EMU Today

YPSILANTI – A group of Eastern Michigan University students who showed how to extract water from Mars for human habitation and placed second in a national Student Design Challenge hosted by NASA enjoyed a new and exciting experience this past summer.  

The team of physics seniors, who participated in the contest as part of a capstone course taught by professor Dave Pawlowski, attended the annual Biocence Conference, which was held at the Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland from August 14-17. NASA supported the full financial cost of the trip. 

“Going to this conference allowed us to network and talk with other professionals in our field and make connections that might be beneficial to our future careers,” said Andrew Richardson, one of the students in the group.

Richardson, who graduated from Eastern last spring, currently works on the Detroit Windsor Tunnel as an engineering project analyst. He plans on going to graduate school to study renewable and sustainable systems.

The Eastern team included five in addition to Richardson. The members were Larry Borum III, Rosalie Tezak, Ryan Walker, Kyle Wilhelm and Sam Carano.  

While at the conference, the students learned about biomimicry, that is, how nature inspires innovation, along with its applications from a variety of government and industry experts, Pawlowski said.

The students were given a tour of the Glenn Research Center, where they learned about bioinspired designs for space exploration, aeronautics, and even met animals whose traits have inspired existing technologies.

One example was the Kookaburra, a bird whose efficient diving abilities in flight inspired engineers to design the noise resistant capabilities of Japanese bullet trains.  

The team also created a poster to showcase their work for the rest of the attendees, which was well-received.

 “Overall, I think the project was a highly valuable experience,” said Pawlowski, speaking of the students’ work. “They were tasked with something that they didn't have much experience with prior to starting and I purposefully didn't provide any solutions, or even any instructions on how to proceed. 

“The students were responsible for picking their own objectives and setting up a plan for how to achieve them.  In this way, they become vested in their work, since it is truly their own, and they get to expand their existing knowledge base in a way that is personally meaningful.”   

The 2018 Biocene Conference marks the end of this team’s time together, Pawlowski noted, as some of them have graduated and have started working or will start graduate school soon.

The senior capstone project in Physics is a required course in Eastern Michigan University’s Physics programs, housed in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. For more information, please contact the Department at 734.487.4144. 

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves 20,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.