Research
Research on Mechanical Properties in Additively-Manufactured Steel Alloy
Starting January 2020, I have been working in the Micromaterials Characterization Lab in UMBC's Mechanical Engineering Department under Dr. Marc Zupan and Dr. Michael Duffy. I work approximately 10 hours a week and I expect to continue work in this lab until I graduate in May 2021. This totals to approximately 480 hours with 16 weeks in a semester and 3 semesters of work. I will also be continuing my research full-time over Summer 2020, adding additional hours to the overall total. This experience can be listed as a Gold Level Experience because of the large time commitment and the close connection to my Grand Challenge.
I will be applying for the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) for the 2020-2021 academic year. The lab is currently working with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWC Carderock) to test different properties of additively manufactured steel alloys. As a whole, we are utilizing microsamples to test the material hardness, stress, and strain along with macrosamples to test stress and strain. I will be working with a team to test the macrosamples. My testing will include polishing the sample, etching it, and performing tensile testing on the sample. Once the testing is complete, I will be learning how to interpret the data and properly present it.
Reflection of Experience
My time involved with research has been an amazing, educational experience and I am so thankful I took the chance on it. Before I started in the lab, I did not particularly enjoy the field of material science and I was uncertain if I wanted to attempt research at all. My experience has completely changed my stance on both of these. I found that when I am able to have hands-on experience in this field, I actually really like and understand the material. I also learned that research is extremely hands-on and it allows you the freedom to learn and test new things outside of a classroom. Prior to my experience, I knew that I particularly enjoyed building things and completing hands-on projects. Now I know that I could not work in a job/field that does not allow me this interactive experience.
In order to obtain my research position, I had to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to professors for help. I am so glad that I took the initiative to find out more about my professor’s research because now I am able to be a part of it. I learned that reaching outside your comfort zone and directly asking about something is the best approach to getting what you want. I now have more confidence in talking to professors and other professionals since I have now formed such positive relationships with the people I work with in these positions.
Due to my positive research experience, I have decided that I want to pursue a Master's degree so I can continue researching in the academic field. As for my future career, I now know that I want to go into something that focuses heavily on research with the hands-on aspects. Before I started working in the lab, I had written research off as something that didn’t pay as much as industry and therefore couldn’t possibly be as good. I have since learned that my previous thinking was flawed because I have enjoyed the work in my research experience more than my work in my previous industry experience. I think that research also provides a strong approach for the goals of my Grand Challenge and will provide more opportunities to help me change the world.
The lab I am working in has strong international connections that have inspired me to want to go abroad to either complete my Master's or do research for it. Since joining the lab, I have learned about graduate programs at Osnabrück University in Germany and the University of Porto in Portugal due to the international experiences of my fellow researchers. Dr. Zupan has inspired me to take his Global Engineering class and I hope to learn even more about the University of Porto during that class this fall.
Learning Objectives
My research experience connects to the idea of perspectivism because I have been actively learning and questioning the tasks that I perform. Since I started in the lab with minimal knowledge and experience with material science, I have been asking everyone else in the lab many questions in order to better understand what’s going on. I’ve found that if I ask multiple people to show me how to operate something or explain a concept, then the information resonates better with me. It’s very interesting to see how a person with a PhD explains a process compared to a fellow undergraduate. I have benefited greatly from these multiple perspectives thus far and I know it will continue throughout my time in the lab.
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I have been able to effectively connect multiple ideas and approaches between my research and courses I have previously taken or am currently taking. Presently, I am taking the Solid Mechanics and Materials Laboratory with an instructor who is also my supervisor in the lab. The material covered in the course lectures and experiments relates directly to the work that I am participating in for my research. Having different aspects of the material covered in two different places has helped me to understand the research better.
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During my research experience, I have been able to develop my inquiry skills, by developing my specific knowledge of the lab processes to better perform in my tasks. In the lab, I have access to a variety of amazing mentors on a daily basis. These people have encouraged me to ask questions constantly which has greatly enhanced my understanding of the inner-workings of the lab and the reasoning behind each process. Once I understand the reason behind a process, I feel like I am better able to perform the process as I know the exact outcome we are looking for and why we are performing the process. I have started spending time outside of this work reviewing concepts in textbooks to help me have a more accurate understanding of the tests being performed in the lab.