草榴社区

The 15th annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium student poster competition attracted students from across the world.

Courtesy Dave Cook

University students from across the United States and the world competed in the recent 15th annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium (VBS) student poster competition hosted by 草榴社区 (UAH) on Oct. 26-28.

鈥淭his is the fourth year that the VBS poster competition was open to academic research by students from any university,鈥� says Dave Cook, director of undergraduate research at UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System.

鈥淎s a result, we had 96 students apply, not only from UAH but also from across the country and internationally. We were really excited to have this opportunity for our undergraduate and graduate students to go head-to-head with students from other universities,鈥� he says. 鈥湶萘裆缜鴖 captured two of the finalist spots, and all of the participants did an excellent job representing their respective universities.鈥�

The poster session is an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to present research projects relevant to the aerospace industry, such as atmospheric science, Earth observation, space life sciences, space health, aerospace systems engineering and design, astrophysics, space weather, optics, economics, business, policy, sustainability, history, international relations, education, STEM outreach initiatives and related areas.

鈥淵ou could really feel the energy and enthusiasm in the room,鈥� Cook says.

鈥淪tudents had an opportunity to explain their research to a team of judges made up of American Astronautical Society (AAS) members,鈥� he says. 鈥淎dditionally, we were able to successfully utilize a new judging app created by UAH computer science undergraduate and graduate alumnus Nick West, bringing the poster session into the electronic era.鈥�

Student poster participants were also able to join VBS symposium sessions and networking events, so the symposium was a valuable opportunity for up-and-coming scholars to improve their communication skills and interact with top professionals in the aerospace field.

Again, this year, AAS is offering the opportunity for one poster competition finalist to present research at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. on Oct. 2-6, 2023. The poster competition finalists can apply to the IAC, and of those selected, AAS will choose one student to receive registration, airfare and lodging for the conference.

"This is an amazing chance for one of the poster finalists to attend the world鈥檚 largest gathering of aerospace-related experts and present their research,鈥� Cook says. 鈥淲e thank the AAS for making UAH the home of this opportunity, and I鈥檇 also like to thank the UAH faculty and research staff who work with our students and encourage them to participate in events like this.鈥�

This year鈥檚 poster finalists were:

Physical & Liberal Sciences/Graduate Division

First place

Takuto Hayashi

University of Tsukuba, Japan

"Lunar gravity prevents skeletal muscle atrophy, but not muscle fiber type transition鈥�

No second place awarded.

Physical & Liberal Sciences/Undergraduate Division

First place

Thais Arslanbekov

University of Alabama in Huntsville

鈥淓lectrical and thermochemical analysis of polyvinyl alcohol and hydroxylammonium nitrate combustion mechanism鈥�

Second place

Carol Mitchell

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach

鈥淎ssessment of Dose-dependent Endocrine and Immune Responses to Simulated Ionizing Radiation鈥�

Engineering/Graduate Division

First place

Fereshteh Rajabi Kouchi

Boise State University

鈥淎dditive manufacturing of colloidal nanocrystal inks for in-space manufacturing of advanced sensors and energy harvesters鈥�

Second place

Samantha Rawlins

University of Alabama in Huntsville

鈥淣uclear Thermal Propulsion Test Optimization Through Reliability-Driven Design鈥�

Engineering/Undergraduate Division

First place

Aryan Waghmode

Johns Hopkins University

鈥淒evelopment of radioprotective bio-coatings via metal-doping of melanin nanoparticles鈥�

Second place

Rodrigo Romero

Iowa State University

鈥淭ALIN: Multi-surface Anchoring Mechanism for Extravehicular Activities and Robotic Exploration鈥�