STEM Education

START Projects

STEM Academic Research and Training (START) projects include of range of content areas, such as astronomy and physics, biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, math and science communication.

A woman stands at the edge of a small pond surrounded by tall grasses and wild plants, reaching out toward the water to cast a net to collect organisms living in the pond.
A man wearing a lab coat, safety glasses and blue gloves stands at a laboratory fume hood, running a research experiment. The workspace contains various lab items, including bottles, water samples and electronic instruments.
A woman stands in a shallow woodland stream, using a long-handled net to sweep through the water to collect organisms living in the stream. The stream is bordered by soil banks, fallen leaves and dense vegetation, with tall trees in the background. The water is clear and gently flowing over a rocky and sandy bottom.
Two men stand outdoors on a grassy area beneath trees, using a yellow tripod mounted surveying instrument. One man is looking through the device while the other stands nearby observing.
A woman sits at a laboratory workstation using a computer with two monitors that display detailed photographs of the surface of planet Mars.
A woman sits at a laboratory workstation and looks into a compound microscope. One hand adjusts the focus knob while the microscope is illuminated from below.
Three students sit at a table working together to assemble a seismograph. All three wear protective gloves and use small tools to assemble the components. Loose screws, tools and device parts are scattered on the table.
A man wearing a suit stands beside his research poster and points to a section of it while speaking to another person, who is facing the poster. The poster contains text, charts, graphics and small photos describing his research. The scene takes place in a conference-style room.

Some projects are in person at RTP, Scott Northern Wake or Southern Wake campuses, while other projects are virtual. Requirements for projects also vary: Some require no previous knowledge, while others require that students either be enrolled in or have taken certain courses.

Below are the location, mentor, description and requirements of the projects currently offered. Projects are organized by primary content area.

Astronomy and Physics

Mentor: Dr. Thusheeta Sivayogan

Partner: Appalachian State University (Dr. Adam McKay)

Location: Virtual

Requirement: Having knowledge of coding in Python is beneficial. Computer science majors or interns with some coding knowledge are preferable. Students don't need to write the code, but they must work on the code provided.

Description: This research gives students experience in basic astronomical data reduction and photometry (measuring the amount of light observed from astronomical objects) by using a series of Python coding. Each student is given a set of data of a comet, and, by the end of the project, they have determined the abundance of certain elements in the comet.

Biology

Mentor: Melinda Gibbs

Location: Southern Wake Campus

Description: Students explore the aquatic environments on the Southern Wake Campus, including the stream, retention ponds and the forested riparian buffer. Projects can focus on biodiversity, plants and pollinators, invasive species, water quality, stormwater management, soil erosion or human impacts such as road construction and pollution. Students also will contribute to citizen/community science initiatives beyond their project and participate in a stream cleanup event during the Spring semester.

Mentor: Dr. Melanie JP Fraites

Partner: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Location: Scott Northern Wake Campus

Requirement: Completed BIO-111

Description: The Mohlke lab at UNC-Chapel Hill identifies potential genetic sequences associated with human disease susceptibilities, such as diabetes and obesity. Students help lab staff with subcloning guideRNA (gRNA) sequences, which involves biotechnology techniques such as the use of restriction enzymes, PCR and gel electrophoresis, as well as microbiology procedures.

The gRNAs produced by this project would be used by the lab in CRISPR-based inhibition to knock down regulatory element activity within a human liver cell line to determine the effect on the expression of a nearby gene. The results would help determine the mechanisms by which these genetic sequences affect genes that may lead to disease.

Chemistry

Mentor: Dr. Kumudu Peiris

Location: Scott Northern Wake Campus

Requirement: Completed or enrolled in CHM-151

Description: Antioxidants play a vital role in the human diet by neutralizing free radicals and oxidized compounds that can contribute to cellular damage. Previous research conducted by our team identified green tea as having one of the highest natural antioxidant capacities. We successfully optimized the release of antioxidants from tea samples using microwave-assisted extraction. The antioxidant potential was measured using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay.

Building on these findings, the current project aims to develop an enhanced green tea formulation with maximized antioxidant content. This involves blending green tea with herbal additives – cinnamon, turmeric, chamomile and others – to identify the most effective combination. The goal is to create a novel green tea product with superior health benefits.

Engineering

Mentor: Carrie Hoffman

Location: Southern Wake Campus (12 - 2 p.m. Thursdays)

Requirement: Completed or enrolled in DFT-170

Description: Students use their SolidWorks skills to model, slice and 3D print parts for practical applications. Applications may include models for aerospace, elementary education, manipulatives for math education applications or other needs.

Mentors: Wendy Johnson and Tricia Van Brunt

Partner: North Carolina Department of Transportation

Location: Virtual and offsite (2:30 - 4:30 p.m. on six Tuesdays at NCDOT facility at 1000 Birch Ridge Drive in Raleigh; students need to provide their own transportation and arrive by 2:20 p.m. to check in with security)

Requirements: Completed MAT-171 with a C grade. Preference is given to students enrolled in MAT-172.

Description: The North Carolina Department of Transportation maintains the second-largest roadway system in the country, and the agency has many engineering units that work together. The Photogrammetry unit uses various technologies to get 3D data, and the Locations and Survey Unit acquires specific locations needed to begin a road design project. Then, the Roadway Design unit uses data to create the road layout, which also brings in the Hydraulics Unit to add to the design to disperse stormwater runoff and keep the road clear for safe travel.

Students partner with these four units to help design a roadway project.

Geology

Mentor: Jessica Kelley

Location: Southern Wake Campus (in-person meetings 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. each Monday)

Requirement: Preference is given to students who have already taken GEL-111. Currently enrolled students are considered.

Description: Hurricane Helene (September 25-28, 2024) resulted in unprecedented extreme flooding, intense winds and widespread landslides across the southern Appalachian region, including western North Carolina. This project guides students through an analysis of geologic hazards, with a focus on examining how overlapping hazards amplified impacts beyond what any single hazard could explain for this event.

Students work with federal datasets (U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Aeronautics & Space Administration and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) to produce both scientific analyses and hazard-related communications.

Mentor: Gretchen Miller

Partner: North Carolina State University

Location: Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department at N.C. State, and the Analytical Instrumentation Facility on the N.C. State campus. Writing and presentation preparation could be done at Wake Tech with regular Zoom meetings.

Requirement: Completed GEL-111 with a C grade or higher

Description: Student undertake a mineralogical analysis of Cretaceous and/or Triassic sedimentary rocks from the North Carolina Piedmont and Coastal Plain. They use a scanning electron microscope to identify heavy minerals and evaluate the rocks for critical elements. The sedimentary rocks are potential economic placer deposits, and a goal of the project is to determine the character and quantity of minerals.

Mathematics

Mentor: Dr. Katie Lovin

Location: Southern Wake Campus and virtual

Requirement: Basic algebra skills. Should be enrolled in MAT-171

Description: Students research a car they would like to own, calculate the real cost of owning it and determine whether it is in their future budget.

Mentor: Dr. Kalpna Kanwar

Location: Southern Wake Campus

Requirement: Completed or enrolled in MAT-171

Description: AI is everywhere, from the apps on cellphones to the tools used in every career. But how does it actually work? Students explore the math behind artificial intelligence and discover that it is built on ideas they already know from algebra. Through hands-on activities, they collect and analyze real data and investigate how AI makes decisions, why it makes mistakes and when it can be trusted.

Science Communication and Education

Mentor: Jessica Chestnut

Location: Virtual

Description: This project is a bibliometric approach and focuses on qualitative case study research. Students pick a STEM topic and research people who have made significant contributions to STEM. Students learn how to conduct library database searches and synthesize their findings in a literature review.

Council on Undergraduate Research logoWake Tech is an enhanced member of the Council on Undergraduate Research.