Santa Clara University - Past Roelandts Fellowship Recipients

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Past Roelandts Fellowship Recipients

Roelandts Faculty Fellowships 2010

Faculty Profile

"Developing a portable solar/hydrogen fuel cell generator"

Daniel Strickland, Ph.D.

The aim of this proposal is to develop a portable solar/hydrogen fuel cell generator for off-grid electrification to meet basic necessities such as lighting, cooling, and refrigeration. The expectation is that the availability of energy services in these areas will provide an essential input to economic activity and growth. By using renewable resources for the generator, it is hoped to mitigate harmful emissions from existing biomass derived energy sources, while supplying clean energy to the community.

"Social Entrepreneurship: Exploring the GSBI Data"

Tammy Madsen, Ph.D.

The field of social entrepreneurship has not received the analysis through formal hypotheses, robust data, and rigorous methods that it deserves. The goal of this proposal is to address these deficiencies by developing an extensive and detailed dataset of social entrepreneurship ventures and providing a thorough literature review on social entrepreneurship to benefit researchers working in this area.

"Technology to promote reading in rural Burkina Faso: The effects of LED lights on students' reading

Michael Kevane, Ph.D.

Through a partnership with libraries in Burkina Faso, this purpose of this project is to make small portable solar- and battery-operated LED lights available for students to use for reading at home where lighting may not otherwise be available. Increasing the number of hours in which a student can read is expected to enhance their learning, and the study is designed to assess this.

"Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze household food security in disadvantaged San

Leslie Gray, Ph.D. & Iris Stewart-Frey, Ph.D.

Environmental Studies Institute "Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze household food security in disadvantaged San Jose neighborhoods" The purpose of this project is to examine both the access to food and the increase in food security through backyard gardening in a low-income neighborhood. In collaboration with the Americorps volunteer program of the Health Trust and La Mesa Verde, an NGO, the study will involve the use of GPS-based collection of data and of GIS for database building, mapping and analysis.

"Out of Reach: Examining Group Faultlines in Virtual Teams"

Katerina Bezrukova, Ph.D.

This proposal is designed to explore whether people are able to make trustworthy connections and innovative decisions with others they have never physically met. The participants may be across the country or even across the globe and thereby interact as a "virtual team." Such teams are harder to manage and may differ significantly culturally. The research to be undertaken seeks an understanding of how employees from different cultures and working virtually can stay productive and be creative.

"Tracking and identification of antibiotic-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrheae using genomic a

David Hess, Ph.D.

In collaboration with a public health unit in San Francisco, the goal of this proposal is to investigate the causes of antibiotic resistance in the bacterium that causes a sexually transmitted disease. The research involves fully sequencing the genomes of four strains of the bacteria to determine the mutations that are the source of the resistance. This information may ultimately assist in defining the therapy the infected individual will receive.

"Overcoming Inequality: Successfully Implementing IT into the Process of Career and College Planning

Laura Robinson, Ph.D.

The goal of this project is address challenges associated with the lack of knowledge that first-generation students wishing to obtain education beyond high school often are unaware of how to accomplish this. The proposed research involves teaching these students about the processes associated with applying to college and for financial aid and includes training in the use of digital resources to do so.

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Roelandts Faculty Fellowships 2009

Faculty Profile

"Development of a Cost-Efficient and Less Electricity-Dependent Water Supply for Off-Grid Areas.?

Dr. Hohyun Lee

An approach to water purification that uses compressed water vapor heated by fuels available in rural areas is to be developed. The goal is to provide clean water to off-grid villages.

"Discovery of Drug Leads for Addressing Parasitic Diseases in the Developing World."

Dr. Amelia Fuller

Research will be conducted on the synthesis of an array of molecules that mimic anti-microbial peptides as leads for drugs against trypansomiastic diseases afflicting people in the developing world.

"Greening the Ghetto: The Promise of Job Creation for Low-income Communities in the Bay Area."

Dr. Perlita Dicochea

Research will be directed toward addressing issues such as the extent to which cleantech can address the need for economic development in disenfranchised communities and will include assessing the roles that non-profit organizations, industry, and government play in ?greening the ghetto.?

"Effect of Severe Malnutrition on the Efficacy of Vaccines."

Dr. Tracy Ruscetti

Research will be conducted for developing an animal model to test the hypothesis that the lower efficacy of vaccines when administered to populations in the developing world may be associated with malnourishment.

"Digital Inequality & Success in the Digital Job Market: Benefiting Disadvantaged Youth in the US...

Dr. Laura Robinson

A protocol will be developed whereby low-income high school students will receive training in computer skills that will allow them to be successful in entering the job market.

"Development of an Electrochemical DNA Sensor for Rapid Detection of Pathogens."

Research will be conducted into developing an aptamer-based sensor capable of continuous, real-time detection of multiple pathogens.

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Roelandts Student Fellowships 2010

Student Profile

"Bamboo Truss and Frame Connection Design/Construction Project"

Jake Echeverria; Chris Sampson

Faculty Mentor: Mark Aschheim & Tonya Nilsson This project has as its goal the design, construction, and testing of methods for connecting raw bamboo poles, a sustainable building material in many parts of the world. In collaboration with Environmental Builders Network, a Bay Area organization, the initial target will be design of an ecologically based house useful for reconstruction in Haiti.

"Characterization of the Nanoparticle Protein Corona in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae"

Alyssa Lampe; Meagen Nakamoto

Faculty Mentor: Korin Wheeler The use of nanoparticles in consumer products is becoming increasingly common. This proposal is a study of the interaction of silver nanoparticles with proteins in eukaryotic cells to determine which cellular processes may be disrupted. The results could provide data regarding environmental and health risks of nanoparticles and lead to the development of less toxic such additives for use in a variety of products.

"Compressed Air Powered Bicycle Faculty"

Kevin Azpeitia; Ben Dowdell; Danny Garcia-Prats; Adam Schwarz

Faculty Mentor: Tim Hight Bicycles are an ubiquitous mode of personal transportation throughout the world and serve as a means of short-distance commuting. The goal of this project is to design and fabricate a prototype for a bicycle that will be powered by compressed air, thereby extending the commuting range of the vehicle without contributing to emission of environmentally hazardous gases.

"Detection of Pathogens Using Electrochemical DNA Sensors in a Microfluidic Setting"

Sarah Ghanbari; Nicholas Giustini

Faculty Mentor: Unyoung (Ashley) Kim The target of this proposal is developing a "Lab on a Chip" that is portable, relatively inexpensive, and robust for use in rapidly testing for pathogens in water. Such a device would be of particular value in resource-limited settings of the developing world.

"EBNet Haiti Natural Masonry Program"

Nichoas de Cesare; Maura Cyrus; Alvaro Lacayo

Faculty Mentor: Mark Aschheim & Sukhmander Singh The goal of this proposal is to design low-cost, sustainably grounded housing options for reconstruction in Haiti. The desired result is production of a functional working house using principles of localized, smart, and low-carbon building.

"Efficient Cook Stove"

Abimael Bastida; Miguel Gomez; Saul Hernandez; Alejandro Lobato

Faculty Mentor: Hohyun Lee Cook stoves in many developing countries may be inefficient in their use of fuel. This proposal has as its goal the development of a device that can readily be incorporated into the existing stove design employed in Nicaragua to increase their efficiency in terms of fuel consumption.

"Fair Trade Mobile Application"

Ryan Davidson; Eva Jensen; Rosalie Tolentino

Faculty Mentor: Silvia Figueira This proposal is to develop a mobile phone application that will facilitate communications between World of Hope, an NGO that helps piece-rate workers to determine whether they are being paid a fair wage. Communicating with this organization currently requires that the workers have access to a computer, which they may not. Because they do have cell phones, however, availability of a mobile ap would greatly benefit the process.

"LED Optical Wireless Communication"

Will Cook; Dylan Rust

Faculty Mentor: Sarah Kate Wilson This proposal has as its focus the construction and testing of a system of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodetectors that will transmit and receive information in the visible and infrared frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. This will allow wireless communications without the potentially negative consequences associated with currently used radio frequencies.

"Organic Solar Cells: Clean and Inexpensive Solar Power"

Emilee Sena; Devin Wesenberg

Faculty Mentor: Richard Barber Our primary objective is to understand the degradation mechanisms in solar panel materials. We apply a systematic approach to discover how various aspects of device preparation and chemical composition affect degradation. By doing this basic research, we hope to clarify the process of degradation in order to contribute to the development of cheaper solar power.

"Passive Water Management System for Fuel Cells"

Charles Klein; Kelly Nightengale; Hanna Nilsson; Shawn Tokairin

Faculty Mentor: Daniel Strickland In this proposal, the aim is to develop a passive water management system for a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell to increase its efficiency and reliability as a clean energy conversion device. By using renewable resources, the goal is to design a system to lessen harmful CO2 emissions from existing energy sources while supplying clean energy.

"ScalableGood: Social Entrepreneurship and the Web"

Thain Simon

Faculty Mentor: Dan Aguiar The goals of this project are to develop a website as a resource for education and research on the impact of web technologies on social entrepreneurship, raise awareness about social entrepreneurship in the SCU community, and develop a business plan for a viable social enterprise that leverages web technologies.

"SCU Solar Water Purifier 2011"Faculty Mentor: Drazen Frabis The goal of this proposal is to use sol

Robert Kozak

Faculty Mentor: Drazen Frabis The goal of this proposal is to use solar energy to produce clean drinking water from brackish water. The planned apparatus will allow small-scale water purification in remote areas of the world, where access to clean water is a critical need.

"Social Business and Grameen Danone Foods"

Jon Rodrigues

Faculty Mentor: Gregory Baker This proposal is designed to produce a case study that analyzes a food-producing enterprise in Bangladesh designed to provide better nutrition to impoverished populations. The study will involve exploring strategic and tactical options for addressing issues that have impacted on the efficacy of the existing program.

"Social Entrepreneurs, Ethics, and Making a Profit on the Bottom Billion"

Adelene Gallego Ramos

Faculty Mentor: Mary Furlong This proposal involves the development of a video documentary that examines the ethical issues surrounding profit making in the world of social entrepreneurism. Questions such as whether it is fair for a corporation to partner with a social enterprise and make a large profit while doing good and whether creative capitalism can help change the world will be addressed in this project.

"STI Screening in Research-Limited Settings: One Island at a Time"

Freeburg, Chris

Faculty Mentor: Craig Stephens Chlamydia infections are endemic in the Pacific Islands. This disease can be serious, among other conditions causing increased susceptibility to HIV and urethritis in men and pelvic inflammation and scarring of the fallopian tubes in women. The goal of this project is implementation of a low-cost and rapid method for screening this disease in collaboration with Diagnostics for the Real World.

"Sustainable Design in Ghana"

Daniel Lawrie; William Sommer

Faculty Mentor: Mark Aschheim The aim of this proposal is construction of a model residence in northern Ghana. To implement this, local masons will be education on the processes associated with the construction, including brick-making and ?laying and building design.

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Roelandts Student Fellowships 2009

Student Profile

"Developing a Self-Sufficient Water Filtration System for Rural Populations."

Mr. Ryan Clark - Ms. Molly Dunphy - Ms. Mindy Yoneshige

A self-sufficient water purification system will be designed and constructed to provide clean drinking water. Initially, the system will be installed in a rural Honduran community, and if the project is successful, the design will be provided to an NGO for use throughout this country as well as others.

"Facilitating Sustainable Development and Utilization of Resources Using Shallow-Water Bathymetry."

Mr. Thomas Adamek - Mr. Vincent Howard - Mr. Steven Li - Mr. Paul Mahecek

Bathymetry will be used to assess sedimentation in the Lempa river basin of El Salvador. The results will be used to develop protocols for the use and protection of natural resources in an effective and sustainable manner.

"Polymer Solar Cells for Cheap Sustainable Power"

Mr. Justin Peel

Research will be conducted for developing a solar cell based on organic polymers rather than silicon. The hope is that such cells would be less expensive and more sustainable than those currently available.

"Sustainable Building Design in Northern Ghana"

Ms. Laura Skinner - Ms. Brie Rust - Mr. Spencer Ambauen - Ms. Erica Fieger

This project involves the design and construction of an onion storage facility and uses readily available local building materials. The result is planned to be a facility that can easily be replicated in other rural communities wherein proper storage of foods is critical.

"Use of Colloidal Nano-Gels for Enhancing Applications of Capillary Electrophoresis"

Mr. Shawn Khademi, Mr. Conor Roche

Studies addressing the synthesis and testing of colloidal nano-gels for use in various applications of capillary electrophoresis will be undertaken. A primary goal is to assess whether use of nano-gels as the sieving medium will decrease the time-lag associated with loading the capillary apparatus and result in a greener chemical process for preparing the required medium.?

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