TRiO Programs
Summer 2022
On July 13, ND Energy engaged with 21 members of Notre Dame’s Talent Search Summer Academy. Rising eighth- and ninth-grade students explored the topic of wind energy by creating miniature turbines and comparing the voltage generated by various blade sizes. Their inquisitive minds were anxious to experiment with other variables, which resulted in suggestions for improvements in the design.
The second part of the experience was learning about wind tunnels at the Hessert Laboratory for Aerospace Research on Notre Dame’s campus. Eric Matlis, Research Associate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and ND Energy faculty affiliate, provided a tour of the Subsonic and Supersonic Wind Tunnels. The favorite experience for the students was stepping into the anechoic chamber featuring foam walls that prevent echoing during experiments.
Established in 1980, Talent Search identifies and mentors South Bend middle and high school students and provides academic enrichment and support to local students. ND Energy partners with TRiO, the umbrella organization, to provide energy-related STEM experiences from hands-on activities to laboratory tours and research experiences.
Summer 2018
Twenty-eight South Bend high school students from Notre Dame’s TRiO Upward Bound program (UB) learned what it was like to do research on a college campus. ND Energy coordinated hands-on experiences for the group in three different fields of science and engineering affiliated with energy research.
Assistant Professor Emily Tsui from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry provided two sessions to explore crystal formation. Her team brought the group into the lab to create their own crystals and showed them the techniques and instruments they work with on a daily basis. Thanks to Moises Ballesteros, Keith Schival, Jonathan Stoffel, Greg Kortman, and Maddie Mettey for their assistance.
A second learning experience involved interacting with researchers working with the Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR). William Schneider, H. Clifford and Evelyn A. Brosey Professor of Engineering, summarized the goals of the center and engaged the students in discussion. They also toured the catalysis lab where Notre Dame’s portion of the experimentation is progressing and participated in a hands-on demonstration. Graduate students who aided in this portion of the tour were Justin Easa, Jeonghyun Ko, Joshua Wright, Jerry Crum, Neha Mehra, Galiya Magazova, Jessica Muhlenkamp, and undergraduate Aaron Roe.
The third event was “Life as a Geologist” presented by Ginger Sigmon, managing director of ND Energy; postdoctoral scholar Tyler Spano; and graduate student Samuel Perry. In addition to explaining the wide variety of topics that geologists study, the three discussed some of the interesting places they have traveled as geologists.
Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., initiated Upward Bound in 1966 as a way to prepare, support, and enrich educational opportunities for talented high school students. During the Summer Academy, participants live on campus and take courses such as Algebra II and Pre-Calculus. Over 2,000 local students have benefited from this program since its inception.