"Undergraduate research is among the most powerful experiential learning opportunities we provide on our campus," said President Philip J. Hanlon '77, as he and his wife, Gail Gentes, welcomed viewers to a virtual presentation of senior honors thesis projects, which began May 4.
In the online symposium, taking place over four days this month and open (virtually) to the public, students explain their honors thesis research and answer questions from Hanlon and Gentes. In the opening session, undergraduate researchers summarized their work in engineering, economics, chemistry, Russian history, and anthropology.
Two [engineering majors] took aim at climate change. Jackson Danis '21, in "Design and Validation of Affordable Heat Flux Sensing for Optimized Actuation of Green Building Elements," measured the performance of heat sensors which, he said, if used more efficiently in window shades for passive solar structures, could significantly reduce our carbon footprint.
Simon Oster '21 studied "The Effective Thermal Conductivity of Polar Firn." Partially compacted glacial snow, firn yields clues about our future, he said. "It's crucial to know the rate at which ice sheets are melting to help us prepare for what may come."
