Proposal Number: 0642328 Principal Investigator: Codd, Sarah L. Affiliation: Montana State University Proposal Title: CAREER: Engineering Applications of magnetic Resonance Microscopy (MRM) to Porous Media Structure and Transport
Intellectual Merit
Magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) can investigate flow, diffusion, and spatial variations in matter on spatial scales of the order of 10 m (spatially resolved) or 10 nm (bulk measurements of molecular motion) and over timescales ranging from 10 s to 1s. Porous material structures to be studied will range from the hydrogel extra-cellular polymeric substance (EPS) of biofilms, to membranes, to novel advanced ceramics and model porous beadpacks. Studies will measure active nuclei concentration, velocity, diffusion and magnetic relaxation within these materials, characterizing structure through porosity and tortuosity, as well as quantifying transport. The research plan allows for the continuation and expansion of a current program in biofilms and membranes and the initiation and growth of research in ceramics and polymer transport in porous media, whilst expanding on integration with teaching activities.
Broader Impacts
Rich interdisciplinary research experiences will be provided for graduate students in a blossoming career field. A graduate and professional undergraduate elective course entitled Ways for engineers to see non-destructive visualization for materials science" will be developed and a portable Earths Field Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus will be integrated into undergraduate and outreach programs. The overall program will aim to provide unique insight regarding the physics of societally important materials at the forefront of current materials science development. Integration with education aims to increase students' and the broader community's awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of materials science research and exciting research applications demonstrate the necessity of engineering education to further advancements for society.
. The commonalities in the seemingly broad range of materials (gels, subsurface, rocks, beadpacks, ceramics) are the physics that dominates transport processes within them, and the ability of magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) techniques to quantify structural and transport parameters within these opaque materials. Since 2007, the research initiated with this funding have led to over 40 publications by the PI and $4M in external funding from DOE, NASA, NSF, industry and Murdock Trust grants to directly fund activities in her research lab. Using a model proposed by the PI, five graduate students were directly supported for their first year. Each student was then subsequently funded by other grants or fellowships for their following years that were awarded either to the student or the PI on the basis of the preliminary results they got during their first year. Broader Impacts: As a result of the research initiated with this proposal, the PI has co-advised 3 post-doctoral researchers, 14 graduate students and 17 undergraduate researchers. These students have been recruited by some of the top MRM Engineering labs and companies in the world, including Exxon and Cambridge University, UK. These students have been awarded prestigious scholarships such as the NSF GRFP, Gates-Cambridge, McNairs and Goldwater. The lab has established itself as a core contributor to all recruitment and retention programs on campus especially those focused on minorities. Outreach module development Graduate and undergraduate students have developed several modules that can be shortened, lengthened and integrated to address a wide range of groups that visit the lab. The workshops are: "Forks and Grains": MR research on granular oil-filled particles led to the development of a number of fun demonstrations with granular materials; including hour glasses with different angles of repose, fluidized beds of plastic particles that can be used to make plastic coatings on fork handles, peas and rice that axially and radially separate when rotated in a drum and brazil nuts that rise to the top of cans when shaken. The concepts in these hands-on demonstrations are connected to avalanches, pharmaceutical processing and how to get the best nuts in the mixed nut jar away from one’s siblings. "Magnets and Magic": A workshop has been developed that uses a wide range of hands-on demonstrations to guide the students through the origins of magnet fields (permanent and electromagnetic) and to introduce the connections between currents and magnetic fields. Then the physics, chemistry, engineering and computer science behind the MRI technology used in hospitals is presented, culminating with students becoming "fruit doctors" by diagnosing MR images of various fruits and taking their own MRI image of a fruit of their choice. "Biomedical Engineering": This workshop informs and excites visiting students about Biomedical Engineering options. The workshop uses a range of fun hands-on activities to show that electrical, chemical and mechanical engineering is involved in biomechanical and biomedical research and development. Students get to pour two liquids together and create a gel necklace, stimulate their nervous system with electric stimulators to learn what electrical engineers are doing to help migraine sufferers, and measure the heel impact variations due to various footwear and running styles.
