Collaborative Research: REU site: Multi-disciplinary Research Experiences in Smart Personal Protective Equipment (SmaPP)

This new three-year REU Site: Collaborative Research: REU site: Multidisciplinary Research Experiences in Smart Personal Protective Equipment (SmaPP) is a collaborative project between Oklahoma State University, Stillwater (OSU) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). Smart Personal Protective Equipment (SmaPP) is critical for the safety of individuals in workplaces.

Advanced levels of protection and comfort equipped with remote human vital sign monitoring systems will significantly increase the acceptance of SmaPP. This collaborative REU site will engage 9 undergraduate students each year in multiple facets of fundamental and hands-on research in developing SmaPP. Participants will be recruited from diverse populations of undergraduate students, including underrepresented groups, women, and from two- and four-year institutions with minimal research experience and infrastructures.

The REU students will be mentored by faculty members from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, mechatronics, fire protection engineering, and emergency management from OSU and UAH. The students will gain experience in technical and theoretical aspects of the SmaPP and be exposed to graduate studies, career paths in engineering, and safe operations in a laboratory environment, as well as gain interpersonal skills and knowledge of research ethics.

The overarching goal of the collaborative REU site is to provide a multidisciplinary research experience to undergraduate students and expand opportunities for research as a career choice.

This new three-year REU Site: Collaborative Research: REU site: Multidisciplinary Research Experiences in Smart Personal Protective Equipment (SmaPP) is a collaborative project between Oklahoma State University, Stillwater (OSU) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The collaborative REU site focuses on interdisciplinary research activities for developing SmaPP, including materials for body protection, investigating the thermal response of materials to heat exposure, designing flexible sensing electronics with wireless communication for remote physiological vital signs and radiation monitoring, and studying human perceptions toward SmaPP.

Nine students each year will be trained in various computing software, such as Matlab, LabVIEW, ANSYS, SolidWorks, and 3D printing, as well as equipment-specific training to carry out the research successfully. The REU site's fundamental and applied research focus will expose students to analytical and experimental studies. The students will develop and test auxetic materials, analyze heat transfer characteristics to improve the safety and comfort of PPE materials and develop wearable sensing technology and monitoring algorithms with secure communication.

Along with tangible research experience in developing a product with high societal impact, students will have the opportunity to advance their research and interpersonal communication skills. This project is jointly funded with the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.