Original Student Research Takes Top Billing
Meeting of the Minds
IT WAS A SIGHT THAT WOULD HAVE made Bill
Nye The Science Guy proud. On May 11,
2006, in Otto Miller Hall, 45 Seattle Pacific
University students showcased their original
research as part of the fourth-annual Erickson
Undergraduate Research Conference.
Named for Joyce Erickson, emerita professor
of English and dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences, the conference gives undergraduate
science and technology majors an opportunity
to present their projects and compete
for awards. This year’s top honors were won
by eight students, all seniors: Chad Austin,
Tyson Chung, Joshua Clark, Ben Creelman,
Asher Danner, Alan Dowden, Collin Hauskins,
and Katie Klug.
Each student presentation represented
hours of work, and in the case of Creelman’s
project, “Alternative Heating Techniques to
Carbon Fiber Fabrication,” an interesting back
story. In the summer of 2005, the engineering
major, then a junior, interned at the aerospace
tooling manufacturer Janicki Industries. “My
internship was invaluable,” he says. “I learned a
lot about the engineering process, specifically
about the interaction between academic ideals
and industry realities.”
With the upcoming Erickson Undergraduate Research Conference in mind, Creelman
peppered his Janicki mentors with questions.
“I ended up speaking with the vice president
of the company, John Janicki, who helped me
develop a concept and ultimately agreed to
sponsor my research.”
Creelman investigated the heating process
for curing carbon fiber composites — a material
10 times stronger, but five times lighter,
than steel — which is used to build structures
as varied as airplanes, race cars, and robots.
His research was focused on identifying and
developing a more efficient method of heating
these composites without the use of large
ovens. The results were so intriguing that
Janicki personally invited Creelman to present
his findings to the company’s engineers.
“I was always a big Legos kid,” Creelman
says. “So engineering seemed like a natural for
me.” Creelman completed his bachelor of science
degree from Seattle Pacific in June after
only three years and will transfer to the University
of Washington this fall to complete a
second degree in mechanical engineering. He
hopes to one day pursue a career as a mechanical
engineer.
In many ways, the Erickson Undergraduate
Research Conference was an important springboard
and confidence booster for Creelman
and other students. Fellow award winner Katie
Klug, who will begin a master’s degree program
in chemistry next year at the University of Oregon,
agrees: “I want to be a high school teacher,”
she says. “And, after my presentation, many
people said they could see some of that in me
already, which is great!”
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