Research Environment at UMN

Hey everyone,

I just thought I'd comment on my experience at the University of Minnesota so far.

Throughout this summer, I have worked on a testing platform for a novel variable displacement pump/motor. I work alone, and I don't share a lab with other graduate students or other undergraduates. In some respects, this is positive in that I have a great deal of independence; I have the ability to determine my own working schedule and I have had opportunities to practice problem solving through tinkering and independent study. However, this independence comes with some disadvantages as it can be difficult to stay motivated and on task with no one around to boost morale, and the work can become monotonous.

Compared to my previous experiences in a large state school, UMN seems somewhat empty during the summer and as a result I haven't had an opportunity to get a real sense of the research culture here. I can say that it has been a pleasure to work with my faculty advisors as they are very upbeat, excited about their work, and eager to help wherever they can.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summers,
Mike

Research Culture at University of Minnesota

I was pretty scared before coming into my research lab. I thought they would be pretty strict and have a schedule for when everything needs to be done. Surprisingly, my research lab starts around 9:30/10 even coming in later sometimes. It has been pretty laid back. There's no set schedule but more of a going with the flow type of environment. The first couple weeks here have been extremely chill for me which surprised me because I thought I'd be working hard all the time. I didn't expect the amount of freedom I get by doing research. My graduate student doesn't really tell me what to do rather I get to come up with how I approach my project which is kind of cool to do even if it doesn't work at first. It all makes sense now why research takes so long because no one's ever sure of what they're doing. 

-Diana 

Research Culture at Purdue University

Hi everyone,

The research environment at Purdue and more specifically the Maha Fluid Power lab is relatively laid back. Everyone usually comes in around 9 or 10 in the morning and stays till around 6 -8 night. Every week the entire lab meets to watch somebody present their research and then have a discussion about it afterwards. Also, the group that I'm involved with in the lab usually meets with Dr. Vacca every week so that we can give him updates on our research projects and see if we are headed in the right direction. One thing that came as a surprise to me and was cool to see, was the amount of companies that come to visit the lab and attend presentations on student's research in the lab. I guess this makes more sense now because industry is a big contributor in funding student's research.

Hope everyone is doing well and learning a ton at their research homes.  

Week 2

Hey Everyone,

Now that I have had the opportunity to learn more about fluid power, I have become increasingly aware of the abundance of hydraulics and pneumatics in modern machines. I had typically associated hydraulics with large scale construction machinery. While doing work in the machine shop Friday, it occurred to me that many human-scale devices used fluid power in ways I took for granted. For users to clean shavings and other debris, the shop provides pneumatic lines attached to a centralized pump to make use of its high energy density. The weight of a heavy drop saw is supported by a small hydraulic line, allowing operators to make clean cuts without having to contend with muscle fatigue. The beauty of fluid power lies in its versatility, and in the coming months I am sure I will continue to see fluid power systems in places I would not have expected to find them.

Keep up the great work everyone,

Mike

Week 2

It is interesting how differently my perspective has changed with regards to fluid powered systems. For example, now that I am working with them I tend to be able to distinguish whether something is utilizing fluid power or not. Across from my lab building there is construction going on, if their machines didn't consist of fluid power systems those buildings would never be constructed. Those thousand pound beams wouldn't be able to get carried from the ground all the way to the top floor with precision, without hydraulic systems. One of the lathe machines I use to shape a metal shaft to the appropriate dimensions needed for my project utilizes a pneumatic system to measure rotating speed. I've used this machine before and I didn't realize until now. If would've never been exposed to fluid power systems I doubt I would have even been able to point that out. It is amazing how precise hydraulic systems can be, in the project I'm working on the hydraulic powered ankle-foot orthosis needs to be able to accurately imitate the walking patterns of a human. An Arduino controls system was used to make sure the walking patterns can be replicated. Initial and final positions are very important in terms of angle displacements on the ankle. Since the oil used in the systems has a high bulk modulus it causes an almost 1:1 ratio response. I find this incredible because in applications where accuracy plays a huge factor it is important to have a system that can react with the accuracy needed. 


p.s. Continue working hard people! And remember, work hard but play harder!

Research Culture in Vanderbilt University

The research culture here in Vanderbilt is not different than the one that people mentioned in previous posts. It is a very nice environment where people are much more relaxed and less nervous than what I have experienced in WPI (my school). I have seen that different people have different way of working and doing their research and everyone accepts that. There are people that prefer to come to the lab later in the day and leave later in the evening. Times are very flexible and we are free to work whenever we want and as much as we want as soon as we are getting a satisfying amount of results. As part of a small lab (about 7 to 10 people in total including professor Barth) I have so far experienced a very helpful environment where people are always willing to help you out or answer questions for you. Additionally, a very nice thing that we have come up is the weekly Lab Lunch breaks. Every Wednesday the whole lab including the professor go to some food place to hang out and grab lunch, which is a great team builder. Lastly, professor Barth is very approachable and he is always willing to help out with our projects. Although he has a busy schedule, he is always willing to spend time for the projects. Definitely the supervisor everyone would like to have. Overall, it is a very modern and friendly work place that benefits everyone.

I hope you are having a great time at your research sites! 

Spyros

Research Culture at University of Minnesota

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from being in a research setting like this. I guess I wasn't expecting such a laid back atmosphere. I thought everyone might have more of a set schedule. It seems like people sort of come and go as they want and work at their own pace. Not to say people aren't working hard, it's just more relaxed than I imagined. I was also a little surprised by how much uncertainty there is. Thinking about it now, it seems obvious because that's what research is. I just didn't think about it prior to starting here. There is a weekly meeting where a someone new each week makes a short presentation on the project they are working on. These have been very interesting and fun to be involved in. It's cool to see what other people are working on and see the progress they are making.

Research Culture and Environment at Iowa State University

Hi everyone! Research environment in general was much lenient than I expected it to be. The professors and graduate students are super open to teaching me. From what I had heard, I was a bit scared of the environment but I have been pleasantly surprised. It may sound stupid, but I didn't expect research to be so much learning. I thought people doing the research would have solid ideas and plans and act upon them. But it seems like a lot of "oh that's interesting, let's see what we can do with this information." I suppose research wouldn't be necessary if people knew everything that would happen.

Hope everyone is enjoying their time.

- Seong

Thank You, Garbage Truck, For Waking Me UP. (Week 2)

Ah, nothing greater than being woke up by a garbage truck at 4:00 am. Hydraulics really did surprise me last week, not only because it was early in the morning, but also because I never really thought about the hydraulic system of a garbage truck. Being the curious cat I am, I set off to google garbage truck hydraulic systems and came across a very interesting article. This article talked about a hybrid garbage truck that used hydraulic accumulators to help speed up the truck to highway speeds saving tons of gas. It is similar to the Range Rover the Perdue grad students had in the shop. Although the garbage truck does not run completely on a hydraulic system, it is exciting to see that systems we are working on this summer can potentially be what make our cars move in the future! 

Week two: still breathing. 

First Week

The Fluid Power Bootcamp was a wonderful experience, with great people! All the activities helped me understand the way fluid power works and where it is headed. It was shocking to think people stopped developing this technology because of it being thought of as outdated. Seeing the projects the graduate students have been working on made me excited for this summer. My favorite part of the boot camp was driving the tractor and shoveling dirt with it. Interacting with Y'all was great too, everyone was friendly and welcoming. I wish the program would have an end of summer meeting where everyone could meet again and share their work! Good luck researching my dudes!

P.s The Neon Cactus was not too bad!  

Week 2

It's really weird how when we get into something, we begin to notice it more and more. At the University of Minnesota right across the building I work at there's a lot of construction going on and with construction comes excavators. Everyday when I walk past them, I can't help but find my gaze looking at the hydraulic actuators on the machines. Before learning about fluid power, I never really thought about what was allowing those machines to do what they do.

Another thing that surprised me was that one day I was just watching some snapchat videos and one video came up about a dentist drilling into a teeth. I found myself wondering what if the drill that was used is powered by hydraulics or pneumatics? Guess what? It actually was! It was pretty cool to google that and find out that it was. Just surprised me that it was in something we might have encountered multiple times in our lives.

-Diana

Week 2: hydraulic surprises!

     I have to say that the bootcamp was most influential in educating me about the various usages of hydraulic power; more so than my internship simply because my REU site works very specifically with some robotic actuators. That is what they specialize in, so there aren't many other applications beyond that. That is certainly not to say how impressed I am with the work they have been doing here. I work in a lab called the "Human Dynamics and Controls Lab". They've done a multitude of work that mainly revolves around the development of automated assistive (orthotic) machinery using pneumatic powered actuators that are used as artificial muscles. Recently I've been working on the effects of an open system on a type of pneumatically powered actuator called Fiber-Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures (or FREE's). These actuators were designed by studying certain biologically based muscles strands that enclose and are controlled by some sort of fluid based hydraulic system. Elephant's trunks and octopus tentacles are some examples. The actuator works based on how strands are wrapped around an elastic-like tube and angled with reference to one another as they traverse the tube from beginning to end. Based on the angle difference between strands, when a pneumatic fluid causes a pressure change within the FREE, it will contract in various ways. It's quite astounding! Normally these types of actuators operate within closed systems, but we want to see how they operate in open systems, so that is what I have been testing (and what the picture I've included shows behind me). Ultimately, they want to develop an exosuit that is composed of these FREE's and is powered by an SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus), so this is one of the first steps in seeing how these actuators will behave in a system like that. 

p.s. I don't normally dress like this in lab, but I just came from working out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Summer Expectations

Hey everyone,

     I'm a bit late posting, but I've been staying busy! I have to say, it was quite a enjoyable experience meeting and working with everyone throughout the bootcamp. You are all very interesting and have very interesting backgrounds and personalities. I learning not only from the bootcamp, but also about various cultures and demographics. The bootcamp overall has certainly prepared me for my experience here at UIUC, considering I had little to no information coming in considering my educational focus (Electrical Engineering). I attend UIUC so I didn't have to worry about learning the environment, so my focus has been entirely on my internship and helping out in the best ways I know how. Like the bootcamp, everyone at my internship is supportive and has a very positive attitude.

     I think overall the thing I look forward to the most is what I've enjoyed most about working with this particular team of researchers; that is, once they've observed competent behavior they are very open to ideas and allow autonomy when it comes to solving problems and/or developing experimental methods for solving said problems. Hoping everyone is having as good an experience I am and if so, that it will continue to be so.

---Chas

Hello Everyone!

I know this post is pretty late, but I finally figured out how to post something on the blog. My name is Andrew Velasquez and I am a mechanical engineer and currently an upcoming junior at the University of California Merced. I am originally raised in the city of Los Angeles, which is also located in California. In high school I played tennis and joined MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achie
vement) club. I still love to play tennis, but it saddens me that I do not have tennis courts at my university. Other activities that I like to do for fun is fishing, the occasional ultimate frisbee game, and paintball. Previous experiences I had before becoming a part of the CCEFP reu is during my freshman year of college, I was a part of a program called engineering service learning which allowed me and other undergraduate engineers to work on current projects. The first project I worked on was called the naturalist app and the objective was to create a phone application which would give people information about the endangered vernal pools surrounding our campus. The second project I worked on was called bobcat radio and its objective was to create the first radio station on our campus. I have also had an internship during the spring semester of my sophomore year of college were I helped restore old airplane for a aerospace museum located in Atwater California. On a special note I want to thank Alyssa Burger and the rest of the Purdue staff that accompanied the rest of the reu participants and I. I really enjoyed the boot camp and was glad to meet each and everyone of you. Good luck on the rest of your projects!

Fluid Power Applications

I find it so fascinating that once a person gets involved in something, they start to see it everywhere else! One time I had bought this coat and soon after, it felt like everyone had the same one as me! I guess your brain starts to actually notice it instead of passing it along as unnecessary information.

I think the same thing is happening to me with fluid power right now. As I study and get involved with fluid power more, I see it in so many areas. Directly in front of the building I work in at Iowa State University, there is loads of construction going on right now. I see actuators on the booms of the machines and I find myself staring at it and thinking about all the hydraulic pipes and valves.

In the lab I work in, there is a hydrostatic transmissions test stand powered with a diesel engine. Seeing all the components in the open like that has piqued my interest in every car that passes by me.

I hope you guys are enjoying your research projects and learning a lot!

- Seong

MR-Compatible Pneumatic Stepper Actuator

Hey everyone,

I hope the week is treating you well. Today I will be writing about a device that uses fluid power, different than any others that you have seen. In professor Barth's lab here in Vanderbilt, there are many projects that apply fluid power, but one of them captured my interest because I though it was very ingenious. The picture I have posted is a MR-Compatible Pneumatic Stepper Actuator. As many of you might know, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. An MRI scanner is a large tube that contains powerful magnets. You lie inside the tube during the scan, and there is some space between your body and the tube. This space is going to be occupied by the device you see in the pictures in order to press needles into the body in different places near the scan. Doctors have been very interested in working on the patients while the patients are being scanned by the MRI, but they never could because there is a very small space left in the tube and a robot device wouldn't work because the metals from its electronics would destroy the magnetic image. The MR-Compatible Pneumatic Stepper Actuator gave a solution this problem by using fluid power instead of cables to force the needles into the patient's body and its body as you wight be able to see is all 3-D printed (plastic) which does not affect the image. I believe this is one of the most clever applications of fluid powers I've seen until now! 

Fluid Power in Everyday Life

Hello everyone,

Fluid power is definitely all around us. In the online fluid power course I am taking right now many of the examples we learn about involve construction equipment like excavators. This weekend I drove by a few construction sites and I was noticing all the hydraulic lines in their equipment and thinking about the huge amount of power that is transferred through those lines. I started noticing fluid power in places I never really thought about too. I have used pneumatic hand sanders for years when doing woodworking, but never really thought of them as being a fluid power device. Sometimes you forget about pneumatic devices being included in the scope of fluid power. But I saw a pneumatic sander sitting in the garage over the weekend and started to really think about how it works.

What I'm Most Excited About This Summer

Hello everyone,

After spending a week on campus and getting everything set up for this summer, I am more excited than ever about this opportunity. There are so many interesting projects going on here right now. I am starting out by taking an online course that Professor Van de Ven teaches on fluid power and it is very interesting so far. I am already learning a ton of new and interesting material. A lot of what I am learning builds off things I learned last semester in my fluid mechanics class, so I am able to understand it pretty well. I wanted to be involved in this REU program because I had in interest in fluid mechanics and I was thinking about entering this field after graduating. After just a week in the program, I am even more interested in continuing in this field. I am very excited to get going on this project and to learn even more about fluid power.

Summer goals

Hello everyone! I hope research has been going great for all of you, just wanted to let you guys have an insight on my summer goals. I am really excited on learning more about fluid power systems, and in my case how we can deviate from the traditional applications. In my lab we are leaning towards a bio-medical application, we are trying to procreate a hydraulic powered ankle-foot orthosis. In the future, this project will be able to assist many people whom are victims to diseases which might impair their walking abilities. Currently, our specific target are people victims to cerebral epilepsy, if our project proves to be successful then these people will benefit greatly in terms of needing less assistance when walking. We are currently working on the portable system that will allow the subject to move freely without any constraints with regards to being attached to a power supply. I'm looking forward to solving this portable system and trouble shooting it. I am also excited in making some new connections while completing this project. Networking is always great, that's how you get your foot in the door. I'm looking forward to participating in this REU program, because I know I will make some life-long friends here and the connections here will be crucial to my career in the future. I hope you guys take advantage of this opportunity and make the best of it!  

Bootcamp

Hi everyone!

I hope you all are enjoying your REU sites.

The bootcamp was very informative and I thought that it was a very nice introduction to fluid power.  Before the bootcamp, I did not have a strong idea of what fluid power was and I had no idea that it has so many applications.  The labs were really interesting and the grad students were very helpful.  I had a great experience at Purdue with you and I look forward to hearing about your research.

Christina

Boot Camp Reflection/Summer Goals

Hey everyone, I would just like to take the opportunity to reflect on my experience at the Fluid Power Boot Camp and to share my outlook for the summer.

Before attending the boot camp, I had never really been exposed to fluid power, and I was amazed at how broad of a field it is. Research in fluid power requires knowledge in subjects ranging from control theory and system design on a macroscopic level to fluid mechanics and component design down to the micron scale. Being passionate about sustainability, I was amazed at the incredible energy savings that can be achieved by improving hydraulic systems in construction vehicles. I really enjoyed being introduced to the subject by some of the top researchers in the field as well as getting to know other undergraduates from such a broad array of backgrounds.

My primary goal this summer is to use my research experience here to help narrow my field of study for graduate school. Because most fluid power research is multifaceted, working in fluid power is an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience in a broad array of subjects. I hope to take advantage of the opportunity this research experience presents by contributing to the field and deciding what field of knowledge I would like to spend my career advancing.

Bootcamp: A Success

Thank you all for making our CCEFP REU Fluid Power Bootcamp at Purdue University a great success!   In such a short amount of time, you learned much, and developed as engineers even more.  You are an ambitious group taking on challenging research projects in unfamiliar places.  Take time to learn about those around you, make connections, maintain those friendships you established, and take advantage of the city during the next two months. 

Congratulations on a great start!  Best wishes to you!

Long time no talk friends,

I can't believe it's almost a week since we all met at Purdue. Kind of crazy how fast time flies when you're kept busy with doing work. I hope everyone got settled in nicely at their REU site :)

The fluid power bootcamp was such an intensive and informative experience. I never really had a clear idea of what "fluid power" meant before the bootcamp. The bootcamp helped clearly define what fluid power is for me now. It was really nice to meet everyone since each individual had a different background and came from a different part of the country. It was really sad to be leaving Friday morning knowing I wouldn't be able to see our whole group together anymore.

I really enjoyed the labs that we had to go through during the bootcamp. The graduate students were extremely open to talking about their experience as graduate students as well as their own research. Having no prior knowledge about fluid power, the bootcamp definitely help me be prepared when I met with the team I'd be working with this summer. Pretty excited to see how the rest of summer goes.

One thing I wish that was different about the bootcamp was that I wish we got one day off where we could explore around Purdue and its campus or just one day to hang out with each other. Other than that, it was such a wonderful experience to have. Can't wait to hear more about everyone's project!

-Diana

Bootcamp

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had excellent first weeks - filled with exploring your new city, learning more about your project, and applying what you learned at the bootcamp. It's wild to think it's already been a week!

Fluid power is not something I have learned much about during my education, so it was great to have the bootcamp to augment my learning and help prepare even more for my project. Even though we only had two days of lecture and labs, I learned a ton! The labs were an especially helpful way (particularly the quick-connect circuits) to start grasping fluid power concepts. The graduate students teaching the labs were very open to questions and to helping us learn as much as possible during our time at Purdue. It was fascinating to learn about the history of fluid power, some of the key concepts, and the great strides that have been made to bring this neglected field to the forefront.

The bootcamp set the stage for what I now anticipate to be a summer filled with learning, making new friends, and developing as a researcher and engineer. I can't wait to hear it goes for the rest of you!

What I Want Out of This Summer

Hi again,

After reading how much everyone loved boot camp, I'm pretty disappointed I couldn't go.  So I'll just write about my hopes and goals for this summer instead.

For work, I want to take on new challenges and see what I'm capable of.  I'm working in Prof. Sun's lab on the development of a hydraulic free piston engine.  I've been asked to examine a MATLAB program and a Simulink program and integrate them into one comprehensive program for monitoring and controlling the motion of the pistons with hydraulics.  I've never done anything like this before, and am excited for something new.  I'm also looking forward to the hands-on experience with the engine in the lab.  I hope this summer gives me a good idea of what graduate school is like so that I can better decide whether or not it's something I want to do in the future.

Outside of work, I want to have a great time in Minneapolis.  I've never been here before, and I want to experience all I can of this city.  So far, I like what I've seen.  I'm excited to meet some new people this summer too, maybe some people with interests similar to mine.

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is having a great time at their REU-host universities. The fluid power bootcamp was such an amazing experience; it gave me the opportunity to bond with fellow engineers and scientists. Even though it was three day event, the way our group bonded was really wonderful. It almost felt like the bootcamp was so short. I still wish we got to spend more time together.

Even for the graduate students and age professors at Purdue made us feel like really at home. If I hadn't participated in this program I would not have known that hydraulics and pneumatics dominates such a huge part of the automotive industries. The experiments have definitely prepared me for my REU-projects that involves dealing with the filtration of biodegradable hydraulic fluids.

Also getting to spend time with all the REU participants was pretty great. Most of us are from different parts of the country and it was very interesting to see how all the great minds think alike.

Hey

Hey guys,
I'm Zane Weltman and I'll be doing research at the University of Minnesota this summer.  I just finished my sophomore year at Vanderbilt, studying chemical engineering with a minor in Spanish.  I was studying out of the country until June 1, so I had to miss the bootcamp, which is kind of a bummer I guess.  I'm still really excited to get into my research though.

I'm from Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.  I'm a huge Cleveland sports fan, even of the Browns (all that failure will make it that much sweeter when they win the Super Bowl someday).  That bottom picture is of me and my dad at the World Series last year.  I know the Indians lost, no need to remind me.  As far as hobbies, I play jazz guitar, I play Ultimate Frisbee (hoping to find some people to play with this summer), I really like running, I love trying new foods, and I'm definitely better than you at Mario Kart.  Looking forward to a fun and productive summer here!

Fluid Power Bootcamp

Hello everyone!

The bootcamp was such an eye-opening experience. It was amazing to meet so many different types of people and even though we had only spent maybe 3 days together, I was sad to be departing Friday morning. I hope everyone's flights/travels were much better than mine - I was delayed by 7 hours.
Had we not been at Purdue for the bootcamp and gone straight to our host universities to do our projects, I would have been beyond lost. The things we learned at Purdue are coming in SO handy - the grad students think I'm super smart for knowing all this information that many undergrad students aren't too familiar with! Now that I'm more involved in hydraulics and fluid power, it seems like everywhere I walk I can spot applications of Fluid Power.

The only complaint I have of the bootcamp was that it wasn't longer! I wish it was a full week long rather than just a couple days. I felt like we had to leave as soon as we started to bond together as a group. Hope you guys are enjoying your projects so far.

- Seong

My Fluid Power Bootcamp Experience

Hi again,

This time I will be writing some thoughts on my experience at the Fluid Power Bootcamp this past week. First of all I have to admit that the bootcamp changed my whole perception on fluid power is. When applying to the CCEFP I thought Fluid Power had to do more with the conceptual analysis of fluids as it is taught in engineering classes. In Purdue I saw that fluid power is a field that has many applications in engineering and especially in industry, which I think is very interesting. Although I've taken so many classes on fluids, I never had a lab that demonstrated their behavior, so being in the Maha Lab was a unique experience for me. I think that the bootcamp had a high educational value as I feel ready to apply the concepts of fluid power on my own project.
Additionally, I really enjoyed being around people from all over the world that had different backgrounds but shared the same love for science. I feel that I have made connections that will be useful for my future and it was nice to talking to grad students about their work and research experience as this is what I think I want to do after I graduate.
Lastly, if I had something to complain about is that I didn't get the chance to see more of the Purdue campus, but as of what I've heard, it isn't so interesting. Overall, I think it was a great experience that I feel lucky I had the chance to be part of.

Spyros

Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Jamison Noye. I am from New Richmond, WI and I just finished up my fifth year at UW-Stout studying Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering. I have done two semester-long Manufacturing Engineering Internships during my time in school. One at Valent Air Management Systems located in Minneapolis, and one at Pentair located in Anoka, MN. During school I work part-time as a lab assistant in a wood shop. In my free time I love hunting, fishing, golfing, pretty much anything that gets me outside. This summer I will be working on the AC Hydraulic Pump project under Professor James Van de Ven. I'm really looking forward to getting started and working with everyone!

Bloop bloop

Hello everyone, my name is Edgar Mejia it was nice meeting you all at in Indiana. For those of you who didn't really get a chance to really get to know me while being in Indiana, I am from Livingston, California. I currently just finished my 4th year at UC Merced, and I graduate next spring. I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Applied Mathematics. This is my first time traveling to the middle east which is a little nerve-racking but at the same time exciting. I'm actually fond of these places, in terms of my hobbies I highly enjoy going snowboarding, bike riding, playing soccer, playing tennis, horse-back riding, and riding ATV's. As you can see, I'm very fond of outdoor activities, and yes, I'm actually pretty skilled at playing tennis. I played in the tennis for 3 years during high school, and I've been playing soccer my whole life. I was born juggling a soccer ball, and I also enjoy going fishing. This summer I will be working in professor Will Durfee's lab and I will be taking part in the hydraulic powered ankle-foot orthosis project, this project will assist patients who have trouble walking due to orthosis problems. I hope research goes great for all of you this summer, and it was great meeting all of you!