Two CEAT students selected to receive Walt Kolb Studies Scholarships
Friday, May 14, 2021
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College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology students Abby Haddox and Lynsey Baxter were selected to receive a Walt Kolb Studies Scholarship for the 2021-2022 school year.
The Walt Kolb fellowship provides support to graduate students who show promise in research. Additional requirements include submitting the required forms, maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA, completing satisfactory performance of assigned duties, as well as complying with all department, program, graduate college and university regulations.
Abby Haddox, a senior mechanical engineering student minoring in entrepreneurship, was nominated for the scholarship by Dr. Aurelie Azoug and Dr. Charlotte Fore. After graduation, Haddox plans to pursue a career as a biomedical or materials engineer.
Haddox has completed research alongside her advisor, Dr. Azoug.
“I started doing research with Dr. Aurelie Azoug in the Mechanics of Smart and Soft Materials lab my second semester here at OSU,” Haddox said. “I spent that semester learning how to do material testing with the Differential Scanning Calorimeter, which looks at the thermal transitions of a polymer. I continued occasionally performing these tests and training my fellow research students on the process.”
That following summer, Dr. Azoug gave Haddox the opportunity to work on her own project, "The Posture Changes During Pregnancy: Influence of Footwear on the Risk of Falling of Pregnant Women." This project is partnered with Dr. Jerome Hausselle in the Biomechanical Analysis and Musculoskeletal Modeling lab.
“I have led a research team working on this project for the last three years, gathering data, learning to analyze it and communicating the results,” Haddox said. “I have presented at five conferences, participated in the writing of one published journal article, and have been a CEAT URS and Wentz Research Grant recipient.”
Lynsey Baxter, a doctoral materials science and engineering student, was nominated by her advisor, Dr. Ranji Vaidyanathan. After graduating with her doctorate, Baxter would like to continue her work with MITO Material Solutions, a start-up based out of Stillwater.
Baxter’s research has mostly been in the creation of polymer/fiber composites.
“In the past, I worked with creating and testing the mechanical properties of a radiation shielding material composed of high-density polyethylene and boron nitride,” Baxter said. “We sandwiched that material with carbon fiber/epoxy laminates and the composites we made were sent up to the International Space Station so we can evaluate its radiation shielding properties. We are hoping that the radiation shielding was adequate for us to utilize this material as a structural material for space travel in order to provide added protection for astronauts.”
For the last three years, Baxter has been working with MITO evaluating MITO’s additives in thermoplastic composites.
“The additive I have tested the most is added in very small quantities to epoxy resins and increases the laminate composite’s resistance to delamination, which is a major problem for a variety of industries that use laminate composites for their product,” Baxter said.
Baxter would like to thank her advisor, Vaidyanathan, as well as the donors and MITO for helping her achieve the scholarship. Haddox would like to thank her advisor, Azoug as well as Dr. Jerome Hausselle and her research partners, Jaden Kasitz and Kara Marchetta.
OSU CEAT congratulates Haddox and Baxter for their accomplishment and is excited to see what else they accomplish in the future.
Story By: Kaitlyn Mires | kamires@okstate.edu