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2024 Case Western Reserve University Submissions

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The Pomegranate symbolizes beneficial, productive and profitable life in Chinese culture due to its unique multi-seeds natural structure. Additional, the round shape stands for the perfect and ideal life of hope as well. Both characteristics lead to the special meaning of this kind of fruit in social background, which displays the amazing relationship between the nature and the human. By means of Chinese traditional ink painting technique of calligraphy, could I express my understanding of the ART of STEM. Hopefully this ink painting would bring you all a fruitful year.
This is a collage of two supernova remnants, IC443 and NGC6992, one in the constellation of Cygnus and the other in Gemini. Buried within these objects are black holes formed after the stars exploded a long time ago. Both nebulae resemble alien faces, and I decided to bring them close together as if they were looking at each other. I imaged both objects using my 102 mm refractor telescope from my home driveway. It took me a total of 22 hours over several months since these objects are virtually never in the sky at the same time.
Against the historical tapestry of Antarctica’s McMurdo Station and the trails of great explorers who first braved the harsh landscape, Spider, a balloon-borne microwave telescope is staged for its journey to the edge of space. This photograph captures “The Boss”, a colossal 110,000 lb vehicle, suspending the mylar-shrouded telescope as it undergoes its final preparations for launch by the onlooking NASA rigging crew. Towering in the background is Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano, releasing wisps of smoke into the frigid Antarctic air. Launched on December 22, 2022, using a football stadium-sized balloon, Spider ascended to an altitude of 22 miles, above 99% of Earth’s atmosphere. The telescope then circled above the continent for over two weeks aloft in high-altitude wind currents. Its mission: to unravel the mysteries of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the oldest observable light in the universe. Among the team’s goals is to discover the elusive “smoking gun” evidence for the origin story of our universe. Spider and future CMB experiments will aid in our understanding of the cosmos by conducting incredibly sensitive measurements of this remnant light from the Big Bang.
Imagine your neighborhood's water supply system as a network of pipes. Yearly, more than 10,000 gallons of water go missing in the United States, and the culprit is often an elusive leak within this intricate web. But this is not just about the water loss – these leaks can also cause contamination issues, affecting community health. Now, consider the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential to be our water system's superhero. My research explores how AI can play a crucial role in sniffing out pipe leaks before they become major problems. Think of it as giving our water infrastructure a set of smart senses. Why does this matter? Well, beyond the obvious environmental concern of wasting water, water leaks can hit us in the wallet through increased repair costs. By integrating AI into the mix, I am working towards a future where our water systems can actively detect leaks early on, preventing both water loss and potential health hazards, thereby creating a more sustainable water supply for all of us. So, the next time you turn on the tap, you can be confident that an innovative technology is working behind the scenes to keep our water flowing smoothly and safely.
Every day, we are surrounded by a whirlwind of our past inventions and discoveries, but very rarely do we stop to appreciate the color and wonder of our world. From medicine to mechanical engineering, aviation to astronomy research, botany to biology, we are surrounded by science, technology, and innovation: we almost literally breathe it in every day, and breathe it out as we pursue our individual lives. The objects and symbols in this piece represent aspects of STEM that I have been involved in or that have directly impacted my life. This piece was hand-drawn using digital illustration software, which enabled me to freely play around with contrast, light, color, and shapes, and achieve the grayscale/muted color effect and light contrast. Through the lighting, color, line directionality, and composition choices, the beautiful chaos of invention grows, literally, from the mind of humanity, evoking the same sense of wonder that one would receive with a fantastically surprising discovery, and encouraging everyone to take a step back, breathe in the world, and marvel: look at all that we have achieved so far — what more could we achieve in the future?
This representation of a blood smear mirrors the ever-changing and awe-inspiring beauty of life. Behind our everyday activities lies a hidden marvel. Billions and trillions of cells work together flawlessly, like finely tuned machinery. Scientists dedicate decades to studying these intricate components, unraveling their complexities, and revealing the secrets of life's smallest building blocks. Beyond scientific research lies the artistic side of our nature. This delicate watercolor painting beautifully captures the graceful movement of a blood smear, symbolizing the vibrant life force that flows through our bodies. It is a testament to the inherent artistry that resides within us. Within our most essential bodily fluid, blood, science intertwines with art, reminding us of the beauty that lies within scientific exploration, and the artistic expression that defines our very existence.
This is a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) image. SEM utilizes electron beams to view high definition organisms of microscopic size. This picture shows the fungal pathogen, Candida auris, treated with a novel antifungal I was testing. C. auris has a 30-70% mortality rate and displays high levels of antifungal resistance, so new treatments are needed. This picture is the first visual evidence of the effect of this new antifungal, which punched a hole in the cell wall, leading to a Star Wars "Death Star" looking cell.
Captured through the vibrant hues of a painted glass. The enchanting interplay of light and color as they gracefully dance on the reflective surface of a glass. Engaging with incident light on a microscopic scale. It alters the magnitude and phase of light uniquely across visible frequencies. As light interacts, it undergoes transformations, revealing the wonders of optics and the physics of color. The glass becomes a living experiment, where the manipulation of light gives rise to the vivid spectrum captured in the reflection of moving cars and the lone figure. This captivating display isn't just about aesthetics, it's a testament to the scientific beauty that exists in the seemingly ordinary. The photo encapsulates how STEM principles intricately influence the world we see, translating complex phenomena into the accessible language of color and motion. So, when you admire this image, you're looking at the invisible forces that govern light and color, making science not just a concept in textbooks but a vibrant part of our visual experience.
In the haunting aftermath of the Nord Stream gas pipeline rupture, the Baltic Sea becomes a canvas of sorrowful hues. The once serene underwater landscape, now tainted by the dispersion of pollutants like ship paint, narrates a melancholic tale. As the tragic drama unfolds beneath the waves, the delicate ballet of marine life succumbs to the harsh notes of environmental discord. The visual portrayal is a stark reminder of the symbiotic relationship between nature and industry, where the ruptured pipeline becomes a conductor orchestrating a dissonant symphony of ecological imbalance. A clownfish with anemones urging contemplation on the fragility of our oceans. "Echoes of Desolation" invites viewers to immerse themselves in a visual elegy, underscoring the pressing need for a harmonious coexistence between human activities and the delicate ecosystems that grace our planet.
In the enchanting capture titled "Eternal Stillness," the frozen demise of a once lively pigeon unfolds before our eyes. At first glance, one might mistake the serene scene for a moment of rest, as the pigeon appears peacefully perched, its feathers delicately arranged. Yet, upon closer inspection, the subtle nuances reveal a different truth – a poignant tale frozen in time where life and vitality succumb to the icy embrace of eternity. Through the lens of the artist, tell a story of both fragility and resilience, inviting viewers to contemplate the transient nature of existence. Amidst the beauty lies a deeper narrative rooted in the natural world. The close of 2023 witnessed the onset of the El Niño phenomenon, bringing about extreme temperatures that caught many living beings unprepared.
This map illustrates Ohio's complex natural geography. The state's elevation rises from the low-lying farmlands along Lake Erie up to higher terrain along the southeast border. In between, a dense web of rivers and streams crisscrosses the landscape. This fresh water flows north and empties into Lake Erie, Ohio's coastline along one of the Great Lakes. However, agricultural runoff containing nitrogen fertilizers also flows into the lake, causing a phenomenon called eutrophication. This over-fertilization leads to excessive algae growth, reducing oxygen levels in the water. The resulting "dead zone" is unable to support aquatic life. Understanding how Ohio's rivers connect high and low terrain to influence water flow can help identify sources of runoff. Studying elevation patterns and the state's hydrology inspires innovative solutions to reduce fertilizer impacts on Lake Erie. Clean waterways benefit wildlife habitats and local economies. This map motivates new approaches to balance healthy agriculture with environmental sustainability in Ohio and beyond.
Liver is the life of the party–not only does it help you to process food and vitamins, but it also helps tremendously in aiding your body’s recovery from a night out. When you party, your liver parties too; it only feels right to depict the liver under different fun lighting conditions, letting it experience some fun as well! While most people are familiar with the liver’s ability to clean out toxins (harmful chemicals) from you blood, the liver also preforms tasks such as regulating the amount of blood you have, storing energy, and breaking down the nutrients eat. So don’t let this unassuming organ fool you–it is working continually to keep the rest of your body healthy and happy!
The image portrayed is a technique that many biological scientists utilize called gel electrophoresis. It is a way to separate RNA, protein molecules, and primarily DNA fragments by their size along with their electrical charge. An electrical current moves the molecules across agarose gel, which is stained with a dye so that the fragments are visible under UV light. Electrophoresis has a very important role in our everyday lives. It is a vital tool in DNA fingerprinting as well as detecting proteins and genetic variations that can lead to harmful diseases. Currently, gel electrophoresis is most often used in the fields of immunology, forensic science, molecular biology, and biochemistry.
Many people have unconsciously configure their minds that all viruses are bad. But that is not true some are very crucial for our health and existence. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and are found in every environment on Earth, including soil, water, and the human body. Here you can see these superhero bacteriophages in form of a virus feasting on bacteria in the soil in a garden. The soil is shown as a garden to highlight the importance of bacteriophages in maintaining the balance of bacterial populations in the environment. This is because they are ecosystem engineers and nature cleaners. They are very specific in their action, they can be used to target specific dangerous pathogenic bacteria that even antibiotic is incapable of dealing with in the healthcare system for human infectious treatment. Similarly, I am trying to explore the ability and application of these phages as an eco-friendly tool for engineering a healthy ecosystem free of greenhouse gases pollution for human living. Image generated with AI.
The Great Lakes ice cover on Lake Erie is great winter fun for pups and people. Sometimes ice covers the entire lake! Together with freezing temperatures and high winds, the ice creates beautiful, one-of-a-kind sculptures. This typically occurs in mid to late February. The ice cover also plays a critical role in our environment. Ice cover protects lots of ecosystems and cold-water species like plankton, whitefish, and lake trout. The number of days with ice cover tells us a lot about climate patterns, too. Ice cover has been decreasing since the early 1970s due to global warming. Did you know that less ice cover means more lake-effect precipitation in the winter? This also means that you should be extra careful when walking on ice, because it may look thicker than it actually is. So, whenever you feel the winter blues, head on down to Lake Erie to marvel at the magnificent works of art from Mother Nature, herself!
Imagine the power and beauty of a steel sphere impacting the undisturbed surface of water at supersonic speeds. Take in the progression from surface to depth at three kilometers per second in less than a fifty-thousandth of a second. The artificially colored density gradients of the simulation accentuate the swirling dance of water and air as the surface rises up and the shock wave descends. What can an insignificant sphere teach us as we delve into the depths of high-speed water entry? This extreme struggle between steel and water is at the edge of the unknown, but could yield tantalizing insights into the damage a naval ship might experience from future high-speed projectiles. The study of a simple sphere could lead to lives being saved. Imagine the impact.
While birdwatching last summer, I captured this photo of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding in a patch of anise sage. It was amazing watching these tiny birds zip about from flower to flower. Hummingbirds are incredibly unique. They are the only birds that can fly forward and backward, hover in mid-air, and even fly upside down. They flap their wings over seventy times each second and can fly up to sixty miles per hour. Despite weighing less than a nickel, hummingbirds fly hundreds of miles every year during migration. Hummingbird flight is a marvel of nature and is widely studied by engineers. In 2017, researchers at the University of Toronto mimicked the strokes of hummingbirds’ wings to design lightweight wind energy nanogenerators, offering improved efficiency and low-cost deployment. In 2019, researchers at Purdue University modeled drones after hummingbirds’ flight which proved more effective for navigating tight spaces, increasing potential for faster rescues during disasters like building collapses. Applying elements of nature to engineering, called biomimicry, is widely utilized in many STEM fields. I love birdwatching both because it provides an escape from school and work and because it gives engineers a grounding in the real world that is useful for innovation.
One of the greatest mysteries is the capacities of the brain. In particular, our conscious capabilities and limits. How are memories stored physically? Do we have a limit for how much can be learned? Can paralysis or neuron damage be cured? These are all seemingly impossible questions that researchers work to answer every day across continents. The medium is authentic parchment and ink, to mimic, or rather represent, the beginning of man’s expedition for answers regarding the brain, arguably the most important organ of the body. The piece contains basic anatomy and physiology about the nervous system. Instead of the organic curves of fissures, the wrinkles of the brain are constructed into mazes to represent our search for answers. Each turn offers something more to learn- each dead end a beacon of new discovery. We are all connected by memories, friendships, feelings, experiences, and ideas powered by our brains. Not all is lost to the unknown; there are many questions that are answered and concepts that are virtually agreed upon, but in all, we are lost. Being lost, however, is not a bad thing because if we were not lost, we would cease to continue searching.
This is a Macro shot of a wooden coffee stirrer taken from mobile phone. If you look at the edge closely you can see how intricate a small coffee stirrer could be. This demonstrates the how minute details are present in our everyday use items. We are microscopic in the cosmos but if looked closely we are cosmic to an even smaller world. It is just beyond comprehension how perfectly everything fir in our world. Like a very huge perfect puzzle. I would also like to use this image as a messgae to avoid deforestation, as you can see, to make a coffee stirrer so small that you throw after one use, how many trees must have been cut. It takes a minute to cut a tree but year to grow one. Please use your resources wisely.
Near-infrared activated nanomaterials have been reported for biomedical applications ranging from photothermal tumor destruction to biofilm eradication and energy-gated drug delivery. However, the focus so far has been on soft tissues, and little is known about energy delivery to hard tissues, which have thousand-fold higher mechanical strength. We present photonic lithotripsy with carbon and gold nanomaterials for fragmenting human kidney stones. The efficacy of stone comminution is dependent on the size and photonic properties of the nanomaterials. Surface restructuring and decomposition of calcium oxalate to calcium carbonate support the contribution of photothermal energy to stone failure. Photonic lithotripsy has several advantages over current laser lithotripsy, including low operating power, noncontact laser operation (distances of at least 10 mm), and ability to break all common stones. Our observations can inspire the development of rapid, minimally invasive techniques for kidney stone treatment and extrapolate to other hard tissues such as enamel and bone.
Manuscripts and their contents are always under threat of deterioration, with precious latent knowledge at risk of never being seen again. Thankfully, through technology, we are now able to retrieve these passages, inscriptions, and art that have been obscured by the passage of time. This diptych illustrates a volume from the Kelvin Smith Library Special Collections before and after multispectral imaging. Multispectral imaging is, in essence, taking many pictures under different lighting conditions (wavelengths) across the spectrum from Infrared to Ultraviolet and using different algorithms to computationally derive the results we are seeking. We see the image on the left is barely legible, but through this type of imaging and processing, we can illuminate not only the text but we also find a hidden signature in the upper corner of the image on the right. This image was created during an NEH-funded project with the Rochester Institute of Technology whose aim was to develop a multispectral imaging system that was portable, low-cost, and did not require an imaging scientist. Such advances in STEM can help implement these advanced capabilities in small and mid-sized organizations, allowing the persistent mysteries in these collections to be revealed and subsequently researched by scholars.
In this image, I decided to personify the different fields of stem. From left to right, it includes Science, Math, Technology, and Engineering. I wanted to show what the true faces of STEM at CWRU looks like in 2024, as these students are all studying those prospective majors. The image is supposed to display the passage of time, as it is important to stop and take a look at the students who are going to change the future of STEM one day.
This intricate PCB-inspired masterpiece captures the essence of Cleveland, OH, through the lens of technology and AI innovation. Imagine the city as a circuit board, where each street and building is a vital component in the grand design of urban life, meticulously arranged by the hand of AI algorithms. Just as a circuit routes electricity to power devices, Cleveland's streets channel the energy of its diverse community. This artwork reflects the invisible connections that shape our daily experiences. Every detail, reminiscent of a printed circuit board, serves as a reminder that science is the hidden artist behind our cityscapes. Much like the scientists and researchers who explore the frontiers of knowledge, this piece invites you to consider the underlying 'circuitry' that powers our understanding of the world. Through art, we glimpse the intersection of curiosity and innovation, encouraging us to explore the profound connections between scientific exploration and our everyday lives. 'Silicon Skylines' not only celebrates the city's unique features but also reflects the capabilities of AI in shaping our visual narratives and sparks curiosity about the science that weaves through the fabric of our communities.
To me, the greatest scientific and artistic masterpiece is the human. This illustration celebrates the existing research on the human body and the wonders that we have yet to decipher. As we live in our bodies every single day, sometimes we fail to realize the delicate biological balances and intricacies at play in producing every thought and action. Take for example our cardiovascular system, which exists autonomously. It contains the heart and 60,000 miles of blood vessels(the red and blue structures in my illustration) working to pump and circulate blood and vital nutrients throughout the body. But the science of humans doesn't stop at the anatomical level. You and the lady in my illustration might have nearly indistinguishable skeletons, but your minds, tainted with different cultures and environments, set you apart. Inspired by Da Vinci’s realistic portraits that stemmed from his numerous anatomical studies, I started off with a pencil sketch of a skeleton and then slowly filled in the lady’s flesh accordingly. I colored the illustration digitally and left some pencil sketch marks across the canvas to emphasize the layers of my art process—a parallel to the fundamental scientific discoveries that built up to our present knowledge.
These human motor neurons were grown entirely in a dish. This is possible through induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient skin cells were sampled and reprogrammed into iPSCs, which can become any cell, such as the motor neurons pictured here. iPSCs have permitted the expanded study of previously difficult research areas by enabling us to create an enormous amount of any type of patient cells needed. Previously, studying neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS in motor neurons required an animal model; now, we can not only study human neurons, but neurons sourced from individual patients. Using neurons specific to the patient's own genetics gives us the closest look into neurodegenerative diseases have ever had. The closer the model system is to the human body, the more accurate the results, and the faster a cure or treatment may be discovered. However, this remarkable advancement in neural differentiation only scratches the surface of what is possible. New research is investigating combining cell types grown from iPSCs, potentially allowing us to grow entire genetically matched organs, all from a small skin sample. Your Thoughts…? paints a picture of what is possible now while asking about the possibilities of the future.
The billions of letters of DNA in each of your cells are the unique set of instructions for the processes of life. But only ~1% of them are genes. The rest of the instructions (ignoring some evolutionary junk) decide when to turn specific genes on and off. It is these noncoding regions which contain nearly all DNA mutations that are linked to diseases. DNA mutations millions of bases away from a gene can cause that gene to turn on or off at the wrong time leading to disease. This is because DNA does not exist as a single long string of letters, but as a complex 3-dimensional spaghetti of DNA interactions, called loops. The 3D structure formed by these loops is different across all the different types of cells in your body, and it determines which genes a certain cell is going to turn on or off. But a mutation near a loop can disrupt this function or prevent the loop from forming. Measuring these loops is difficult and costly but has the potential to accelerate research into development and genetic diseases. We have developed a machine learning tool which can pinpoint these interactions at a fraction of the cost.
Selenography is the field of categorizing and naming features of the moon’s terrain. This scientific and artistic approach began in the 15th century and has since made significant advances due to improvements in technology. This hand-drawn image of the moon recalls the tedium and attention to detail that early scientists possessed in order to accurately represent the moon’s landscape. Overlying the mediums of ink, charcoal, and graphite are digital labels that indicate the names of a number of land formations. Names that begin with "oceanus", "mare", and "lacus", meaning "ocean", "sea", and "lake" in Latin, are large impact craters that were filled with fast cooling lava, otherwise known as basaltic plains. Many of the smaller craters are named after scientists who made a contribution to the understanding of the moon. Due to the lack of wind and water in the moon’s atmosphere, many of the craters look exactly the way they did when they were first formed. The permanence of these formations lends a useful tool for understanding the history of the moon and the solar system, and it also offers an opportunity to commemorate the history of humanity.
In 1948, MC Escher drew the surreal piece, “Drawing Hands,” in which a sketch of two hands leap out of a page to complete the drawing, both being created by and the creator of the other. The cyclic nature of Escher’s work is realized in the fascinating synthesis between human and artificial intelligence. In 1943, McCulloch and Pitts created the first neural network, the technology behind the AI boom of today, after deriving inspiration from biology. Yet it took until the 2020’s for the work created by machines to be comparable to that of humans. Now, the generative power of AI can truly augment the creative works of mankind. After being trained on much of the internet, machines can produce work that humans find artistic value in, leading to new inspiration for future works. This symbiosis allowed for this piece to come into existence. After generating 100 images in DALL-E 3 with a prompt about a mechanistic interpretation of MC Escher’s “Drawing Hands,” the photos were compiled and overlaid with the original piece. Through the combination of human and machine, more interesting work can be realized than either can accomplish alone.
We already placed our future into the grasp of technology. This graphite drawing shows how careful we have to be about using technology ethically because of its general amoral nature in and of itself. We give it its purpose and, in essence, its life. As I drew this I also realized that it's a representation of how the things we leave behind will outlive our own fleeting existence. Whether it's this drawing I made at my kitchen table or a machine created by the most advanced engineer, we put a little bit of our own hearts into them and hope that they will show the world the best of who we are when we aren't there to show it ourselves.
Crafting a Greener Tomorrow: Scientists, the architects of the microscopic world, modify molecules through molecular engineering to design sustainable redox electrolytes. This breakthrough enables the seamless integration of renewable energy sources through redox flow batteries delving into the realm of science, where tinkering with molecules charts the path to a sustainable future. It's more than just research; it's the essential element for seamlessly incorporating renewable energy into our lives, sparking curiosity for a cleaner, brighter world ahead.