UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #896

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Eric Hellstrom
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: He
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: Prof.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): hellstrom@asc.magnet.fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: Mechanical Engineering
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Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): Jianyi Jiang
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: He
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): jjiang@asc.magnet.fsu.edu
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Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
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Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Quantiative micrsocopy of high-temperature superconducting wires
Project Keywords: Superconductors, microscopy, microstructure
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 1
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Engineering, Physics, Chemistry

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: {Empty}
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: In-person
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 10
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: During business hours
Overall Research Project Description:
High-temperature superconducting wires, which are about 1 mm in diameter, can carry more than 1000 A at liquid nitrogen temperature (4.2 K), whereas the copper wiring used in buildings is only rated to 20-30 A.  Inside these wires are about 1000 filaments of the superconducting material.  The project is to polish the wires to expose the filaments and then use image analysis of optical and scanning electron microscope images of the filaments to quantify the geometry of the filaments. The goal is to determine how the geometry of the filaments affects the amount of electrical current the wires can carry.

Research Tasks:
Grind and polish samples; optical microscopy of samples; analyze images of samples using commercial software to quantify the geometry of each filament in the wire; use statistical analysis to compare the geometry of different wires and their current carrying capacity

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Required: Patience; perseverance, good fine motor skills, inquisitiveness 

Mentoring Philosophy:
The student will be part of the Applied Superconductivity Center, where we have many undergrads work in the lab.  Our goal is provide an opportunity to learn about how to do research.  Our philosophy is to have the student work on an aspect of an ongoing research project where the student can see how their results contribute to the overall project.  We expect that once the student is trained, they will take responsibility for their research.  We value communication and help the student learn how to present their results by having them talk about their research progress several times per semester in our weekly research meetings.  

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: https://nationalmaglab.org/magnet-development/applied-superconductivity-center/
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: No
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
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UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

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Year: 2024
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=hr3o08JSBf7KfM5ddlj0fBuPPNwqkNS2Gj8j53Q-Dko