2018 Summer Activities

Capturing Sunlight as Fuel

Gianmarco Terrones, a rising junior majoring in chemical engineering at Caltech, is spending his summer researching solar fuels. Working in the lab of Nathan Lewis, the George L. Argyros Professor of Chemistry, he is doing experiments to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, using energy from the sun. The ultimate goal of the research is to create devices that can efficiently convert sunlight into hydrogen fuels, such that the fuels would be available upon demand, at any time of the day or year. Terrones is working on ways to reduce hydrogen bubble formation in the reactions, which can lessen the devices' efficiency.

Terrones says that his summer internship, sponsored by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program, is a great way for him to figure out if he wants to further pursue chemistry research as a career. He also likes working on cutting-edge technology. "I like that I have the opportunity to improve a technology that I find very exciting."

The Serf SURF

Yvette Sei, a rising junior from Brandeis University with double majors in French and politics, is at Caltech this summer participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program. Sei is studying the decline of serfdom in France during the Medieval era. She aims to determine why serfdom declined, and how the decline affected the lives of the French peasantry.

She is conducting her research with Tracy Dennison, professor of social science history.

Troubleshooting Teaching With Virtual Classrooms

Netra Ravishankar, a rising sophomore majoring in computer science, is building a classroom in virtual reality (VR) to identify issues in a real classroom setting, such as 3D visualization, student engagement, distractions, and understanding of complex concepts. The VR classroom uses data from interactions between students and teachers in real classrooms at Caltech and aims to promote more effective teaching.

Ravishankar is mentored by computational scientist Santiago Lombeyda of the Center for Data Driven Discovery (CDDD) and CDDD director George Djorgovski, professor of astronomy and executive officer for astronomy. Her research is sponsored by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program.

Navigating a Network of Neurons

Angel Macias is a senior at UC San Diego majoring in physiology and neuroscience. As a WAVE Fellow at Caltech, he is examining how neurons in the brain form connections with each other, and how certain kinds of proteins on their surfaces influence those connections.

Macias is conducting his research with Kai Zinn, Howard and Gwen Laurie Smits Professor of Biology.

Cataloging Far-Flung Worlds

Naylynn Tañón Reyes is a sophomore at San Diego Mesa College, majoring in astrophysics. As a WAVE fellow, she is working to construct a database of models for exoplanets—planets outside of our solar system—that were discovered using a technique called gravitational microlensing. Her work will enable astronomers to study how the characteristics of these planets vary depending on the characteristics of their host stars, and also to prioritize which targets to follow up with additional observations.

Tañón Reyes is conducting her research with Calen Henderson, exoplanet archive scientist with IPAC.

Simulating Space on the Floor

Asta Wu, a rising junior in mechanical engineering, is working on active mass balancing for spacecraft simulators in the lab of Soon-Jo Chung, associate professor of aerospace and Bren Scholar. Her research is sponsored by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program

The simulators hover on a cushion of air over an ultra-smooth floor in the Spacecraft Assembly and Simulation Facility in the Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies. They glide in a fashion that simulates the frictionless environment of space. This test bed is being used to simulate spacecraft autonomously docking and flying in formation.

The Secrets of Lung Bacteria

Hazel Dilmore, a rising junior majoring in geobiology, is studying how certain bacteria build communities and how that enables them to cause diseases and chronic infections in people with cystic fibrosis. She is examining a particular gene that regulates the metabolism of these bacteria, information that may ultimately prove to be useful in antibiotic development.

Dilmore is conducting her research with Dianne Newman, the Gordon M. Binder/Amgen Professor of Biology and Geobiology, the Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair of the Center for Environmental Microbial Interactions, and executive officer for molecular biology. It is sponsored by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program.

Quest for a Greener Toilet

Caroline Paules, a rising senior in mechanical engineering, tests the pumps and sensors that underpin an advanced toilet that recycles wastewater using an electrochemical reactor.

Paules—who is working with Senior Research Engineer Clement Cid on a project run by Michael R. Hoffman, John S. and Sherry Chen Professor of Environmental Science—is making sure that each component is as simple and durable as possible, to make the toilet foolproof in the field. This project won the 2012 Reinventing the Toilet Challenge issued by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Paules, who also won this year's ME 72 robotics competition with her team the Riveters, will be headed to India later in the summer to field test the project. Her research is sponsored by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program

Rembrandt, Monet, or Picasso? Why People Like the Art They Like

Iman Wahle, a rising junior majoring in computer science, is looking at how humans develop their tastes in art from a neuroscience perspective. Volunteers are placed inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner while being shown pieces of art, allowing Wahle to see how their brains react to each. Her research is sponsored by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships(SURF) program.

She is working with Kiyohito Iigaya, a postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Professor of Psychology John O'Doherty.

Mutating Proteins With Lasers

Perry Hicks, a SURF student from Mercer University in Georgia, is spending her summer doing research in the lab of Harry Gray, the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry. She is performing biochemical experiments on a protein called cytochrome P450, which uses molecular oxygen for metabolic functions—and thus is subject to damage from reactive oxygen species. The Gray lab has proposed that the protein has evolved protective mechanisms involving the transfer of electrons to handle this oxidative stress. By creating mutant versions of cytochrome P450 and hitting them with lasers to oxidize them, Hicks has been working to identify which amino acids are crucial for the protein's ability to handle oxidative stress.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to explore bioinorganic chemistry with Harry, a pioneer in this field," says Hicks. "I've had a smooth transition into my new project thanks to the other members of the 'Gray Nation,' who feel more like friends than co-workers."