Zoe Barbeau

Student

Zoe Barbeau

Files

Cohort

2018-2019

Biography

Zoe Barbeau is an undergraduate student in Mechanical Engineering. She has research experience in renewable energy, bioengineering, and fluid mechanics. In renewable energy, she interned at the Florida Solar Energy Center where she worked on photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices. Recently, she has worked on the processing of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells funded by UCF’s Burnett Research Scholar’s program. As part of University of Colorado Boulder’s National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates in Soft Materials, she studied the relationship of mechanical loading and osteocytes. Zoe has also studied the effects of stellar rotation on stellar wind dynamics using numerical methods.

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Bhimsen Shivamoggi, Full Professor

Undergraduate Major

Mechanical Engineering

Future Plans

y goal is to obtain a PH.D. in mechanical engineering or applied mathematics and work for Department of Energy to develop renewable energy solutions.

Research

Processing and Mechanical Properties of Zr02 based Electrolytes Ceramics for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Oxygen Separation Membranes

Dr. Nina Orlovskaya

University of Central Florida

The purpose of this study is to examine the biaxial strength and mechanical properties of 8 % mol Y2O3 ZrO2 ceramic electrolytes to be used in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) and develop the procedure to generate these electrolytes via tape casting, a process to make a thin ceramic. A sufficient number of samples were generated for mechanical testing. In the future, the biaxial strength of the electrolytes will be measured, and their mechanical properties modeled using Weibull statistics.

Role of Prostaglandin E2 On Osteocyte Regulation

Dr. Stephanie Bryant

University of Colorado-Boulder

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a lipid mediator derived from arachonic acid, causes tissue inflammation and matrix degradation but also plays a crucial role in the maintenance and remodeling of bones.1 Osteocytes are major orchestrators of bone formation and remodeling and are mechanoresponsive. Under mechanical loading, osteocytes secrete PGE2 leading to bone formation. The objective of this study was to analyze the concentration dependent effects of PGE2 across different time points and treatment protocols, continuous or intermittent treatment, using IDG-SW3 cell line to determine a therapeutic range of PGE2.

Effect of Stellar Rotation on Stellar Wind Dynamics

Dr. Bhimsen Shivamoggi

University of Central Florida

Stellar wind is an interplanetary continuous outflow of hot plasma from a star and an associated remnant of the stellar magnetic field that pervades the space surrounding the star. A special case of the stellar wind is the solar wind that flows past the Earth and gives rise to the famous space weather problem with serious potential consequences for technological systems and life on Earth. Here, we focus on the dynamics of the stellar wind, and in particular, the acceleration mechanism that derives the plasma particles in the stellar wind to speeds of the order of 100 km/sec, as in the case of the solar wind. An ingenious model for such a mechanism was give by Parker which has been confirmed by in situ observations from satellites (Meyer-Vernet). NASA has just launched the Parker Solar Probe for closer observations. Parker’s model does not include the azimuthal flow effects in the stellar wind which is very important for strong rotating stars. The goal of this project is to address these details. A positive outcome on this investigation will greatly contribute toward our understanding of the dynamics of the stellar wind.

Keywords

Renewable Energy Materials, Ceramics, Biomaterials, Fluid Mechanics, Astrophysics

Zoe Barbeau


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