Capstones
The ASEP capstone projects allow students to continue research in their area of interest and demonstrate what they have learned during their externship. Each project is student-planned under the guidance of the Applied Science and Engineering faculty.
“At the Ocean Engineering Department at the University of New Hampshire this summer, I helped test autonomous unmanned boats and submarines, and was tasked to design and build my own wirelessly controlled unmanned boat, which is now used by UNH students as a testing platform for larger autonomous vehicles. For my capstone project this fall, I have decided to take my wirelessly controlled boat to the next level, by removing the need of a driver. My project is a modified remote-controlled car that is capable of traveling in between GPS coordinates autonomously. The car will be equipped with GPS and compass sensors capable of calculating the car’s location and direction. An additional sensor on the front bumper will allow it to detect and avoid obstacles in its path. Similar to the boat I worked on at UNH, I have found building this car to be a challenge, but each bit of progress I make has felt rewarding. The capstone project is my favorite aspect of ASEP, as it allows me to work independently and be in charge of a project of my own design.”– Tate Ellinwood ’20
“During my externship at Rockefeller University, I discussed how I can conduct my own independent research here at St. Paul’s with my lab supervisors. They were extremely helpful in guiding me towards a project that was both related to the research I performed over the summer and that was possible here in our own molecular biology lab. In my capstone, I am trying to determine the molecular mechanism behind embryonic diapause, a hibernation-like state exhibited by embryos. I am testing a drug – JQ1 – which is thought to put cells in a diapause-like state on triple-negative breast cancer cells that I am growing in our cell culture room. This research has a wide number of applications from deep space travel, to organ donations, to trauma care. In the lab here at SPS, we have a cell culture hood, an incubator, -80C freezer, centrifuge and much more. With the arsenal of equipment here at SPS, you could conduct an experiment that is published in a scientific journal.”– Liam Pharr ’20
