work in the laboratories of some of these pioneers on nanoelectronic projects.
Applicable disciplines: engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science
2018 RET Program Participants and Research Projects
Neural Network Chip Accelerators
Community College Faculty Researcher: Tom Sanford
Home Institution: West Valley College, Saratoga, CA
Teaching: Engineering
Hosting Organization: Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley
Faculty Advisor: Professor Vladimir Stojanovic
Mentor: Rawan Naous
Click HERE for the project poster.
Performance Evaluation of Silicon Solar Cells
Community College Faculty Researcher: Mahnaz Firouzi
Home Institution: Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
Teaching: Engineering
Hosting Organization: Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley
Faculty Advisor: Professor Eli Yablonovitch
Mentor: Luis Pazos-Outon and Zunaid Omair
Abstract of Research: The energy demand, price, and environmental issues such as climate change have caused a shift in emphasis from fossil-fueled power generation to renewable sources such as solar energy conversion. The limiting efficiency of silicon has been investigated in which only the fundamental loss mechanism, radiative recombination and Auger recombination are operative.
Click HERE for the project poster.
An Investigation of Thermo-Photovoltaics
Community College Faculty Researcher: Jamie Kulp
Home Institution: Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
Teaching: Chemistry
Hosting Organization: Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), UC Berkeley
Faculty Advisor: Professor Junqiao Wu
Mentor: Sara Fathipour
Curriculum Development Focus based on 2016 RET Project:
Statistical Evaluation of the Performance Stability of a Sweat Biological Sensor (RET 2016)
Community College Faculty Researcher: Leonard Filane
Home Institution: College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
Teaching: Physics and Mathematics
Hosting Organization: Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department, UC Berkeley
Faculty Advisor: Professor Ali Javey
Mentor: Wei Gao
Abstract of Research: Human sweat contains much information about the physiological condition of a person. Biological sensors monitor concentrations of important sweat components such as potassium, sodium, glucose, lactate. Sensors are placed in direct contact with human skin. This approach allows for direct and continuous monitoring of the physiological parameters which is paramount for real-time health monitoring. Data obtained with sweat sensors is rich. The reliability of such data depends directly on the sensor’s performance stability. This study is focused on the statistical evaluation of the performance stability of a glucose sensor.
Click HERE for the project poster.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOCUS BASED ON 2017 RET PROJECT:
Quantitative Structural Activity Relations (QSAR) of Compounds (RET 2017)
Community College Faculty Researcher: Kofi Opong-Mensah
Home Institution: College of Marin, Kentfield, CA
Teaching: Engineering
Hosting Organization: Chemistry, UC Berkeley
Faculty Advisor: Professor Kathleen Durkin
Abstract of Research Roject: QSAR techniques are used to explore the relationships of computer technology, mathematical and computational models for analysis, modeling and predicting toxicological effects using chemical structures and various endpoints. Pattern recognition techniques and other principal component analysis are then used to further explore the mechanisms of toxicity. The present study is limited to modeling of Hemoglobin using Chimera. Other investigations with different classes of pharmaceutical compounds are ongoing. It is proposed that similar techniques may be explored to predict better molecules that may be used to obtain low voltages and other energy saving devices.
Click HERE for the project poster.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOCUS BASED ON 2015 RET PROJECT:
What’s in your DNA? Balancing Privacy and Utility When Releasing Genetic Data (RET 2015)
Community College Faculty Researcher: Carlos Rojo
Home Institution: San Jose City College, San Jose, CA
Teaching: Anatomy and Physiology
Hosting Organization: Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department, UC Berkeley
Faculty Advisor: Professor Ruzena Bajcsy
Mentor: Daniel Aranki
Abstract of Research: Genetic datasets are a rich information source that continue to guide biomedical research. However, genetic datasets are extremely sensitive, as they can be used to reveal information like ethnicity and disease risk. Here we explore the implementation of user-specified personalized privacy to balance the need to release genetic data with high utility (able to predict disease risk) with the desire to keep certain information private (such as ancestry).
Click HERE for the project poster.