Available Projects
2024-2025 Projects
Please be advised some projects are only available for one semester. Projects with a "Term" section are for a select semester. All other projects are for the academic year.
College of Engineering
- Dr. Subodh Bhandari
- Project Description: Cal Poly Pomona's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Lab is currently working on many projects related to UAVs. The projects use the very active UAV Lab at Cal Poly Pomona, which is a state-of-the-art facility with more than 40 UAVs and associated equipment and sensors. The project will involve many aspects of UAV research such as increased autonomy of UAVs, designing, building, and testing novel UAV platforms including e-VTOL, the development of obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities that enable the UAVs to fly safely without colliding with mobile vehicles and static objects in their flight path, increased autonomy, intelligent control, coordination between multiple UAVs, collaboration between UAVs and ground robots, increased robustness, safety, and integrity. The project also include research on widespread applications of UAVs such as search and rescue, fire detection and monitoring, precision, agriculture, 3-D mapping for topographic changes, target recognition, etc. This will require selection and integration of appropriate sensors, instrumentation, programming, simulation, flight testing, data collection, data analysis, aircraft system identification (determination of UAV parameters using flight data), etc.
- Mode: In-Person
- Responsibilities: Literature review, meeting with the advisor, project work, which includes UAV design, fabrication, and testing, project design (instrumentation, system integration, simulation, flight testing), programming, data collection, flight data analysis, parameter identification, algorithm development including computer vision-based techniques for object detection, tracking, and sense & avoid.
- Preferred Skills: Background in one or more of the following: a) Engineering, b) Physics, c) Math, or d) Computer Science
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Understanding and knowledge of dynamics and control of UAVs, designing, building, and testing UAVs, automation, instrumentation, sensor integration, simulation, flight testing, exposure to modern engineering tools and programming, ability to work in a multidisciplinary team environment, improved oral and written communication skills, etc.
- Dr. Navid Nakhjiri
- Project Description: The project aims to develop a MATLAB tool for designing multiple flyby trajectories using a method known as Monte Carlo Tree Search. This tool will be capable of determining the sequence of gravity assists for any target in the solar system. The student will be responsible for enhancing an existing project to achieve this goal.
- Responsibilities: Students are responsible for research into existing methods, creating solutions and ideas for exploring methods, developing codes, testing codes, and creating an interface for the tool.
- Preferred Skills: Should be skilled in programming with MATLAB. Knowledge of Orbital Mechanics is a must-have.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Learn advanced mission design techniques and develop numerical tools.
- Dr. Jeyoung Woo
- Project Description: The State of California has the largest education system in the United States, but there is no Associate Degree for Transfer in Engineering. Since there is no standardized path for the course articulation, each 4-year university determines which engineering courses from particular colleges will be accepted for credit. The participating STARS student (scholar) will assist the Principal Investigator (PI) with a literature/publication review, a case study of other state’s ADT in Engineering (such as Texas, and Florida), a data analysis, and a journal article/conference proceeding writing to decrease the gaps in engineering education for transfer students and increase their success.
- Mode: Hybrid
- Responsibilities: A student(s) will conduct a literature review about project management components, will develop a survey questionnaire, and will analyze the survey responses.
- Preferred Skills: College-level reading, no prior research experience is needed.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Identify factors from the publications, design a survey to answer the research questions, and document the findings. Time management through the progress meeting, goal setting, and micromanagement.
- Project Description: The State of California has the largest education system in the United States, but there is no Associate Degree for Transfer in Engineering. Since there is no standardized path for the course articulation, each 4-year university determines which engineering courses from particular colleges will be accepted for credit. The participating STARS student (scholar) will assist the Principal Investigator (PI) with a literature/publication review, a case study of other state’s ADT in Engineering (such as Texas, and Florida), a data analysis, and a journal article/conference proceeding writing to decrease the gaps in engineering education for transfer students and increase their success.
- Dr. Farbod Khoshnoud
- Project Description: Bronco Robot University Tour Guide: BillyBOT
This is a robotic project as a mobile platform that can travel around the campus autonomously, and interact with people and answer questions via artificial intelligence. This is an ongoing project currently with some of the current STARS students. We started this project in the Fall 2023. The project is going well and we can discuss further about the project if you are interested with the students involved or myself. - Responsibilities: The students will need to research about sensors, actuators, and controllers for the BillyBOT robot project. Examples include learning and implementing ultrasonic and lidar sensors, cameras, Arduino and RPi controllers, and moter drivers and motor control systems.
- Preferred Skills: Arduino microcontrollers, sensors and actuators are preferable.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Autonomous vehicles, mechatronics and robotics.
- Project Description: Bronco Robot University Tour Guide: BillyBOT
- Dr. Alejandra Homaza
- Project Description: Green Hydrogen for Sustainability (GHS): Students will work on a thermodynamic model of a sustainable ammonia production system in the Imperial Valley. The second project is about experimentally characterizing renewable gas leakage and designing a system to minimize gas leakage.
- Mode: In-person with potential for remote analyses.
- Responsibilities: Experimental, data analysis and systems modeling.
- Preferred Skills: Programming, experiemental and machine skills, communication, and writing.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Thermodynamics, experimental lab work, data analysis, and design of experiments.
College of Pharmacy, Western University of Health Sciences
- Dr. Kabirullah Lutfy
- Project Description: We are interested in the role of neuropeptides in food reward and binge eating. Students will independently or in a team work on a project where they conduct behavioral and molecular changes induced by administration of palatable foods.
- Responsibilities:
- Preferred Skills:
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project:
College of Science
- Dr. Zoe Marr
- Project Description: Students will conduct organic/materials chemistry research to make photoactive metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with potential applications in drug delivery and dosimetry. Students will have the opportunity to do chemical synthesis, characterization, and analysis. Students will also learn characterization techniques such as X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Students will also learn how to solve crystal structures.
- Mode: In-Person
- Responsibilities: A typical day would primarily consist of synthesis and characterization of the desired molecules/crystalline material.
- Preferred Skills: No previous skills required but having taken organic chemistry would be beneficial.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Air-free organic synthesis, solvothermal MOF synthesis, new characterization techniques, crystallography, practice scientific writing and presentation skills.
- Dr. Chantal Stieber
- Project Description: This project will investigate methods for reducing pollutants such as CO2, SO2, and PFAS. Students will learn how to make molecules and catalysts, and learn to analyze them using state-of-the-art instrumentation such as NMR IR, electrochemistry, and crystallography.
- Mode: Hybrid
- Responsibilities:
- Plan projects
- Look up safety information
- Write in notebook
- Preferred Skills: No prior knowledge needed.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Students will learn chemistry skills including laboratory safety, synthesis, electrochemistry, data analysis, writing, and presentations.
- Dr. Taylor Thane
- Project 1 Description: The goal of our projects is to develop new organic chemistry reactions. Metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are powerful tools for constructing new carbon-carbon bonds and have advanced the field organic chemistry by allowing the organic chemist to rapidly build complex molecules. We are interested in developing new nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions that quickly convert simple starting materials into more complex molecules. Nickel is an earth abundant metal that has a broad range of reactivity which allows us to use wider range of simple starting materials including molecules with carbon-oxygen and carbon-nitrogen bonds. Students working on this project will develop new nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions by examining different starting materials and nickel catalysts for these reactions. Additionally, we are also working on developing a new method to synthesize oxetanes and azetidines via a PCET enabled radical cyclization. Oxetanes and azetidines are prevalent in a variety of pharmaceutical compounds and are traditionally challenging to synthesize which prompts our investigation to develop a new synthesis. Students working on these projects will learn advanced organic chemistry techniques including air-free reaction set up. Students will also learn how to think critically to problem solve challenges that arise, analyze their data, and clearly communicate their results in written and oral formats.
- Mode: In-Person
- Responsibilities: With PI supervision, students will learn to read scientific literature related to their projects, plan experiments, keep an organized notebook, setup reactions, purify and characterize new molecules, analyze data, think critically about future experiments, and meet with other lab members to share and discuss data gathered. Typically, students will be in the laboratory setting up reactions, purifying their products and analyzing their data.
- Preferred Skills: Completion of organic chemistry I lecture and organic chemistry I lab is required. Completion of organic chemistry II lecture and lab is not required but is preferred.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Students will learn topics and techniques related to organic synthesis including metal catalysis, photocatalysis, purification, spectroscopy, data analysis. Students will also learn to read relevant literature, general lab maintenance, related safety procedures, and scientific communication skills.
- Project 1 Description: The goal of our projects is to develop new organic chemistry reactions. Metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are powerful tools for constructing new carbon-carbon bonds and have advanced the field organic chemistry by allowing the organic chemist to rapidly build complex molecules. We are interested in developing new nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions that quickly convert simple starting materials into more complex molecules. Nickel is an earth abundant metal that has a broad range of reactivity which allows us to use wider range of simple starting materials including molecules with carbon-oxygen and carbon-nitrogen bonds. Students working on this project will develop new nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions by examining different starting materials and nickel catalysts for these reactions. Additionally, we are also working on developing a new method to synthesize oxetanes and azetidines via a PCET enabled radical cyclization. Oxetanes and azetidines are prevalent in a variety of pharmaceutical compounds and are traditionally challenging to synthesize which prompts our investigation to develop a new synthesis. Students working on these projects will learn advanced organic chemistry techniques including air-free reaction set up. Students will also learn how to think critically to problem solve challenges that arise, analyze their data, and clearly communicate their results in written and oral formats.
- Dr. Taylor Thane
- Project 2 Description: The goal of our research is to develop new organic chemistry reactions. Photocatalysis has been an emerging method for providing access to five- and six-membered oxygen and nitrogen containing rings. We are interested in developing a new method to synthesize oxetanes and azetidines via a PCET enabled radical cyclization. Oxetanes and azetidines are prevalent in a variety of pharmaceutical compounds and are traditionally challenging to synthesize which prompts our investigation to develop a new synthesis. Students working on these projects will learn advanced organic chemistry techniques including air-free reaction set up. Students will also learn how to think critically to problem solve challenges that arise, analyze their data, and clearly communicate their results in written and oral formats.
- Mode: In-Person
- Responsibilities: With PI supervision, students will learn to read scientific literature related to their projects, plan experiments, keep an organized notebook, setup reactions, purify and characterize new molecules, analyze data, think critically about future experiments, and meet with other lab members to share and discuss data gathered.
- Preferred Skills: Completion of organic chemistry I lecture and organic chemistry I lab is preferred.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Students will learn topics and techniques related to organic synthesis including metal catalysis, photocatalysis, purification, spectroscopy, data analysis. Students will also learn to read relevant literature, general lab maintenance, related safety procedures, and scientific communication skills.
- Project 2 Description: The goal of our research is to develop new organic chemistry reactions. Photocatalysis has been an emerging method for providing access to five- and six-membered oxygen and nitrogen containing rings. We are interested in developing a new method to synthesize oxetanes and azetidines via a PCET enabled radical cyclization. Oxetanes and azetidines are prevalent in a variety of pharmaceutical compounds and are traditionally challenging to synthesize which prompts our investigation to develop a new synthesis. Students working on these projects will learn advanced organic chemistry techniques including air-free reaction set up. Students will also learn how to think critically to problem solve challenges that arise, analyze their data, and clearly communicate their results in written and oral formats.
- Dr. Tingting Chen
- Project Description: This project is to design and develop a safety assessment system for mobility scooter users. The solution are mostly based on computer vision and/or multimodal deep learning. It is a collaborative project with Kinesiology department, Casa Colina Hospital and UT San Antonio.
- Mode: Hybrid
- Responsibilities: There are two types of work:
- Data collection from Casa Colina Hospital. It may require students to drive to the site, set up the equipment and interact with patients and other students.
- System development can be completed on students' computers or in the CS lab by remotely accessing GPU servers. It requires reading existing code and papers, learning libraries and tools and coding (mostly in Python).
- Preferred Skills:
- Data structures, python programming, machine learning.
- Computer vision (preferred)
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Deep learning pipelines (data collection and preprocessing, model development, model training and testing), web application development, libraries like Pytorch, torchvision, react, js, Existing vision models in e.g., YOLOv8 for human pose estimation, segmentation, etc.
Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture
- Dr. Bonny Burns-Whitmore
- Project Description: The Vegetarian Study
Dietary and personal data for human participants has been collected, but the data needs to be organized into Excel. There are over 100 data variables that need to be entered and analyzed for 25 individuals. There will be weekly meetings via zoom/or around both the professor's and student's schedules, and weekly emails with an attached spreadsheet will account for the progress. - Mode: Hybrid
- Term: Fall 2024
- Responsibilities: In a typical day, the student researcher and will enter diet data (three-five days worth) for each research participant. If the food is not present in ESHA, This process is usually straightforward, but occasionally, the student researcher may need to enter a recipe into ESHA and divide by the number of servings, and then add this to the participant's diet in ESHA. The diet input can be done at times that are convenient to the student researcher. The student will be trained to use ESHA by the professor and in online tutorials (https://esha.com/services/food-processor-tutorials/). There were 25 participants in the Vegetarian study, with 3-5 diet recalls per person. Each person will have a calculated average and these average values will be put into a spreadsheet. When all data are inputted, the student researcher will check to make sure that the inputted values are correct, and then we will upload the spreadsheet into SPSS version 29 for stat analysis. In addition, there will be weekly meetings to discuss the hypotheses and discuss the structuring of the research paper and poster presentation-both of which are required by STARS.
- Preferred Skills:
- Required: CITI certification to work with Human Subjects (Human Subjects 101)-this is free for students, staff, and faculty-online, download certification.
- Attention to detail and ability to accurately enter numbers into a spreadsheet
- Willingness, ability to learn and use ESHA Food Processor Program (a program to input diet information into and it will provide the amounts of nutrients) or have taken the NTR 2350L course. Students will undergo training for ESHA-the Professor will also assist.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Student(s) will gain the following:
- Certification to do Human Research (CITI)-on line download certification for resume
- Skill and experience using a dietary analyzer (ESHA Food Processor)-this will be done on campus in the computer lab in the College of Ag-on campus
- Learn how to design and test an original hypothesis within the data
- Learn how to do the statistics related to their hypotheses
- Learn how to organize their data results into tables
- Format an Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion, into a poster
- Possibly be included in journal publication if the results warrant.
- Project Description: The Vegetarian Study
Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences
- Dr. Pablo Benalcazar
- Project Description: The deep decarbonization of the power, heating, and cooling sectors is one of the world’s greatest challenges, as it entails intricate and diverse tasks that will have profound economic and social ramifications. Until now, researchers have explored a wide variety of technology pathways, but there is still much work to be done in terms of decarbonizing national and local energy systems.
In this project, we will investigate the application of a capacity expansion model to simulate the mid- to long-term evolution of a power system, considering both current and future climate scenarios. Furthermore, the student(s) involved in this project will have the opportunity to gain a fundamental understanding of energy system models and optimization.
During the first part of the project, the student(s) will conduct a literature survey of strategic methods for decision support within the power and heating industry. In the second part of the project, under the guidance of the faculty mentor, the student(s) will employ an optimization-based capacity expansion model to assess decarbonization scenarios at a country level.
The following topic is envisaged for the 2024-2025 AY:
• The student working on this topic will conduct a literature survey of methods used for strategic long term capacity generation planning. Additionally, the student will explore the effects of climate change on the power system using an optimization model.
Upon successfully completing the project, the student(s) will be offered an opportunity to expand their research skills by developing a manuscript in the style of a scientific paper. - Mode: Virtual
- Responsibilities: This project requires the student(s) and the faculty mentor to collaborate remotely. Additionally, the student(s) must be able to attend regularly scheduled virtual meetings. During the meetings, the research team will define weekly goals and discuss the progress of the project.
The student(s) participating in the project will conduct a literature review of frameworks and methods commonly used for capacity expansion planning and long-term power system transformations. The student(s) will design and implement a comprehensive plan for developing decarbonization scenarios. Additionally, under the guidance of the faculty mentor, the students will undertake the following activities: data collection, statistical analysis, scenario conceptualizations, and model implementation. - Preferred Skills:
- The student(s) should have a strong interest in energy systems engineering and be enthusiastic about research.
- This project is interdisciplinary; however, the student(s) should feel comfortable with linear algebra (MAT 2240, MAT 2250, or similar course) and have completed some introductory physics courses (PHY 1510/L and PHY 1520/L).
- The project will require the student(s) to solve optimization problems and build energy systems models using a domain-specific modeling language for mathematical optimization. Therefore, the student should have completed some courses in computer programming.
- Solid programming skills either in Python, Julia, MATLAB, GAMS are a plus.
- Some familiarity with Operations Research, Electrical Engineering, and Economics would be helpful for the project.
- The student(s) should be interested in understanding how decision-support tools (computer models) can be used to plan and operate energy systems, test scenarios, and evaluate energy policies.
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: By participating in this project, students will acquire the following skills, techniques, and knowledge:
- The student(s) will develop and strengthen the soft skills needed to complete research projects.
- The student(s) will acquire proficiency in a programming language.
- The student(s) will understand the process of energy systems modeling (e.g., problem definition, solution development, implementation, and verification).
- The student(s) will acquire an academic background and hands-on experience in developing tools for decision support in energy planning.
- Project Description: The deep decarbonization of the power, heating, and cooling sectors is one of the world’s greatest challenges, as it entails intricate and diverse tasks that will have profound economic and social ramifications. Until now, researchers have explored a wide variety of technology pathways, but there is still much work to be done in terms of decarbonizing national and local energy systems.
Mt. SAC
- Dr. Eugene Mahmoud
- Project Description: I'm conducting engineering education research related to the experiences of engineering transfer students, engineering education partnerships, and social technical learning. This includes study design, quantitative and qualitative data collection and data analysis, and critical theorizing. I'm looking for students who are interested in asking research questions at the intersection engineering degree pathways, higher education policy, and social justice.
- Mode: Hybrid
- Responsibilities: Students will start the term by doing some reading from relevant research literature and creating a plan for a study of their interest. Students will precede with a preliminary study involving data collection and analysis, as they continue to read relevant research literature. Students will conclude their study with data analysis and a preliminary written reflection about their findings.
- Preferred Skills: None
- Skills/laboratory techniques/knowledge that the students will gain from participating in this project: Students will learn how to design studies for education research, engage with research literature, consider different methods, contrast theoretical frameworks, align the components of their study, conduct data collection and data analysis, and write for a broad education research audience.