Abstract Book - Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering - Arizona State ...

April 23, 2010
Welcome to the Spring 2010 Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Undergraduate Student
Research Symposium!
Since receiving the very generous $50 million naming gift from Dr. Ira A. Fulton, our Schools
experienced a dynamic transformation. With the growth of our research agenda and the increased
interest of our best students in the investigative activities of our laboratories and research clusters, the
Fulton Investment is being used to design programs to expand the undergraduate research experience.
These programs are managed under the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiatives (FURI). The
symposium–one of the FURI programs–is the culminating event of our students’ semester-long research
projects.
Participants in this Symposium have been mentored by some of our best faculty, research associates and
doctoral students. Most of the students participating in this symposium are being funded under the FURI
programs Research Program and the Honors Thesis Program. Each of these students took the initiative
to identify a research topic, seek out a mentor, submit an application and withstand a competitive
selection process. Having managed their time, budgets and research, 85 students successfully
participated in this eleventh offering. The symposium also highlights other undergraduate students who
were funded by the FURI Travel Grant Program. In total, 86 students and their research are featured in
this abstract book.
We invite you to read and enjoy the accomplishments of our very robust community of scholars. Also,
on the following pages, please take the time to read about the unique characteristics of our programs
and acknowledge all the contributors who have made this event possible. Finally, we congratulate all our
participating undergraduate students and mentors for being part of this great program!
Sincerely,
Deirdre Meldrum
Dean, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
Christine MacLeod
Associate Director, Undergraduate Initiatives