Undergraduate Research Opportunities

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers students the opportunity to work directly with CEE faculty and research staff on a broad range of current topics in environmental, water resources, materials, structural, geotechnical and transportation engineering. Many studies involve significant social, economic and legal factors; many also involve computers, experimental laboratory work or fieldwork. Current environmental problems such as groundwater contamination and acid rain may be addressed. Recent UROPs have co-authored scientific papers based on their CEE UROP research.

CEE UROP Coordinators
Professor Eduardo Kausel
617.253.5336
kausel@MIT.EDU

Patricia Dixon, administrative officer
617.253.2335
patdixon@mit.edu

CEE UROP Payroll
Andre Dixon, assistant to the department head
617.253.1629
aldixon@mit.edu

To see a list of currently available MIT UROP projects, visit the MIT UROP website.

CEE UROP Projects and Supervisors Fall 2008, Spring and Summer 2009

Eric Adams

  • The Effects of Particle Density on Inverted Flume Effeciency as a Draft Source

Moshe Ben-Akiva

  • Collaborative Development of Dynamic Traffic Simulation Models for Beijing
  • iTEAM (Using GPS Data to Develop Methods of Energy Conservation
  • iTEAM

Markus Buehler

  • Atomistic Modeling of Silicon Fracture
  • Mesoscale Modeling of Alpha Helices
  • Multi-Scale Modeling and Simulation of the Mechanical Properties of Beta-Structure in Protein Materials
  • Study of the Mechanics of Protein Based Materials
  • Mechanical Analysis of a Triple Beta Helix Using a Molecular Dynamics Approach
  • Materiomics Analysis of Tropocollagen Molecules
  • Molecular Dynamics Application Programming, Simulations and Outreach
  • Molecular simulation study of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease proteins
  • Atomistic simulation of brittle-to-ductile transition and failure Mechanics
  • Hierarchical Amyloid Protein Materials
  • Spider Silk

Oral Buyukozturk

  • Durability Issue of Adhesive Bond Joint in Infrastructures' Behavior of FRP-strengthened RC Beams Under Moisture Effect

Jerome Connor

  • Design and Experimentation of Model Structures with Semi-Active Magnetorheological Dampers
  • Active Sensoring Design of Magnetorheologically-Damped Structures
  • Monitoring and Control for Motion Lab

Edward DeLong

  • Expression of Proteorhodopsin in E.coli
  • Identification of Proteorhodopsin Gene in E. coli

Herbert Einstein

  • White Patch Formation in Granite
  • Crack Coalesence in Granite

Dara Entekhabi

  • An Observing Simulation System Experiment for the SMAP Radiometer
  • A Circuit-Based Approach to Modeling the Flow of Biofilms through a Porous Medium

John Germaine

  • Geotechnical Lab Assistant
  • Electric Swing Set
  • CRS Clay Testing

Phil Gschwend

  • The Effects of Physical and Chemical Factors on the Growth Dynamics of Microcystis sp. in a Subtropical Reservoir

Charles Harvey

  • Optimization of the HCl-MgSiO3 Neutralization Reaction in Carbon Neutral Cement Production: Effects of Variable Parameters
  • Nutrient Cycling in Coastal Aquifers
  • Optimization of the HCl-MgSiO3 Neutralization Process in Carbon-negative Cement Creation: Kinetics

Harry Hemond

  • Methane Bubbling in the Upper Mystic Lake
  • Component Optimization of a Small-Scale Organic Rankine Cycle Solar Thermal Cogeneration System
  • Waquoit Bay Biogeochemistry
  • Groundwater Circulation in Waquoit Bay
  • Methane Fluxes in Upper Mystic Lake
  • Micro Controller for Parabolic Trough

Ruben Juanes

  • Carbon Sequestration Using Capillary Action
  • Capillary Trapping during CO2 Sequestration in Deep Saline Aquifers

Jesse Kroll

  • Chemical Composition of Fine Particles Produced From Wood and Biomass Burning

Richard Larson

  • Automated Residential Electricity Usage

Heidi Nepf

  • Hydrodynamic Impact of Seagrass Meadows
  • Wave and Sea Grass Interaction Study

Marcia Osburne

  • Characterizing the Inhibition of Prochlorococcus Growth by Alteromonas sp. in Laboratory Co-Cultures
  • Examining copper toxicity and response in marine cyanobacteria

Martin Polz

  • Exploring the Temperature and Salt Tolerance of Clinical and Environmental Vibrio Cholerae
  • The Phylogeny of Flagellum in Gamma Proteobacteria
  • Vibriocins in the Environment

Roman Stocker

  • Development of the Videogame 'Virtual Microbe'
  • Virtual Microbe Project
  • Virtual Microbe Video Game

Janelle Thompson

  • Characterizing the Microbiome of the Estuarine Cnidarian Nematostella Vectensis
  • Use of Signature Tagged Mutagenesis to Investigate Evolution and Emergence of Pathogens  from Marine Environments
  • Assessment of Yellow Band Disease-Causing Bacteria in Marine Samples
  • Molecular Re-evaluation of Endemic Brazilian Coral Systematics and Localization of Microbial Populations within Corals

Franz-Josef Ulm

  • High Temperature, High Pressure Cement Paste Analytical Campaign
  • Using Nanoindentation to Determine Concrete Strength