Michael Bellacicco, a senior in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was recently featured in The INSPIRE Journal for his first place win in this year’s NASA District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium Annual Student Research Competition.
Bellacicco’s winning project, titled “Lateral Piezoresistive Behavior of CNT Yarn Under Compression,” set out to display how the electrical change in resistance of the carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY) mimics a change in strain and therefore, useful in detecting strain in structures within aerospace, aeronautical, and civil engineering. His research found that the lateral compression was twice as sensitive than in the axial compression tests, giving insight as to how the direction of the CNTY can affect its measurements.
He completed this project with support from Jandro Abot, Ph.D. at the Intelligent Materials Laboratory located in Pangborn Hall. In addition, Iriana Garcia Guerra, a doctoral candidate at the School of Engineering, also supported this research and served as his mentor throughout the duration of the project. Through this combined support, he was able to develop the skills needed to complete this research and yield new findings in this topic area; ultimately, leading to his success at this competition and feature in The INSPIRE Journal.
Bellacicco said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to display the lab's findings in a way that enlightens our audience, but also encourages me to articulate the concepts and theories behind the work. This competition has given me a chance to understand more deeply the research that is done at Catholic University’s Intelligent Materials Laboratory.”
Bellacicco is a wonderful example of School of Engineering students getting involved, taking what they learned in the classroom and applying it to real world situations through research and discovery. Moreover, taking advantage of the opportunities available at the school through our faculty and research laboratories. The skills and experience he has acquired through these last few years will serve him well in his future career, opening up new doors and opportunities long into the future.
Click here to visit The INSPIRE Journal