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Society of Women Engineers

Every year at the national SWE conference, graduate and Ph.D. students are given the chance to participate in the Rapid Fire Competition. This is a 5-6 minute speaking presentation, designed to emphasize the ability to concisely and dynamically present technical information. All entrants were required to submit an abstract describing their research or project work with an application in engineering or science. Ten finalists will compete in the Rapid Fire competition, and they will have the opportunity to compete in a virtual environment. 1 st, 2nd, and 3rd place will receive a Certificate of Participation and a cash prize.
In a fantastic turn of events, two of these finalists are from our own chapter at ASU! Please extend a hearty congratulations and good luck in the competition to our SWE-sters!

Kathryn Chamberlin

Title: Arctic Ice Management

Summary: Climate change is causing Arctic sea ice to melt faster during the summer months than it can be replenished during the winter, leading to a deficit of sea ice in the Arctic. Arctic Ice Management (2017) proposed a plan to promote the growth of Arctic ice during the winter months by pumping seawater to the surface of the ice. This study tests this hypothesis by setting up an experiment in a large walk-in refrigerator and freezer to simulate Arctic temperatures.

Contributors: Johnathan Gamaunt, Dr. Steven Desch, Dr. Hilairy Hartnett, Dr. Christopher Groppi, Antonio Acuna

Emily Ford

Title: Relating nano-mechanical response to qualitative chemical maps of ultra-high performance cementitious binders

Summary: The objective of this research was to characterize the microstructural properties of ultra-high-performance (UHP) cement pastes commonly used to repair bridges. Following micromechanical testing via nanoindentation and elemental mapping via energy dispersive X-ray, statistical clustering was performed to group the micromechanical and chemical responses, identify major reaction products, and reveal the large disparity in their mechanical properties. The study found that incorporation of aluminum into hydration products, a cause of chemical attack and cement deterioration, depended more on the Ca/Si ratio in the cement rather than the amount of Al in the starting materials.

Research Advisor: Dr. Narayanan Neithalath

Other Contributing Researchers: Dr. Christian G. Hoover and Dr. Barzin Mobasher