ABSTRACTS
2019 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA
Researcher: Olorunjuwon Ajayi
Presentation Title: Image processing (cross correlation) and machine learning tools to predict velocity vector fields using Tomo-PIV data.
Research Focus: Model Developments in Ocean Current Turbine
School: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
The purpose of this research is to develop a MATLAB code that will analyze the images taken from a Particle image velocimetry (PIV) set up. The images will be analyzed using cross- correlation to generate velocity vector field. After completing this first process then develop a Machine learning (ML) algorithm that will be able to predict the flow of the particle from images taken from Particle image velocimetry set up. I am interested in implementing ML with PIV to analyze how accurate ML model determines the flow of the fluid when relying on the input images from either computational or experimental results. Two research questions guide my research: First, how accurate the developed MATLAB code obtains the velocity vector fields comparted to those from PIV results? Second, how accurate the develop ML model predict the flow field velocity values using the experimental/computational input data? For MATLAB, online courses and available resources in the research group will enable developing a simple, yet robust code. For ML, several courses are taken and regression models on some sample data are being developed. The results of this research will be beneficiary to other researchers in the team to (1) educate them on how the cross-correlation in a commercial software (i.e. Dantec Dynamics for PIV) works and (2) how a data-based approach (i.e. ML) can use the physics-based data to obtain a faster and accurate prediction of flow fields.
Researcher: Olivia Hardy
Presentation Title: Financing Public Health Outcomes: The Relationship Between Health Expenditures and Maternal Mortality in the State of Maryland
Research Focus: Public/ Maternal Health
School: The University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Every year, close to 300,000 women die globally from pregnancy related complications– which is a noteworthy decrease from decades prior. This decrease in the prevalence of maternal mortality has occurred in every developed country in the world, except the United States. After implementing the Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System, the CDC found that the number of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States is steadily rising; from ≤ 7 deaths/ 100,000 in 1986, to ≥ 17 deaths/ 100,000 in 2015.
Meriting even more concern, the number of pregnancy related deaths in the State of Maryland considerably exceeds the National Average—raising the question of why. Recognizing that there are both indirect and direct obstetric causes that lead to maternal mortality, this piece holds that a key cause are the social determinants of health. This analysis of maternal and infant health program expenditures and synthesis of literature aims to explore the inverse correlation between the counties in Maryland with low budgets for maternal/ infant health programs and high instances of maternal mortality. Provided backing from international surveys of a similar sort, the hope of this literary work is to present its audience with evidence of the criticalness of the social determinants of health in relation to health outcomes and provide a policy recommendation.
Researcher: Samina Musa
Title: LCIG (Leave the Carbon in the Ground) Vitalization of Abandoned Oil Wells for Heat and Electricity Production
Research Focus: Energy Resources Engineering
School: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Hundreds of thousands of oil wells have been or will be abandoned around the world. Yet a very large amount of oil still resides in abandoned reservoirs because of technological and economic limitations. The residual oil saturation is usually more than 40%. Both economic, climate and social benefits will be significant if these abandoned residual oil reserves could be vitalized for heat and electricity production. The main idea of this project is to convert the abandoned or being-abandoned oil wells into thermal energy producers. The mechanism behind this would be to generate high temperature up to 350°C by using in-situ combustion, injecting air in order to oxidize a small part of the remaining immobile oil to generate heat that can be brought to the surface in the form of steam. Water could be injected after the high temperature zone has developed, or in many cases may be present naturally. High temperature and high-pressure steam will be produced for electricity generation. Hence the energy content of the abandoned or being- abandoned oil wells can be recovered, leaving the carbon in the ground and bringing only the energy to the surface in the form of heat. The process of heat production by in-situ combustion as well as the recovery of the artificial geothermal energy for electricity generation and direct use of the heat is modeled.