Students from HSIs and HBCUs Excel in UCF Summer Programs

UCF is home to six groups that take part in the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and/or the Department of Defense (DoD). The REU program supports research opportunities for undergraduate students in science, engineering and education, taking place over a 10-week period in which students participate in courses, social programs and industry visits while working full time on their individual research projects.

The programs cover travel and housing costs and awards participants with a $6,000 stipend. UCF’s REU research sites specialize in areas of study including nanoscience, computer vision, hypersonics, and more with approximately 10 to 15 participants working at each site. Participants receive hands-on research training and work closely with faculty and graduate students to present their research at the end of the summer in a poster showcase. This summer UCF’s programs have attracted students from a variety of schools, including several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HBIs) such as Spelman College, North Carolina A&T State University, and Miami-Dade College.

Mechanical engineering majors Isabella Llamazares and Croix Thomas participated in UCF’s REU Advanced Technologies for Hypersonic Propulsive, Energetic and Reusable Platforms (HYPER) program. Llamazares is going into her senior year at Florida International University and Thomas is going into her junior year at North Carolina A&T State University.

HYPER is an MAE site jointly supported by NSF and DoD and takes a multidisciplinary approach to advancing essential knowledge needed to overcome the technical barriers limiting hypersonic flight. The program includes visits to aircraft manufacturers and the NASA Kennedy Space Center. Both Thomas and Llamazares applied to HYPER to gain hands-on experience in the field of research. Thomas described the research process as steady and rewarding and hopes to continue her research when she returns to school.

“I conducted research on 3D printing and its role in creating solid state batteries,” says Thomas. “My research has the potential to improve energy storage systems in automation and aviation technologies.”

Llamazares worked in the Propulsion and Energy Laboratory (PERL) and her main research project related to observing and measuring the hydrodynamic thickness of a detonation.

“This topic is important within propulsion because it is necessary to know the limits within detonations and where there is a boundary from sonic to supersonic conditions for future supersonic systems,” Llamares says.

Llamazares’s interests lie in aerospace and aviation and she plans to pursue a master’s degree at UCF due to the school’s academic credentials and connections within the aerospace and defense industries. She believes the balance of independence and teamwork she has learned from this experience will assist her in her post-graduation journey.

“There are many skills and concepts that I have learned from this experience,” Llamazares says. ”I also was able to get more hands-on skills for engineering, whether it be soldering, sawing, and assembling components. These are skills that are important for engineering and are not always easy to obtain in a classroom setting so connecting the topics learned in class with actual hands-on work has been beneficial.”

Celine Gordon was accepted into the REU in Applied and Computational Mathematics. The program focuses on applied differential equations, computation mathematics, financial engineering and mathematics biology.

A rising sophomore at Spelman College, Gordon sought an interdisciplinary program based in computer science. The program was the perfect fit, combining computer science and mathematics, with an emphasis on linear algebra.

Her project, Accelerating the Iterative Solution of the Forward Medium Scattering Problem, has applications in defense systems and MRI scanning.

“Since my major is computer science, and my research was conducted through a math lens, this experience showed me how my computer science major is applicable to research topics beyond my major,” Gordon says.

She adds that the prospect of pursuing research at UCF was especially appealing because of the variety of Ph.D. programs available for students with a computer science background.

“With the opportunity of the various workshops hosted by UCF, I was able to also learn more about UCF graduate school, and the different career paths one can take with mathematics and computer science,” she says. “In the future, I will be more equipped and more prepared to take on research opportunities, already having abundant experience from this REU.”

Elvis Cabrera
Computer Vision REU
Poster Title: CLIP-Based Learning for Robust Multi-Label Classification
Miami Dade College

Celine Gordon
Math REU
Poster Title: Accelerating the Iterative Solution of the Forward Medium Scattering Problem
Spelman College

Isabella Llamazares
HYPER REU
Poster Title: Analysis of Sonic Plane Relative to Liquid Fuel Detonation Shock Waves
Florida International University

Sonali Mittal
Nanoscience REU
Poster Title: Characterization of Silane Coupling Agents for Enhanced Adhesion Between Polycarbonate and Silicon Dioxide for 3D Microelectrode Arrays
University of Texas Arlington

Croix Thomas
HYPER REU
Poster Title: Additive Manufacturing of Solid-State Battery Composites Using Uv-Curable Ink
North Carolina A&T State University

Story and photos by Kyra Martin