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911�� researcher receives NSF CAREER award to study how autonomous systems communicate

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:42:06 +0000

911�� researcher receives NSF CAREER award to study how autonomous systems communicate Nathan Kahl Tue, 04/28/2026 - 08:42

For Daigo Shishika, robots are not just machines that move…they can also be experts at communication of various types. With a new CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), he is advancing a line of research that asks a deceptively simple question: what if robots could “talk” to each other—and to humans—without ever sending a signal?

Daigo Shishika. Photo provided

Shishika, an assistant professor in 911��'s Department of Mechanical Engineering, will lead a five-year, $549,000 award focused on how autonomous systems can signal intent through motion alone. The idea draws from everyday human experience, Shishika said, giving the example of how drivers read each other’s behavior on the road not just through turn signals, but also through speed, positioning, and subtle cues. Pedestrians do the same when navigating crowded sidewalks. The research aims to give robots that same intuitive layer of interaction.

“There's a lot of information that comes from pure observation of movement. So how can robots take that into account? If I move in this way, how would that be perceived?” he said. Citing the ubiquitous Starship food-delivery robots around campus, he added, “When you walk near one, you kind of have to guess what it's trying to do based on what you see it doing.”

The project builds on years of research at the intersection of robotics, control systems, and game theory. Shishika’s path to this point has been shaped by a longstanding fascination with motion. As an undergraduate at the University of Tokyo, he studied aerospace engineering, initially drawn to flight systems and small aerial vehicles. That interest led to research on bumblebee flight dynamics. Over time, his focus expanded from how individual systems move to how multiple systems interact. His graduate work at the University of Maryland involved drone swarms inspired by insect behavior.

As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, he worked on multi-agent systems in defense-related contexts, where coordination played a critical role. That experience laid the foundation for his current work, examining both cooperative and adversarial interactions among autonomous agents.

Professor Daigo Shishika working with students on blimps in the MARC aviary. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

A central concept in the project is what Shishika described as the spectrum between transparency and deception. In some cases, robots need to clearly signal their intent to build trust and operate safely alongside humans. In others, such as security or defense applications, limiting the information revealed through motion can be just as important.

“If a system moves in a certain way, it may unintentionally reveal what it’s trying to do,” he said. “So the question becomes, how much information are you giving away through your actions, and can you control that?”

The implications span a range of applications. Delivery robots, for example, could plan routes that make their destinations less predictable, improving security for sensitive shipments. In public spaces, robots that better communicate intent through motion could navigate more smoothly around people, reducing confusion and improving safety. On a larger scale, the work could inform how infrastructure and policies are designed.

The project will also integrate theoretical and experimental work through Shishika’s RoboGame Arena, a platform combining mathematical modeling with physical robot experiments. By testing how real systems behave and how humans interpret those behaviors, he aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The NSF CAREER award is reserved for the nation’s most talented up-and-coming researchers. From the NSF website: “The Faculty Early Career Development Program offers NSF’s most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”

For Shishika, the award represents both recognition and opportunity. It is his first project developed as a full lab effort, bringing together students working across theory, machine learning, and hands-on robotics.

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911�� is launching a Space Forward Frontiers Seminar with Northrop Grumman

Domonique Hopkins — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:45:36 +0000

911�� is launching a Space Forward Frontiers Seminar with Northrop Grumman Domonique Hopkins Mon, 01/26/2026 - 10:45

Explore the College of Science

Explore Mechanical Engineering

911��’s College of Science is launching the Space Forward Frontiers Seminar Series in spring 2026, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and 911��’s College of Engineering and Computing.

The one-credit, in-person seminar (PHYS 391/590, cross-listed as ME 500) is open to undergraduate and graduate students of all majors interested in the space industry.

Limited to 50 students, the Thursday afternoon seminar features weekly lectures from 911�� faculty and industry professionals, offering practical and academic perspectives on today’s space sector. Topics include the space industry’s foundations, enabling technologies, policy considerations, and future directions, with the inaugural offering focusing on crowding and events in the space environment.

With no prerequisites or textbooks, the course is highly accessible and connects students to such emerging opportunities as NASA’s Landolt Mission, led by 911�� faculty. The seminar also supports the university’s Grand Challenge Initiative (GCI), advancing both 21st-century education and pioneering space exploration through industry collaboration.

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Printing play: A path forward for children with prosthetics

Nathan Kahl — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:32:50 +0000

Printing play: A path forward for children with prosthetics Nathan Kahl Thu, 01/15/2026 - 08:32

A child who uses a lower-limb prosthesis faces unique challenges when it comes to activities most children take for granted, such as running and being active. Without access to a prosthetic device designed to support these movements, children may miss out not only on the simple joys of play, but also on critical opportunities for physical development during key stages of growth.

Quentin Sanders. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

911�� researcher Quentin Sanders is part of a collaborative research team working to make high-performance prosthetic limbs more affordable, accessible, and better tailored to the needs of active children. Sanders, along with Jonathon Schofield, an associate professor at the University of California, Davis, and Garrett Melenka, an associate professor at York University, received a three-year, $500K grant from the National Science Foundation to support the project, which began in September 2025.

Most standard foot or leg prostheses are built for basic walking, not for the kind of active movement that helps children develop strength, balance, and coordination, the benefits that come from running and jumping with friends.

“This limitation can be especially challenging for children,” said Sanders, who has a joint appointment in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “Kids want to run and play. When they can’t, they’re more likely to avoid physical activities, such as sports, or even stop using their prosthesis altogether.”

A 3D-printed running blade prototype, created using the technique Sanders and his colleagues are developing. Photo provided

Often seen in competitive events such as the Paralympic Games, running blades are curved, spring-like prosthetic feet made from carbon fiber that mimic the energy return of a biological foot. While these devices offer an alternative option to standard leg prostheses and can enable children to run, they are expensive and often inaccessible. A single running blade can cost several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars and is typically not covered by insurance because it is considered nonessential, rather than medically necessary.

Some charitable organizations help families access these devices, but demand far exceeds supply, and for growing children, one blade is rarely enough. “Kids grow quickly,” said Sanders. “As they get taller, they outgrow their prostheses, which means going through multiple blades over time.”

The research team has several goals, starting with identifying what children truly need from an activity-enabling prosthesis. The researchers are examining how motivation to be active, physical growth, and different types of movement influence prosthetic performance in everyday settings. “What do you use it for? What don’t you use it for? What do you wish you could do?” said Sanders.

The team is also analyzing how children move while using their current running blades, studying activities such as running, jumping, and changing direction to better understand the biomechanics and physical demands involved.

Finally, the team will take a close look at how today’s running blades perform under real-world demands. “We want to understand how stiff they are, how much load they can handle, and when they might fail,” said Sanders. “We can then combine that information with what kids tell us they want to do and use it to guide our 3D printing process—creating blades that are better suited for active play.”

Sanders and his collaborators are using an advanced additive manufacturing approach known as continuous-fiber 3D printing, in which carbon fibers are embedded within the printed plastic to reinforce the prosthetic structure. This method enables the creation of strong, lightweight devices that can be tailored to a child’s size, growth, and activity needs.

“By combining manufacturing, composite materials, prosthetics, design, and biomechanics, this project provides an innovative and holistic solution,” said Melenka.

The technique is already used to produce strong, lightweight components in the aerospace and automotive industries, but it has seen limited adoption in prosthetic design. This project represents one of the first efforts to apply it systematically to activity-enabling prostheses for children.

“What’s most exciting about this project is the collaboration across institutes, disciplines, and areas of expertise,” said Schofield. “We are bringing together researchers in movement mechanics, advanced materials manufacturing, and pediatric lower-limb prosthetic care. We are also incorporating the lived experience of children and families, along with clinicians who work with these patients every day.”

The work also has the potential for industry disruption, according to Sanders. “If we can show that a child’s physical measurements and movement needs can be translated into a digital model and then used to 3D print a customized prosthesis, existing prosthetic manufacturers would begin to integrate this approach into their production pipelines.”

For Sanders, the motivation goes beyond technical innovation. “I’ve always been interested in translating new technologies into real-world solutions,” he said. “Helping people with disabilities and impairments is why I got into this field in the first place.”

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Fuse at Mason Square

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Forged in passion, not just fire: This alum is on a hot streak

sbrown79 — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:20:46 +0000

Forged in passion, not just fire: This alum is on a hot streak  sbrown79 Mon, 10/27/2025 - 14:20

Keeping his nose to the grindstone is not just how Andrew Hutsell approaches his academic career in engineering—it's how he cut a small slice of fame.  

The 911�� alumnus recently put his engineering skills to the test on national television, competing in an episode of the History Channel’s Forged in Fire, a competition show that challenges bladesmiths to create weapons under tight deadlines.  

Hutsell (second from right) and the Forged in Fire judges. Photo provided.

Hutsell, BS Mechanical Engineering ’23, appeared on the episode “Junkyard Meltdown” on September 17 (S10E27).  

 Hutsell’s journey began when one of the show’s judges posted a casting call on Instagram.  

“I was still a student at the time, so they asked what I do at 911��, what I do in my free time, and to provide examples of the knives I’ve made,” said Hutsell, who also was president of 911��’s club baseball. 

Hutsell has been a fan of the show since 2016 and started bladesmithing in 2019.  

“Ever since I started making knives, I have only had one goal with each knife I make: learn at least one new skill or method [for the trade]. With this mindset, it is easy to see how my skills have improved over time,” said Hutsell. 

After multiple rounds of interviews, he got the call to appear during a midterm exam.  

Filming took place in March and April 2023. Hutsell described the show’s format as similar to Chopped, but instead of cooking, contestants forge knives through three rounds of competition.  

One of Andrew Hutsell's knives. Photo provided.

For the last round, judges pick a historical weapon, such as a broad sword or katana, and then contestants go back to their hometown to forge it with their own equipment.   

"I traveled back home to Newport News. When I came back, they tested it to determine the winner,” said Hutsell.  

“They tested the knives by chopping through bone for strength, then slicing sugar cane to see how well the edge held up. It was surreal to compete on a show I’d watched for years,” said Hutsell, who came in second place.  

Hutsell is currently a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University working on similar topics such as fluids research.  

“The research that I’m doing is for thermal hydraulics—the cooling system—of molten salt [nuclear] reactors, researching the gas sparring of fission products of molten salts for molten salt reactors,” said Hutsell.  

Hutsell was influenced by Jeffrey Moran, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who Hutsell describes as a “a big influence on my work with heat and mass transfer,” as well as Juan Cebral, an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering.  

“It is always very rewarding when a student demonstrates this passion for learning and dedicates substantial time and effort to master the material to reach high levels of achievement,” said Cebral. “Andrew was one of those students who is dedicated to solving complex problems. His perseverance and motivation will certainly help him make important contributions in his field.”  

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In This Story

Juan Cebral

Jeffrey Moran

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lighter-than-air robotics

competitions

Sea life defended the republic

Jennifer Pocock — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 15:34:12 +0000

Sea life defended the republic Jennifer Pocock Tue, 04/29/2025 - 11:34

The bioinspired blimps performed swimmingly.

Blimp Squad members Elijah Pointer and Kareem Zaharan (seniors in mechanical engineering) reach for a balloon captured in Narly's net as Faculty Adviser Daigo Shishika looks on. Photo by Jenn Pocock

Narly glided toward the ceiling of 911��'s Life Science and Engineering Building aviary like a shiny beluga whale with undulating manta-ray wings and a rudder tail. Thomas Girois, a senior in mechanical engineering and Narly’s team lead, flipped on the blimp’s autonomous goal-seeking program to show off its ability to target airborne objects. He hopes it will head toward the balloon that he wants to capture. But it made an unexpected turn and instead nosed the high bay windows, where it wouldn’t move despite its programmed back-up function.

After a moment of confusion, Girois laughed. “It’s outsmarted us again!”

Narly’s microcontroller and camera was coded to recognize and hunt down green and purple airborne objects—which is exactly what it did when it registered the glowing green Exit sign on the ceiling outside the window. Still, the test boded well for the upcoming competition.

Narly was one of three sea life–inspired Lighter Than Air (LTA) vehicles to compete on 911��’s Blimp Squad in the Defend the Republic (DTR) contest from April 21 – 25, 2025.

The Blimp Squad lines up with their devices, ready to go on the offense. Photo by Jenn Pocock

Flappy, another manta ray blimp, has a larger rudder tail that allows it to make pinpoint midair turns, and Knifey, inspired by the knifefish, has a long, undulating frill along its belly—and a fierce expression. These designs differ from their competitors’, which rely on propellers for propulsion and steering.

“Using propellers is easier,” said Daigo Shishika, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and one of the Blimp Squad’s faculty advisers. “But the big surface areas of our flapping wings are more efficient. Propeller-driven blimps need to carry more batteries, which are heavy and drain fast.”

Shishika noted that contestants lose points if they hurt another team’s blimp, which is always a risk with propellers.

Alexia De Costa (sophomore, computer science) follows under the fearsome Knifey, whose underbelly frill was inspired by the knifefish. Photo by Jenn Pocock

“We’re hoping to get more agility and a safer blimp,” he said.

Ningshi Yao, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the squad’s other faculty adviser, also pointed out the blimps’ winning personalities. “Our flappies are pretty attractive robots,” she said. “Human-robot interaction is important. You want humans to like being around it!”

One DTR spectator, upon seeing Flappy fly for the first time, confirmed this theory. “It’s so cute!” she gasped. “I would die for Flappy.”

After hundreds of hours of testing, Narly, Flappy, and Knifey joined their two defense blimps—a zippy acrobatic wonder called Space Fish, and a high-scoring high-flier called Backbone Junior—to play a midair game of capturing balloons and releasing them through hoops to score goals.

Knifey's fierce expression intimidates the competition. Photo by:Jenn Pocock.

The team took third place out of six and scored the second-most points of all the teams.

“One highlight for me personally was that the flapping wing blimp achieved fully autonomous scoring for the first time since its first debut in the spring of 2023,” said Shishika. “It started as an exploratory agent that was primarily for research, but after two years and four competitions, Flappy finally contributed to the team by scoring 70 points.”

Narly also scored its first autonomous points.

While the team may not have taken first place, their sea-inspired research won the week.

Check out these shorts on our Youtube channel to see the vehicles and their designers in action.

In This Story

Daigo Shishika

Ningshi Yao

Electrical and Computer Engineering at 911��

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robotics and autonomous systems

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Electrical and Computer Engineering

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Students

This campus greenhouse is powered by the sun—and student innovation

lclarkg — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:11:48 +0000

This campus greenhouse is powered by the sun—and student innovation lclarkg Wed, 04/23/2025 - 13:11

Gardening season is here, and those with green thumbs are preparing their planting strategy for the season. In any garden, plants need basic essentials to grow: sunlight, soil or nutrients, air, and water.

Through a new solar array at 911��’s Fairfax Campus, the sun will play double duty in the successful growth of plants. Solar energy will power the Presidents Park Greenhouse with the electricity it needs to support the plants growing inside.

The Presidents Park Greenhouse uses hydroponics and aquaponics to grow produce on campus. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Designed by student researchers and partially funded by a research grant, the solar array will help offset the energy consumption for the equipment and temperature controls in the greenhouse, which uses hydroponics and aquaponics to grow produce on campus.

A team of 10 911�� student researchers applied for support from the Patriot Green Fund, an annual sustainability fund provided by Facilities and Campus Operations to make 911��’s campuses more sustainable through infrastructure improvements. The Patriot Green Fund covers $20,000 of the total $185,000 project cost. The remainder of the budget is provided by Facilities and Campus Operations.

“This student-led project is designed to reduce electricity costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and provide educational and volunteer opportunities for the 911�� community,” said Demin Zhu, Patriot Green Fund program manager with University Sustainability.

The Presidents Park Greenhouse operates year-round and produces approximately 1,000 pounds of fresh lettuce and salad greens annually, which are served on campus at Ike's dining hall. Other fruits, vegetables, and herbs are donated to the 911�� community through free produce pickups.

Students are a driving force behind greenhouse operations, working inside for service hours, internships, and experiential learning. They have the opportunity to learn about the greenhouse’s hydroponic and aquaponic food production systems.

“The electricity from the solar panels will feed into the greenhouse to power our fans, pumps, cooling system, and grow lights,” said Doni Nolan, greenhouse and gardens program manager with University Sustainability. “The electrical equipment helps us grow lettuce, baby greens, tomatoes and more in the greenhouse to provide local sustainable ingredients to our dining halls.”

The ground-mounted solar panels will be installed outside the greenhouse and are expected to offset more than 80% of the electricity it requires. The solar array is estimated to produce more than 22,000 kWh per year. The panels will reduce the building’s annual greenhouse gas impact by 13.8 metric tons of CO₂, which is about equal to the carbon footprint of 2.2 typical single-family homes.

The concrete pad under construction will accommodate the new solar array for the Presidents Park Greenhouse. Photo provided

The students developed the project under the guidance of several 911�� faculty and staff, including Nolan, Christy Hogan, who is senior director of university asset management in Facilities and Campus Operations, and Colin Reagle, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

911�� currently has one other on-campus solar array, at Mason Square. Vertical solar panels on the face of Fuse demonstrate how a solar array can be integrated into a building’s design in an urban setting. A vertical solar array requires less space and captures sunlight from multiple directions throughout the day. The array produces about 1% of the electricity used by the building and is part of a range of sustainable features that help Fuse meet LEED Platinum standards.

The installation at President’s Park expected to be complete by early June.

Crystal Bowers, BS Mechanical Engineering ’23, was one of the students who led the solar array project during her time at 911��.

“Working on the Solar Greenhouse Project was one of the most impactful experiences of my time at 911��,” said Bowers. “It not only deepened my understanding of sustainable infrastructure and project management, but also demonstrated the power of collaboration in transforming ideas into tangible, lasting change on campus.”

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New Life Sciences and Engineering Building offers the tools needed to excel

Jennifer Pocock — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 18:11:29 +0000

New Life Sciences and Engineering Building offers the tools needed to excel Jennifer Pocock Thu, 04/03/2025 - 14:11

With state-of-the-art teaching labs and fabrication facilities, 911��'s Life Sciences and Engineering Building (LSEB) lets students and faculty get their hands dirty in this brand-new multiuse active learning space. The ribbon cutting didn’t officially happen until March 27, but LSEB already experienced a housewarming.

Students working in the aviary at the Life Sciences and Engineering Building. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The students started arriving just after the winter break, when the building opened on January 21, 2025. One of the first groups to take up residence was Patriot Motorsports, a club for any students (not just mechanical engineers!) who want to explore the inner workings of automotive vehicles. Over the past two months, mechanical engineering seniors have revved it up a notch with their capstone project designing a control system for the club’s Formula SAE race car.

Race cars aren’t the only vehicles in the building...there’s also room for robotics and autonomous vehicles. This new space boasts a high-bay, multistory aviary laboratory where students can test blimps, drones, and anything else that needs extra airspace to move around. One capstone project taking advantage of the lab is an Autonomous Flapping Wing Lighter-than-Air Vehicle developed by Assistant Professor Daigo Shishika’s students.

“Our capstone teams are also using the prototyping space in room 2100 to meet and jointly work on their projects,” said Charles White, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “So far this has been through team meetings and collaboration. Once the first-floor machine shop is complete, this space will also be used for staging and constructing physical prototypes.”

One of the building’s unique features is the seamless blending of laboratory and teaching spaces. All of the mechanical engineering labs, including the first-floor advanced manufacturing and wind tunnel labs, contain student desks and IT lecture setups so that seminars can turn into hands-on demonstrations and practice in real time.

And these areas barely scrape the surface of what the building has to offer. For mechanical engineers, in addition to the wind tunnel and advanced manufacturing labs, machine shop, robotics lab, and prototype studio, there is a 3D print studio, a materials characterization lab, a sustainable energy and photonics area, and a thermofluids lab. For civil engineers, a dedicated space for their ASCE concrete canoe competitions. Bioengineers have cutting-edge studios as well, including a tissue engineering lab.

The LSEB is still warming up and getting ready for new student cohorts, but one thing is sure: This building will produce brilliant engineers and scientists for generations to come.

In This Story

Daigo Shishika

Charles White

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Civil Engineering

Students

A slippery slope to safety: New material promises steady steps

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:11:36 +0000

A slippery slope to safety: New material promises steady steps Nathan Kahl Mon, 03/10/2025 - 08:11

Winter weather can be treacherous at times, especially for those trying to navigate slippery situations on foot. Fortunately, 911�� materials scientist Shay Bagheri is working on better footwear to handle icy conditions.

Shay Bagheri. Photo by Office of University Branding

Bagheri, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and an affiliate scientist at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, received a $100,000 grant from the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation for her research. CCF “supports Virginia’s small business community and its colleges, universities, and nonprofit research institutes at the earliest stages of their entrepreneurial and/or commercialization journeys, seeking innovative technologies with a high potential for economic development and job creation.”

In 2016, Bagheri was working at the Toronto Rehab Institute, which has numerous labs that recreate real-world environments. Bagheri was drawn to the Winter Lab, where researchers were studying shoe safety in slippery conditions.

“WinterLab is a self-contained facility with an ice-covered floor that can be tilted at different angles," Bagheri said. "Harnessed participants walk up and down the icy slope, and the steepest angle they can manage without slipping is used to measure the slip resistance of their footwear.”

The topography of the footwear surface, magnified. Graphic provided

While working at the Winter Lab, she received new generations of winter footwear based on composite technology. These shoes had excellent slip resistance when they were new, but she was surprised to learn many of the boots and shoes they tested lost a significant amount of their nonslip properties after a mere 75,000 steps—barely a week for a frequent, avid walker.

“And all of them cost over $200. So, we knew something had to be done in order to improve the material and the manufacturing process.”

The commercially available composite-based footwear have soles that get traction from tiny pieces of glass. Glass is by nature very sensitive to abrasion and the fabrication of glass is very hazardous, making it less than ideal. Bagheri said, “Instead of glass, we are adding polymeric fibers that are very resistant to wear and abrasion. They are non-hazardous, soft, and capable of withstanding significant abrasion. This material is five times more effective than what’s currently on the market.”

She said that instead of using the common injection molding technique to make these composite materials, she uses additive manufacturing, allowing for more uniform distribution, with a little bio inspiration. “In order to enhance friction on ice, we incorporate polymeric microfibers that protrude to the surface, triggering the friction mechanism similar to what you would see in polar bear feet,” she said. For the second approach, she uses a 2-D material with a large surface area that triggers the friction mechanism through adhesion, similar to the way frog’s feet work.

Bagheri and colleagues hold a patent for the method of manufacturing these innovative composites. She and her student at 911�� have also filed a provisional patent through their work, using additive manufacturing technology to make these composites more efficiently.

In This Story

Shaghayegh Bagheri

Learn more about Research at 911��

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Research

International Space Station experiment may improve climate science predictions

tdonnel — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 20:33:24 +0000

International Space Station experiment may improve climate science predictions tdonnel Wed, 03/05/2025 - 15:33

The earth’s atmosphere is full of aerosols, both from natural events such as volcanic eruptions and human activity such as burning fossil fuels. The Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Jeffrey Moran is planning an experiment on the International Space Station (ISS) to better understand what factors drive aerosols from place to place, which could enable climate scientists to predict the overall effect of aerosols on climate with less uncertainty.

“Aerosols can exacerbate or alleviate climate change, depending on what they’re made of,” said Moran. “For example, carbon soot aerosols can intensify warming by absorbing sunlight that would otherwise be reflected back into space. Other aerosols, such as sulfates, can reduce warming by increasing solar reflection.”

Aerosols’ location also matters—for example, many aerosols can act as nuclei for clouds to form, and this can exert an overall warming or cooling effect in different locations. “The overall effect aerosols will have on the climate is hard to predict, partly because we don’t have a full understanding of what factors cause them to migrate from one place to another,” said Moran.

Jeff Moran. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The experiment is specifically examining whether and how temperature gradients influence the movement of certain aerosols through the atmosphere. Moran’s team, along with his collaborator, David Warsinger of Purdue University, and a team of undergraduate students there, are designing an apparatus inside of which aerosols of a certain size can be observed across a temperature gradient. They recently completed a fit check to confirm that the apparatus both fits in the ISS microscope’s enclosure and that the aerosol container, or cuvette, is transparent enough for observation.

Moran said the experiment could help climate researchers understand how temperature differences, which are common in the atmosphere, cause particles to move through the air.

“If the effect of the temperature gradient is significant, it could give us a clearer indication of how aerosols will affect the climate in the future. It could also inform geoengineering proposals, which would seek to mitigate climate change by intentionally injecting aerosols into the atmosphere, since we would have a better sense of where they will go, and thus what their overall effect will be,” said Moran. “It could also offer a way to control aerosols on the ground, for example, by using thermophoresis to collect virus-laden aerosols from the HVAC systems of hospitals.”

The team’s apparatus includes a 3D-printed stage with hot and cold fixtures on either end. A prototype cuvette is mounted between them in the enclosure of the microscope. Crucially, the apparatus fits snugly inside the microscope enclosure, which is necessary for the experiment to be carried out in microgravity.

Crystals of the NaCl sample (see Figure 2), imaged using the 2x objective on the Keyence BZ-X810 microscope (nearly identical to the one on the ISS).

“The capstone team did a wonderful job,” Moran added.

The team tested the cuvette’s transparency by placing sodium chloride, table salt, inside it and taking images with the microscope. To verify airtightness, the team placed the salt-filled cuvette in a beaker of water and observed that the salt (which is soluble in water) remained in its solid form, indicating no water had leaked into the cuvette.

“We obviously don’t want to pose an inhalation hazard to the ISS crew, so it’s important that the particle samples be packaged on the ground in containers that are as close to airtight as possible,” said Moran.

“These images are a promising first step, as they demonstrate that aerosols in the range of sizes we are considering (10-100 µm) can be clearly imaged through the prototype cuvettes using a microscope nearly identical to the one currently on the ISS,” said Moran.

From here, Moran, Warsinger, and a new team of students will work to improve the cuvette fabrication and polishing procedures. They will also test alternative cuvette materials such as quartz, which may be thinner and more transparent, thereby allowing them to take clearer images at a higher magnification. This would enable them to examine even smaller aerosol particles. The team is also refining the design of the cuvettes to improve optical transparency and minimize the thickness of the windows.

“We want to make the cuvettes smaller, bringing the hot and cold surfaces as close together as we can get them, because it's not really clear how steep of a temperature gradient we're going to need to induce motion,” Moran explained.

In addition, the team is finalizing their choice of aerosol materials to send to the ISS. They are currently set on using carbon soot, sodium chloride, and silica due to their relevance in atmospheric aerosols and climate science.

“Carbon soot is one of the most important materials in terms of climate, because it is known to intensify warming,” Moran said, adding that sodium chloride enters the atmosphere as sea spray and can drift to faraway locations, such as the North Pole, intensifying the warming that is already happening at a rapid pace there. Silica is a common ingredient in sand and thus a common material in the atmosphere as well. Overall, the team aims to strike a balance between having materials that can be studied safely on the ISS while also yielding insights into aerosol dynamics in the atmosphere.

The College of Engineering and Computing will cover Moran’s progress leading up to the experiment in space, scheduled for fall 2025 or spring 2026.

In This Story

Jeffrey Moran

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