Diane Collard
Research Scientist
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Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering ǀ Purdue University '21
M.S. Mechanical Engineering ǀ Purdue University '19
B.S. Chemical Engineering ǀ Kansas State University '17
Other Research & Design Experiences
Research:
Energetic Materials
As a direct-to-Ph.D. student, I recieved the NSF Graduate Fellowship and Purdue Doctoral to study under the advisorship of Dr. Terrence R. Meyer and Dr. Steven F. Son at Purdue University's M.J. Zucrow Laboratories. My projects revolved around 3D printer and material development for the additive manufacturing (AM) of energetic materials for propellant applications. The geometric flexibility of AM has been touted in the energetic material space, but little has been done to incorporate reactive materials that have been 3D printed into complex geometries inside of solid propellants. Further investigation of the intersection of additive manufacturing with new, reactive printable materials is needed to explore the potential of AM processes to tailor and optimize propellant performance, such as in consumable reactive cores to open center perforations in-situ.
Delivery Methods for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)
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During my last two years of undergraduate studies, I worked with Dr. John Schlup, a Professor of Chemical Engineering, researching delivery methods of boron to tumor cells. The challenge was to selectively carry the boron particles to the tumor and attach themselves to the cancerous cells. A beam of thermal neutrons would then be fired at the site, making boron 10 into an unstable isotope, boron 11. The boron then splits into lithium and an alpha particle, which is lethal to the cells. If not the boron is not selectively delivered to the tumors, they will cause damage to healthy cells when the boron splits. This method seeks to non-invasively remove brain tumors in particular, but can also be useful as a treatment for a wide variety of skin cancers. My project focused on the characterization of thiol-ene "click" chemistry utilized in a crosslinker delivery method.
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At the AIChe 2016 Mid-America regional conference, I received second place in the poster competition.
Texas A&M University Aerospace REU
This past summer I worked with Dr. Sharath Girimaji on alternative propulsion. My primary project involved computational plasma physics for space propulsion. We used the Gas-Kinetic Method (GKM) to model plasma flows that can be used for thrusters in the vacuum of space. We examined a homogeneous shear base case and added perturbations in various directions to investigate the stabilizing effects of magnetic fields on plasmas. I presented our findings at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics 2016 Conference and currently have a paper under review in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics.
University of Wisconsin-Madison REU
In the summer of 2015, I participated in research at the University of Wisconsin-Madisons' Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program, working with the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. There, I worked on two projects: 1) "scarless" modification of genes in E-coli and 2) a functional reversal of the β-oxidation cycle for the bioproduction of industrial chemicals. In the laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Brian Pfleger, I was able to gain invaluable, hands-on experience with biomolecular and genetic engineering. This program provided invaluable insight into graduate school and affirmed my interest in future research and further education.
Frost Nucleation and Growth on Mixed Surfaces
For two years, I worked with Dr. Betz, an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, researching the frontiers of micro-materials and microfluidics. My research focused on the effect of micro-scaled mixed wettability surfaces on nucleation and frost growth times. We found that biphilic surfaces slow the frost formation process and lower the density of frost by pinning frost to hydrophilic areas. Pinning is the preferential condensation of frost on a specific area. We fabricated most of our surfaces in the laboratory, primarily through photolithography. This involves coating a silicon wafer with a hydrophobic material that is then removed using concentrated light to reveal the hydrophilic silicon underneath. In October 2015, our findings were published in Applied Physics Letters in "Droplet coalescence and freezing on hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and biphilic surfaces." To the left are a few links to news articles on our research.
Design Projects:
Conversion of Ethanol to Longer Chain Alcohols
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In order to increase the energy value and eliminate the issues involved in piping pure ethanol, we developed a base case design of a chemical plant add-on that converted ethanol to butanol and other longer chain alcohols. As a team of three, we designed the add-on from the ground up, utilizing simulation tools, such as Aspen Plus V9. A process safety review was conducted over one of the distillation columns with a sponsor from Cargill's Process Safety Group.
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Maleic Anhydride from Benzene Processing Plant
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As the first of three senior design projects, we were tasked with designing a grassroots plant for the production of maleic anhydride from benzene to meet a theoretical market opportunity. In groups of four, we had to develop a process, simulate it in Aspen Plus V9, investigate the environmental impacts and hazards, and provide an economic analysis and safety review.
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Chem-E-Car
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Chem-E-Car is an extra curricular group where we build a mini-car to run off of various chemical engineering fundamentals. Last semester, our team won regionals, stopping six inches from the line, half of the distance of the second place team. The winning car was designed off of a pressure differential piston. We are developing a new car to run off of thermal electric (Peltier) devices, driven by hot- and cold-side reactions to create a significant temperature difference.
Battlebots
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For my senior project, I was part of the design team for Team Adrenaline, my high school's Battlebots team. We designed three different lightweight (60 lbs) robots. One was redesigned from a previous championship winning bot with an overhead spinning weapon. The other two robots were designed from scratch, a wedge robot and a vertical spinner robot (pictured to the left). I was the frame design captain for the vertical spinner robot. The frame was designed to maximize the interior space from the minimum amount of metal. We chose to use 5052-H32 aluminum, because we could bend it up and weld the corners to minimize welded points and provide more strength. The frame was sprayed with a light weight bed liner by our sponsors from Line-X as an extra.
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
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In my junior year of high school, I participated on the FIRST Robotics Team 1710. I primarily worked on the awards submissions and community outreach groups, but all students participated in the designing of the robot. Each year, a game is released with design constraints and each team gets a small kit of parts to incorporate. Team 1710 boasts a fully student-run business model. We have many mentors that provide insights into the design process and aid in various advanced construction aspects. However, the students manufacture all the parts used in the final robot. This experience granted me insights into industry models and the engineering design process starting from the ground up.