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.

Mentor: Rachael Walsh

Location: Southern Wake Campus

Requirement: Students must have previously completed, or have no plans to take, BIO-112. Current enrollment in BIO-112 is not permitted.

Description: Students complete literary research about DNA barcoding and brainstorm their own research question. They then use DNA barcoding in the laboratory to help answer their research question. There is also opportunity for students to work on troubleshooting and fine-tuning the DNA barcoding protocol that we currently use, specifically for use with insects and fungi.

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. Trino Ascencio-Ibanez, North Carolina State University

Location: N.C. State campus (132 Polk Hall, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays)

Requirement: Completed BIO-111 and CHM-151. Restricted to START interns in their third or fourth semester of the program. A basic understanding of laboratory practices is also expected.

Description: A soil-derived bacterial strain identified through a research partnership between Wake Tech and N.C. State has demonstrated antibiotic activity against tester strains. The bacteria were fully sequenced using Oxford Nanopore technologies and were found to contain a megaplasmid. The project aims to identify the antibiotic producing pathways and, if possible, the antibiotic compound by bioinformatics and biochemical methods.

Mentor: Rachael Walsh

Location: Southern Wake Campus, with possible extensions to Scott Northern Wake and RTP campuses

Description: Students examine the diversity of mosquito populations at up to three Wake Tech campuses. Throughout the semester, students work on a literature review and collect and identify mosquitoes. The mosquitoes will be identified using morphology (physical traits) and DNA barcoding techniques. Students have the opportunity to experience both field work and lab work.

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.

Mentor: Jan Lee Santos

Partner: Methodist University, Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine and UNC School of Medicine

Location: Virtual (off-site at a partner institution)

Description: Sudden cardiac death is a complication of unmanaged health conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Students explore social and ethnic risk factors that result in higher risk of sudden cardiac death in North Carolina.

Mentor: Dr. Kumudu Peiris

Location: Scott Northern Wake Campus

Requirement: Completed or enrolled in CHM-151

Description: The increasing environmental and health concerns associated with petroleum-based solvents have accelerated the development of sustainable extraction methodologies in organic chemistry. This project explores the use of bio-based and green solvents for the efficient extraction of natural products from renewable and waste-derived sources. Specifically, three approaches are investigated:

• Citrus peel waste valorization through the extraction of D-limonene and its application as a green solvent for isolating essential oils and antioxidants
• Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES), such as choline chloride-glycerol and lactic acid-glucose systems, for extracting polyphenolic compounds from tea and coffee
• Ethyl lactate, a biodegradable solvent derived from biomass fermentation, for the extraction of pigments and phenolic compounds from plant materials

D-limonene, a terpene obtained from citrus peels, serves as a renewable alternative to conventional hydrocarbons and has demonstrated effective solvent properties for natural product extraction. NADES systems offer tunable polarity, low toxicity and high extraction efficiency for phenolics and flavonoids, often outperforming traditional solvents like methanol. Ethyl lactate further contributes as a non-toxic, biodegradable solvent capable of extracting both polar and non-polar phytochemicals with comparable efficiency to conventional organic solvents.

This study compares extraction yields, antioxidant activity and environmental impact across these solvent systems to evaluate their potential as sustainable alternatives in natural product chemistry. Overall, the findings aim to demonstrate that bio-based solvents not only reduce ecological footprint but also maintain or enhance extraction efficiency, supporting their integration into green chemistry practices and industrial applications.

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.

Mentor: Jessica Kelley

Location: Southern Wake Campus (in-person group 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.

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.

Mentor: Kaite Bruce

Location: Virtual (Microsoft Teams meetings 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays or 9 - 10 a.m. Thursdays. You must be available during one of these two times.)

Description: Students explore the financial realities of life after college by creating two separate budgets. The first focuses on their future goals, including career choices, income, housing, transportation and everyday living expenses. For the second, students choose a fictional character with a specific career, income and financial situation and make budgeting decisions based on that person's circumstances.

Each week, students complete activities that build on previous assignments while applying mathematical skills such as percentages, interest, estimation and financial calculations. Students will face unexpected expenses and financial challenges that require them to adjust their budgets and make informed decisions. By the end of the project, students will have developed two complete financial plans and gained a better understanding of the costs, responsibilities and choices involved in managing money.

Mentor: Jason Howard

Partner: Weijian Chen, North Carolina State University

Location: N.C. State University (Students will need to have afternoon availability on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Exact meeting times to be determined but will likely be scheduled during one of these days.)

Requirement: PHY-251, with preference to students enrolled in PHY-252

Description: Quantum computers will provide unprecedented power in solving certain problems compared to their classical counterparts. Owing to their flexibility and scalability, superconducting circuits have become the frontrunner among various quantum platforms for building a practical quantum computer. For example, IBM has demonstrated integrating 1,000 superconducting qubits on a single chip. Microwave filters are crucial for controlling superconducting qubits, as they reduce thermal noise and route unwanted signals.

This project involves designing, prototyping and testing various types of small-footprint, broadband microwave filters. This research gives students extensive training in microwave engineering and basic knowledge of quantum information science. Students should have a background in physics or electrical engineering.

Mentor: Jason Howard

Partner: Weijian Chen, North Carolina State University

Location: N.C. State University (Students will need to have afternoon availability on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Exact meeting times to be determined but will likely be scheduled during one of these days.)

Requirement: PHY-251, with preference to students enrolled in PHY-252

Description: Superconducting qubits are among the leading platforms for building a practical quantum computer. They are controlled with precisely shaped microwave pulses, and their fragile quantum states last only a short time before being lost to noise. Learning to control, measure and protect these states is a core skill in today's quantum industry.

In this project, students learn to generate, receive and digitize microwave signals using an FPGA-based control board. They write Python scripts to build and run pulse sequences, starting with basic signal generation and detection and progressing to time-domain control and readout. By the end of the project, students will apply these sequences to a real superconducting qubit device. They will calibrate qubit control pulses, measure key performance metrics such as energy relaxation and coherence times, and implement dynamical decoupling sequences such as Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) to extend qubit coherence. This project gives students hands-on training in microwave instrumentation, scientific programming and the fundamentals of quantum control.

Mentors: Dr. Grace Byfield and Dr. Courtney Thaxton, UNC-Chapel Hill

Location: Virtual (day and time to be determined)

Description: Students are introduced to the Baseline Annotation curation process used in annotating biomedical literature with the preferred web-based annotation application, Hypothes.is. This project provides exposure to curation terms and finding curation information in scientific papers, hands-on training on how to use Hypothes.is and highlights the value of annotations in the field of clinical genomics. Students complete baseline annotation of selected scientific literature for a disease of interest and report the findings. This project builds critical-thinking skills and supports those who are interested in data science.

Mentors: Dr. Grace Byfield and Dr. Sabrina Powell, UNC-Chapel Hill

Location: Virtual (day and time to be determined)

Description: This project focuses on the development of an educational piece to inform high school students about a specific STEM career. Students choose a career in the genetics or genomics field and, through literature research and informal conversations, develop a piece (storyboard, brochure, booklet) that introduces high school students to the selected career. The effectiveness of the piece is evaluated, and recommendations for improvement are documented in the presentation. This project builds research skills (literature review, data collection, analysis) and supports those with an interest in science communication.

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.