Achieving high performance in fixed-wing, unmanned aerial systems necessitates efficient wing assemblies which often entail significant design and production costs. Balancing measures associated with performance, production, reliability, and maintainability adds further complexity to wing design. I present here my current work on the use of Cellular Compressive Wing (CCW) architecture as a viable solution for achieving low structural mass and high flight efficiency while simultaneously enhancing production, maintainability, and reducing costs. To confirm the approach, a wing planform utilizing CCW has been developed based on specific aircraft performance requirements. Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element Analysis have been leveraged to generate estimates of dynamic planform load distributions and CCW interface load characteristics. These simulation methods have in turn been used to guide the design of wing cell interfaces optimized for additive manufacturing techniques employing photopolymers and composite thermopolymers. Application-specific bench-test and in-flight hardware are currently being constructed and tested for direct experimental validation of dynamic planform and CCW interface loads.

Quantum dots are nanometer scale semiconductor particles that have been extensively studied over the past decade. Colloidal quantum dots are dispersed in solution, and so can be easily deposited on a surface. This allows them to act as highly versatile quantum sensors. I am studying cadmium selenide quantum dots doped with manganese (Mn:CdSe). They possess a spin of 5/2, meaning they have six spin states, each corresponding to a different quantized energy. These six energies can be probed with photoluminescence spectroscopy, and theoretically appear as six distinct peaks in the spectrum. This allows us to use spectral analysis to read the spin state of a dot. Due to the Zeeman effect, the spin state energies are sensitive to applied magnetic fields. A simple sensing procedure first initializes the spin state, allows it to evolve under some magnetic field, and reads out the final spin state. My work focuses on the initialization and readout of the spin. For this purpose, I previously built a monochromator to characterize the quantum dots under pulsed excitation at various wavelengths, power, and temperature. I am measuring their properties using photon counting correlation measurements, photoluminescence spectra, and lifetime measurements. The goal of these results is to characterize the properties of these Mn:CdSe quantum dots to lay the groundwork for their development as a highly sensitive quantum sensor.

Using data from the United States Sentencing Commission (2014-2022), this study analyzes the impact of a defendant's gender in the sentencing of federal homicide cases. Previous research shows that female defendants experience leniency in criminal sentencing compared to male counterparts. However, studies also suggest harsher punishments are given to female defendants when the crime is violent. This may be influenced by the social construct of gender, where traits including aggression and violence are perceived to be inherently male, and male violence is often expected and excused. Focusing exclusively on federal homicide cases from fiscal years 2014-2022 (N = 3017), I ran linear regression analyses controlling for legal and extralegal factors to analyze the effect of gender on sentence length. I hypothesize that in the case of federal homicide, male defendants will receive shorter sentences compared to female counterparts. This study focuses how gender influences sentencing outcomes in federal courts. It is crucial to understand how gender influences judicial sentencing in order to promote a just legal system.

Accurately modeling atmospheric re-entry has become incredibly important with the advent of reusable spacecraft. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) employs solvers, a combination of mathematical models, to attempt to replicate real-world physical characteristics, such as when a spacecraft is re-entering the atmosphere. This research attempts to validate the OpenFOAM hy2Foam solver–which was created to model the environment of atmospheric re-entry–by comparing CFD results to real-world wind tunnel data of the hypervelocity ballistic model 1 (HB-1) at mach 5.1. We show with 99% confidence that the CFD simulations do not produce numerically accurate results when compared to historical wind tunnel data at seven varying angles of attack: -1, 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 degrees. For all angles of attack, the forebody axial-force coefficient disagrees with historical wind tunnel testing, being 2.38 times less on average. Additionally, for all but the -1 and 0 degree angle of attack, the pitching-moment coefficient disagrees with the historical data, being 52.6 times less on average. Additional research conducted on the HB-2 model has found similar disagreement of aerodynamic results demonstrating a need for additional research to ensure the solver produces numerically accurate results. Accurate solvers are vital to ensure that CFD simulations accurately model real-world conditions, such as during spacecraft re-entry when safety of astronauts could be at stake if a spacecraft is designed based on invalid data. 

This poster describes a qualitative study highlighting the intersection of ethnic identity and Christian faith in shaping South Asian college students’ perceptions of LGBTQ+ individuals. Current sociopolitical climates toward LGBTQ+ individuals in South Asian countries tend to be hostile, and even South Asian communities within the United States can reflect similar beliefs. Zaidi (2014) found that shame in the South Asian community was in conflict with a desire to express one’s queer identity among South Asian youths (Zaidi, 2014). Moreover, environmental factors such as the religious setting might contribute to varying perspectives regarding LGBTQ+ individuals; in the current study, we highlight faith-based higher education institutions (i.e., Christian university) as an institution that can shape views regarding LBTBQ+ folks and their experiences. We conducted 6 semi-structured interviews with South Asian college students enrolled in a Christian university located in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. Our three-member research team transcribed the interviews, coded the transcriptions, and placed the codes in themes according to Braun and Clarke’s (2006) guidelines for Thematic Analysis. The four themes that we identified include support for LGBTQ+ people on campus, Christian messaging around LGBTQ+ identity, South Asian communities, and participant’s own attitudes. These major themes also included subthemes, some of which are campus advocacy and protests influenced participant’s beliefs, feelings of an internal struggle, attitudes of South Asian communities, and individual affirming attitudes. Broadly, we found that the participants viewed their own South Asian communities as generally silent or passive in LGBTQ+ dialogues, and that their Christian campus promoted both helpful and unhelpful conversations about the topic. We will present some implications for practice in higher education around fostering an inclusive space for LGTBQ+ individuals, especially as they pertain to intentional integration of culture-specific (e.g., South Asian) and religious (e.g., Christian) perspectives.