UROP Project
materials science, engineering, mechanical testing
Research Mentor: Santiago Lazarte, He/him/his
Department, College, Affiliation: Materials Science and Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: s.lazarte@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Materials Science and Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: s.lazarte@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science
Biomedical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Industrial and manufacturing engineering
Chemistry
Physics
Project Location: AME building (Engineering Campus) - 2003 Levy Ave Tallahassee, FL 32310
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Innovation bus route Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Sept 3 @4 PM to 4:30 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95751333027)
Sept 4 @3:30 PM to 4 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95751333027)
Sept 5 @4 PM to 4:30 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95751333027)
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science
Biomedical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Industrial and manufacturing engineering
Chemistry
Physics
Project Location: AME building (Engineering Campus) - 2003 Levy Ave Tallahassee, FL 32310
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Innovation bus route Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 10,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Sept 3 @4 PM to 4:30 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95751333027)
Sept 4 @3:30 PM to 4 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95751333027)
Sept 5 @4 PM to 4:30 PM (https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95751333027)
Project Description
In mechanical systems, the friction and wear of materials causes large amounts of waste in both energy and cost. Improvements in frictional losses in passenger automobiles in the next 15-20 years could save the world 1 x 10^11 gallons of gasoline per year, reduce CO2 emission by 1000 (million) tons per year and would result in an energy reduction of 13,472,000 TJ/year. Wear of materials could easily have as much of a functional and economic impact as friction. Replacement of worn components is costly due to component costs, replacement labor costs, losses from equipment downtime and the environmental impacts of discarding components. Thin coatings and solid lubricants are of interest in the field of tribology (the study of contacting materials in relative motion) and are being used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), cutting tools, and aerospace applications to improve the performance and life-time of the components. They are very thin (~100 nm) and sometimes they show low resistivity and “self-lubrication”, requiring no added oil or grease for low friction performance. The processing and fabrication parameters influence the structure and properties of the coatings. However, the processing-structure-properties relationship is not folly mapped out for these coatings. In this research project, students will have exposure to mechanical testing, sample handling, and the development of custom instrumentation for testing the performance of our desired samples. Students will also have exposure to other projects and people from different fields, enhancing their scientific perspective and approach to tackle research problems.Research Tasks: Literature review, experiment planing, data collection, MATLAB coding, data processing
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Recommended:
-MATLAB/coding
-Calculus
-electrical circuits
-physics
-time management
*Nothing is required. The right person will be taught the necessary skills for the project.*
Mentoring Philosophy
By facilitating the skills and probing the understanding of the mentee throughout the research process I will create an environment where the mentee feels safe communicating their ideas and helping out with the research projects. My ultimate goal is to teach the mentee how to conduct high-quality research and prepare them to the extent where they can operate as an independent unit where I will be accessible for guidance and validation. The way I use to achieve this is with hands-on experience in the lab with graduate students and the professor. I also strongly believe in work-life boundaries. I use an open communication method where I can be reached by phone, email, or in person (office drop-in). This allows me to normalize communication between us and use the same channel to inform unavailability rather than have no communication at all. Expectations of each other will be talked during our initial meetings.Additional Information
Our lab group submitted multiple projects with different graduate students. Feel free to search them as well. Working here would also give you an opportunity to get involved/exposed to the following projects:Catherine Fidd - Microparticle filled PTFE for tribological applications
Adam Delong - Characterization of protective coatings for extreme environments
Craig Barbour - Tribological Studies of Hydrogen Resistant Materials
Santiago Lazarte - Mechanical Characterization of scaffolds for cartilage regeneration