Final Year Research Topics 2008
Development of new electrolyte membranes as separators for application in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
Development of novel lithium ion conducting electrolytes for rechargeable lithium batteries
MUD VOLCANO EXOTICS: MINERALOGICAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY AT THE DEVIL’S WOODYARD AND PIPARO MUD VOLCANOES.
ANAYSIS OF ELECTOENCAPHALOGRAPHIC DATA OF ALCOHOLICS
CELL TOWER MEASUREMENTS IN VARIOUS AREAS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
USE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY AND SOLAR ENERGY TO PURIFY WATER CONTAMINATED WITH BACTERIA AND ORGANOCHEMICALS
Linkage between Geomagnetic activity, variability of Total ozone during the Hurricane season over the Atlantic Ocean.
Development of the protocol to ensure quality assurance in the delivery of services in the Radiology Department at the E.W.M.S.C.
EXTRASOLAR PLANETS
ASTROBIOLOGY
Development and Assessment of Visualizations/Animations for the Teaching of Nuclear and Radiation Physics to Medical Students
EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF AN EVACUATED TUBE COLLECTOR SOLAR WATER HEATER
ENTANGLEMENT IN BOSONIC SYSTEMS (THEORETICAL)
TWO-PHOTON SPECTROSCOPY (THEORETICAL)
Review of Research on the Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation on Biological Systems I
Review of Research on the Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation on Biological Systems II
Application of Quantum dot technology to nanodevices
In vivo medical imaging using Quantum dot technology
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MATERIALS FOR PHOTOVOLTAICS
STUDY OF QUANTUM DOT THEORY AND ITS EFFECT ON BAND GAP IN PHOTOVOLTAIC SEMICONDUCTORS
Development of new electrolyte membranes as separators for application in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
In this project the aim will be to develop new/novel electrolyte/membrane materials for applications in two different types of fuel cells viz. polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC’s) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC’s). The start will be done with reviewing the literature and systems will be decided. The aim will be to find/develop new materials for developing the membranes and then developing them by using various techniques (acid/base, Ionic liquid etc). The developed membranes are expected to show better properties than the commercial Nafion materials and should also achieve all the favourable properties required at less cost. The membranes developed will be characterized for various properties like electrical, thermal, morphological, ion transport, swelling, mechanical properties etc. and will be further tested for their suitability in fuel cells.
No. of Students: 4
Development of novel lithium ion conducting electrolytes for rechargeable lithium batteries
In this project, the main aim is to develop new electrolytes in membrane/gel form for their application in lithium rechargeable batteries. The start will be done with reviewing the literature and then systems will be decided based on the requirements. Based on the selected materials electrolytes will be synthesized using various gelation/solution casting techniques. The developed electrolytes will then be characterized for various properties like electric, thermal, morphological, ion transport etc and suitability is checked for application in lithium batteries.
No. of Students: 2
Supervisor: Dr. Harinder Pal Singh Missan
MUD VOLCANO EXOTICS: MINERALOGICAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
“Exotics” in the form of rocks of diverse physical and mineralogical character constitute part of the ejecta of mud volcanoes. The project will utilize techniques such as X-ray diffraction to characterize the exotics of the Piparo mud volcano.
Students*: 2
Supervisor: J.C. Knight
* Preferable with solid state physics/materials science background.
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY AT THE DEVIL’S WOODYARD AND PIPARO MUD VOLCANOES.
For a number of years the Department of Physics has been monitoring activity and environmental-related issues at Trinidad’s major mud volcanoes. In addition to surface indicators and mineralogical characteristics, emphasis is focused mainly on seismic and resistivity subsurface probing and X-ray diffraction mineralogical analysis. The project will serve as the 2008 input into the on-going monitoring programme.
Students* : Devil’s Woodyard 2
Supervisors: R. Clarke
J. C. Knight
* Preferable with environmental Physics background.
ANAYSIS OF ELECTOENCAPHALOGRAPHIC DATA OF ALCOHOLICS
No. of Students 2
The analysis of the record of the electrical signals for the surface of the head, the Electroencephalogram (EEG), can potentially yield important information on the diseased states as well as the state of wellness of an individual. Alcoholism is a classic state for testing this hypothesis. The State University of New York (SUNY) has made available to us twenty (20) years of resting EEG measurements on alcoholic patients from a large scale study in the U.S. Two students are required to analyse these data using neurometric analysis and coarse grained dimensional analysis (Chaos). Medical Physics students required.
Supervisors: Professor Ramsey Saunders
Mr. Oba Ranu
CELL TOWER MEASUREMENTS IN VARIOUS AREAS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
No. of Students: 2
At present there is considerable controversy on the health impact of cell towers on health and wellbeing of citizens. Two (2) students are required to evaluate this controversy and make RF power density measurements at various locations in Trinidad and Tobago and to compare them with standards used internationally. Medical Physics students are preferred.
Supervisors: Prof. R. Saunders
Dr. Dave Chadee
USE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY AND SOLAR ENERGY TO PURIFY WATER CONTAMINATED WITH BACTERIA AND ORGANOCHEMICALS
No. of Students: 2
In many parts of the world the ground water as well as surface water is contaminated with bacteria as well as organochemicals . In this project the students will develop techniques for the removal of organochemicals as well as bacteria from water using advanced oxidative techniques which will consist of the use special nanoparticles in the presence of solar energy. Medical Physics students are preferred.
Supervisors: Prof. R. Saunders
Mr. S. Ali Shah
Linkage between Geomagnetic activity, variability of Total ozone during the Hurricane season over the Atlantic Ocean.
During solar activity, many energetic particles enter the Earth’s magnetic field. When they reach the middle of the atmosphere, they ionize the atmospheric gases, resulting a change in the atmospheric ozone. These variations in the ozone density modulate the amount of UV radiation reaching the lower atmosphere, with a consequent variation in heating that would lead to temperature changes and changes in atmospheric circulation pattern. Evidences of the solar activity modulation of the Earth’s climate have been observed on different time scales. This project is another attempt to investigate the linkage between Geomagnetic activity and ozone during July- September over a period of five years(2003-2007).
Supervisor: Dr. Priscilla Pilly, USC and Dr. Shirin Haque
No. of students: 2
Development of the protocol to ensure quality assurance in the delivery of services in the Radiology Department at the E.W.M.S.C.
SUPERVISORS: Ms. Sybele Williams (Derpartment of Physics)
Mr. Imran Khan (Radiology Department, E.W.M.S.C.)
One of the essential responsibilities of a qualified Medical Physicist in the clinical environment is to assure the safe and effective delivery of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. In this context, quality assurance is defined as the planned and organized actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that equipment for diagnostic imaging will produce quality diagnostic results reliably, with minimal radiation exposure to patients and staff.
As such, a quality assurance program is essential to any radiological department. It ensures that:
- All equipment are operating within specified parameters
- Images acquired are accurate and reproducible
- Patients and occupational workers are not exposed to ionizing radiation exceeding recommended international standards.
- Any deviations in the operation of the instruments are detected early so that:
- complete failure is minimized
- failing components can be ordered before hand
- instrument downtime is reduced
- it translates to better overall patient care
The student will be responsible for setting up and testing respective protocols for selected instrumentation used by the Radiology Department at the E.W.M.S.C. Some operational parameters that may be determined are image noise, CT number values, CT number uniformity, CTDI, irradiated slice thickness and high contrast spatial resolution.
Project location: Department of Physics
Radiology Department at the E.W.M.S.C.
No. of students: 1
EXTRASOLAR PLANETS
Several methods for searching for extrasolar planets are possible. This project will utilize the transit method and involves using the SATU telescope to do preliminary testing and searching for extrasolar planets and determining physical characteristics of the objects monitored. It will involve night time work. The observatory on the roof has facilities for overnighting. Image processing will be required. It would be useful if the student has already completed PHYS 3383.
No. of Students: 2
Supervisor: Dr. S. Haque & Ms. Sarah Calbio
ASTROBIOLOGY
The question of the origin and existence of life in the Universe is one of the big astronomy questions in recent times. Astrobiology is a multidisciplinary field that seeks to gain insight into the ability for organisms to exist in extreme and hostile environments. This project involves sampling and testing from the mud volcanoes and the pitch lake in La Brea as two analog sites for Mars and Saturn’s moon Titan respectively. Background into Chemistry and Microbiology will be an asset.
No. of Students: 2
Supervisor: Dr. S. Haque & Mr. Riad Hosein
Development and Assessment of Visualizations/Animations for the Teaching of Nuclear and Radiation Physics to Medical Students
SUPERVISORS: Ms. Sybele Williams (Department of Physics)
Mr. Imran Khan (Radiology Department, E.W.M.S.C.)
Exposure to physics and physics concepts may not only be an essential part of the education of the natural scientist but also of students and researchers in the fields of health and medical sciences. It is often the case in the health and medical sciences that students must quickly learn to deal with advanced physics concepts. Often, they may have had limited exposure to the field of physics or have made little use of previous education in the field for many years.
Many methods can be utilized to improve the teaching and learning of physics to these specific groups. One method/tool which is believed to significantly influence students’ understanding and visualization of physics concepts is the use of digitized video and animations.
The project will focus on the development and assessment of visualizations/animations for the teaching of nuclear and radiation physics to medical students. The visualizations will be developed using the vector graphics editors (e.g Inkscape and EVE), however any other suitable software program, with which the student is familiar, may be used.
Project location: Department of Physics
Radiology Department at the E.W.M.S.C.
No. of students: max. 2
EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF AN EVACUATED TUBE COLLECTOR SOLAR WATER HEATER
-Dr. I. Haraksingh and A. Escalante
Solar water heaters incorporate many different designs, such as Plat Plate collector technology and Evacuated Tube collector technology. Extensive analysis on the performance of the flat plate collector design has been performed for the Caribbean context. This project aims to evaluate the performance of an evacuated tube collector solar water heater for the Caribbean situation. The usable heat produced can be utilised for water heating, space heating, and space cooling by the use of an absorption chiller or dessicant cooler technology.
ENTANGLEMENT IN BOSONIC SYSTEMS (THEORETICAL)
Quantum entanglement, dubbed by Einstein as “spooky action at a distance”, is an exciting field of research undergoing rapid growth, particularly because of the real-world applications associated with it. This project involves the analysis of the property of entanglement in quantum systems. The formalism of second quantization is first reviewed by the student. This formalism is then applied to bosonic and fermionic systems of current interest (e.g. photons, ultracold atoms, superconductors etc.) to obtain a measure of entanglement for the system. A discussion of the applications of entanglement will also form the final part of the project.
No. of students: TWO (2)
Main supervisor: Dr. Roger Andrews
Co-supervisor: Ms. Andrea Joseph
Prerequisites: PHYS 2280 and PHYS 2281
TWO-PHOTON SPECTROSCOPY (THEORETICAL)
Porphyrin molecules (found, for example, in haemoglobin) have unusually high two-photon absorptivities. The first part of the project is the investigation of the use of two-photon absorption in the measurement of the absorption cross-section of porphyrin molecules. The second part involves the investigation of the use of the cross-section values to detect abnormalities in haemoglobin.
No. of students: ONE (1)
Main supervisor: Dr. Roger Andrews
Co-supervisor(s): Ms. Andrea Joseph
Review of Research on the Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation on Biological Systems I
Supervisors: Drs. K. De Souza and R. Andrews
No. of students: 2
In this project students are required to undertake a comprehensive review of the possible health effects of radiofrequency radiation associated with cancer.
Review of Research on the Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation on Biological Systems II
Supervisors: Drs. R. Andrews and K. De Souza
No. of students: 2
In this project students are required to undertake a comprehensive review of the possible health effects of radiofrequency radiation associated with the blood-brain barrier.
Application of Quantum dot technology to nanodevices
Supervisors: Drs. R. Andrews and Dr. K. De Souza
No. of students: 2
In this project students are required to study quantum dots and their application to device(s) employing nanotechnology.
In vivo medical imaging using Quantum dot technology
Supervisors: Drs. K. De Souza and R. Andrews
No. of students: 2
In this project students are required to undertake a comprehensive review of quantum dots and their application to in vivo medical imaging
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MATERIALS FOR PHOTOVOLTAICS
For long term research in advanced solar energy conversion and in photovoltaics (PV) it is important to thoroughly investigate the different types of materials used for PV applications. This project seeks to critically review and analyse the different typed of semi-conductor materials available, the effects of chemical doping on the electronic conductivity, the efficiencies of the materials and their applications. Recommendations should also be made for improvements/ new materials for PV applications.
No. of students: 1
Pre-Requisites: PHYS 2295
PHYS 2282 would be an asset
SUPERVISOR: Dr. I Haraksingh
STUDY OF QUANTUM DOT THEORY AND ITS EFFECT ON BAND GAP IN PHOTOVOLTAIC SEMICONDUCTORS
Quantum dots are nano-particles of selected semiconductors crystals. These have a very narrow emission spectrum that is typical of the size of the particle. A study of the theory and the working of quantum dots will be undertaken. The effect of quantum dots on the band gap of semiconductors will be investigated. The current uses for quantum dots will be explored and recommendations for future will be proposed.
No. of students: 2
Pre-Requisites: PHYS 2295
PHYS 2282 would be an asset.
SUPERVISOR: Dr. I. Haraksingh
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