SURF-IT Summer Research

Students

Each scholar spends 9 intense weeks working on a research problem. Scholars collaborate with other SURF-IT students, other undergraduate researchers, graduate students, and their faculty mentor or mentors. Browsing past projects is a good way to explore undergraduate research at UCSC's Baskin School of Engineering.

You can review the short summaries past students have written, as well as their posters and project reports.

Year: 2011
Project Advisor Home University
Ben Cizdziel: Programmable LED Signs for Campus Buses Katia Obraczka UCSC
Benjamin LaCara: Physical Design of Rachael SPARC Matthew Guthaus UCSC
Carol Owens: Wireless Programming of an Exoskeleton Jacob Rosen UCSC
Edward Sullivan: Algorithm For Cross-Link Insertion To Improve Efficiency of Local Resonant Clock Trees Matthew Guthaus Clemson University
Jennifer Lui: Mechanics of Document Formatting: Comparing strategies between undergraduates and graduates Sri Kurniawan Binghamton University
Jessica Cohen: A Step toward Cost-efficient DNA Sequencing: Creating an Abasic Map of ssDNA Held in an α-hemolysin Nanopore Bill Dunbar Barnard College, Columbia Univeristy
Kamil Slowikowski: Reverse transcriptase SuperScript III adds non-templated bases during cDNA polymerization Todd Lowe Loyola University, Chicago
Kathryn Dobbins: Reducing Power Consumption in Clock Grids Matthew Guthaus Michigan Tech University
Lourdes Morales: Formatting Checker Tool for Blind Word-Processor Users: Prototype Formatting Checker Add-in for Microsoft Office Word 2007 Sri Kurniawan University of Puerto Rico, Rio Pierdas
Rachel Rieger: Managing and Recycling Human Energy: A Redesign of the Lower Limb Exoskeleton Jacob Rosen UC Davis
Rebecca Emrick: LatchMaster: An iPhone Game to Simulate Breastfeeding Sri Kurniawan Hendrix College
Ryan Conway: Standing Wave Oscillators for Global Clock Distribution Matthew Guthaus UCSC
Year: 2010
Project Advisor Home University
Amanda Getnzel: Extending the simulation of the Raven Surgical Robot System Jacob Rosen Westminster College
Ariel Anders: A Prototype of Automating the Drilling of a Tooth Jacob Rosen University of California Santa Cruz
Chasen Peters: SRAM Memory Compiler Matthew Guthaus University of California Santa Cruz
Daniel Olivares: Data Collection: Putting it all together. The SCORPION Statistics Collection System Katia Obraczka Humboldt State
Jason Mak: OpenCL Sparse Linear Solver for Circuit Simulation Mathew Guthaus Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Jordan Maier: Where is your bus? The Slug Transit Bus Tracking System Katia Obraczka Seattle University
Jose Ayon Loza: Analysis of Exonuclease-DNA binding measurement distributions using a nanopore William Dunbar University of California Santa Cruz
Leeann Mangoba: Analyzing Physical Activity with the iPod Accelerometer Sri Kurniawan University of California Santa Cruz
Lourdes Morales: Motivating Adolescents to be Physically Active Using a Mobile Game Sri Kurniawan University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
Shannon Parker: Designing an Obstacle Course Game to Motivate Physical Activity among Teens Sri Kurniawan Clark Atlanta University
Stephanie Lukin: Improving Internet Speed: A Comparison of Round-Trip Time Algorithms Katia Obraczka Loyola University Maryland
Year: 2009
Project Advisor Home University
Aaron Ganick: An Autopilot Experience Katia Obraczka Boston University
Adrienne Woodworth: Combating Obesity Trends in Teenagers Through Persuasive Mobile Technology Sri Kurniawan St. Lawrence University
Alison Craig: Creating Accessible Comics Roberto Manduchi Colorado State University
Asma Uz-Zaman: Electrical Characterization of the qNano for Particle Detection William Dunbar University of California Santa Cruz
Ben Farley: Developing a Virtual Environment for Integration with Exoskeleton Arms Jacob Rosen Carleton College
Daniel Taller: Detecting and Decoding Barcodes in Images Roberto Manduchi Harvey Mudd College
David Smith: Design of a Stabilized Camera for UAV's Gabriel Elkaim Grove City College
Jaakko Karras: Improving Inertial Sensors on the OVERBOT Gabriel Elkaim Harvey Mudd College
Katarina Miller: Epidemic Routing Protocol for Delay Tolerant Networks Katia Obraczka Franklin W. Olin College
Melisa Kudeki: Motivating Physical Activity in Teens through Mobile Technology Sri Kurniawan University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Pate Motter: Recording Stroke Patient Progress Jacob Rosen University of Arkansas
Patrick Ellis: System Identification - Modeling the Nanopore William Dunbar Bradley University
Peter LoBue: Epidemic Routing Protocol for Delay Tolerant Networks Katia Obraczka Temple University
Sarah Richardson: Developing Exoskeleton Controlled Virtual Reality Games for Rehabilitation Jacob Rosen Stetson University
Tina Nguyen: Lower Limb Exoskeleton Jacob Rosen University of California Santa Cruz
Wade Gobel: Managing a New Internet Katia Obrazcka Carleton College
Willi Ballenthin: Applying Artificial Intelligence for an Efficient Internet Katia Obraczka Columbia University
Year: 2008
Project Advisor Home University
Miguel Salcedo: FPGA Overclocking: Developing a platform to model IC variability Jose Renau San Jose State University
Allison Weis: Finding Vaccine Candidates for Malaria: A Bioinformatics approach Dietlind Gerloff Olin College
Alyssa Rosenzwieg: Street Sound: Navigate with your ears Roberto Manduchi University of Pennsylvania
Collin Engstrom: GUI Solution to Heterogeneous Testbed Complexity Katia Obraczka SW Minnesota State
Cooper Levy: Nanopore Signal Processing and System Identification for Faster Event Detection William Dunbar UCSC
Denise Leal: Thermal Characterization of Multi-Finger Mosfet Ali Shakouri UC Irvine
Ian Lee: Making the Most of your Hardware - Micro-Benchmarks on NVIDIA GPUs Jose Renau University of Connecticut
Max Velado: Color Targets: A wayfinding system for the visually impaired Roberto Manduchi California State University, Bakersfield
Michael Cutter: Community Implicit and Explicit Feeback Recommender Yi Zhang UCSC
Rebecca Mason: Haptic Modeling of a Street Intersection Using the Novint Falcon Roberto Manduchi Mount Holyoke College
Salvador Vazquez: Ground Station for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Autopilot Gabriel Elkaim UCSC
Samantha Downey: Eliminating Surface Adhesion Between Biomolecules and Silicon Holger Schmidt UCSC
Sean Bromage: SCORPION: A heterogeneous wireless networking testbed Katia Obraczka UCSB
Year: 2007
Project Advisor Home University
Ayla Solomon: A GUI Problem: Designing and implementing a graphical user interface that creates finite state machines Bill Dunbar Wellesley College
Christopher Wegemer: Signal Processing Methods of Thermoreflectance Imaging Ali Shakouri Columbia University
David Lewis: Exploring The Use of Sub-Threshold Transistors Using Genetic Algorithms Matthew R. Guthaus Olivet College
Elizabeth Koch: Feedback Control of DNA Hairpin Molecules in a Nanopore Bill Dunbar Carleton College
Gwendolyn Einfeld: Learning to Share: Disk scheduling using a hierarchical token bucket filetering algorithm Scott Brandt Calvin College
Jing (Kelly) Zhang: Force Feedback Mouse: Exploring shape learning for the visually impaired Roberto Manduchi University of California, Santa Cruz
Kee-Yip Chan: Blind Cam: Smart-phone Wayfinding for the Blind Roberto Manduchi University of California, Santa Cruz
Laurel DeMarco: The Re-Boat Controller: Joystick Control for an Autonomous Catamaran Gabriel Elkaim University of California, Santa Cruz
Messan Arnaud Lawson: Network Pricing and the Price of Anarchy John Musacchio University of California, Santa Cruz
Michael McThrow: CLIP: A Compact, Load-balancing Index Placement Function Carlos Maltzahn and Scott Brandt Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Nadine Amsel: Load Balancing in File Systems Carlos Maltzahn Hamilton College
Scott Triglia: Two Software Improvements for Autonomous Navigation Gabriel Elkaim and John Connors Harvey Mudd
Victor De La Rosa: Evaluating Inexpensive Webcams as Visual Sensors Gabriel Elkaim California State University, Chico
Year: 2006
Project Advisor Home University
Bob Stark: Expert Move Prediction in Go David Helmbold Michigan Tech
Chris Woodruff: An Off-Road Autonomous Ground Vehicle Testbed Gabriel Elkaim Harvey Mudd
Christoph Rau: Using Conserved Elements to Assist in Gene Annotation Todd Lowe Harvey Mudd
Crissan Harris: Predicting Protein Structure -- CASP7 Kevin Karplus University of California, Santa Cruz
Cynthia Hsu: Interpreting the Outout of the Undertaker Protein-Folding Algorithm Kevin Karplus University of California, Berkeley
Eli Kwitman: OVERBOT Gabriel Elkaim Harvey Mudd
Elisabeth Kain: Enhancing and Developing Appraches to Gene Annotation Todd Lowe University of California, San Diego
Jose Madrigal: Rudder Control for an Autonomous Sailboat Gabriel Elkaim CSU Chico
Kendrick Boyd: In-Flight Data Management for Distributed Storage Systems Scott Brandt Lawrence University
Megan Kierstead: Software Evolution Jim Whitehead Wellesley College
Michael McThrow: Metadata Management Scott Brandt Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Ricardo Chavez: Rudder Control for an Autonomous Sailing Catamaran Gabriel Elkaim CSU Chico
Robert Murray: Cell Phones: Wayfinding assistive technology for the visually impaired Roberto Manduchi University of California, Santa Cruz
Year: 2005
Project Advisor Home University
Aaron Lehmann: Wireless Transmission System for Brain Controlled Lower Limb Prosthesis Wentai Liu University of California, Santa Cruz
Daniel Garalde: RoboBrain Bill Dunbar Bob Jones University
David Alejandro Benitez: Multi-Function Underwater Environmental Condition Recorder Gabriel Elkaim Swarthmore College
Emily Quader: Temperature Profile in IC Chips Using Laser Raman Characterization Ali Shakouri University of California, Santa Cruz
Jo Chou: SEA-LABS, CARNIVORES, Surf-IT Website Katia Obraczka University of California, Santa Cruz
JoJo Chang: Creating a Visual Language for Visualizing Argumentation and Large Design Spaces Jim Whitehead University of California, Berkeley
Khi Lam: Pattern Matching in Network Intrusion Detection Systems Martine Schlag University of California, Santa Cruz
Kristy Vu: LEON3 Emulator for SCOORE Jose Renau University of California, Davis
Lisa McGarthwaite: Haptic Technology for the Blind: A grid map using dynamic forces and sound Roberto Manduchi Saint Mary's University
Owen Hoffmann: Linking File System Ethan Miller & Scott Brandt Amherst College
Reaiah Brown: Creating a Visual Language for Visualizing Argumentation and Large Design Spaces Jim Whitehead Claflin University
Stephanie Cheng: Object Avoidance: Pulse Contorl for Frame Subtraction Gabriel Elkaim University of California, Santa Cruz
Year: 2004
Project Advisor Home University
Anna Agadjanian: The Coyote Database Katia Obraczka University of California, Riverside
Chris Lankford Hai Tao Indiana University
Emmanuel Miranda: Microscopic Image Stabilization Algorithm Michael Isaacson Inter American University Puerto Rico
Jackie Kirchhoff: Visualization of Divergence and Vorticity of Ocean Currents in Monterey Bay Pat Mantey and John Vesecky Carnegie Mellon University
Jaclyn Powell: Web Information Sharing Project (WHISPER) Jim Whitehead University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
Jiwon Shin: Image-Based Tensor Visualization Alex Pang Swarthmore College
Jo Chou: Web Development Richard Hughey University of California, Santa Cruz
Kate Guttridge: Web Information Sharing Project (WHISPER) Jim Whitehead University of Virginia
Laura Miller: Assistive Technology Roberto Manduchi University of California, Santa Cruz
Marcia Soriano: CASP6 Protein Structure Prediction Kevin Karplus University of California, Santa Cruz
Michele Clarke: Let the Force Guide You: Map navigation for the blind and visually impaired Roberto Manduchi St. Mary's University of Minnesota
Nguyen Truong: Geometric and Graph Algorithms on Kestrel Richard Hughey Georgia Tech
Ranjeet Jhutti: Configurable Reverse Telemetry Protocol for Retinal Prosthesis Wentai Liu University of California, Berkeley
Year: 2003
Project Advisor Home University
Angela Schmid: Kestrel 2 Controller Richard Hughey University of California, Santa Cruz
Eric Escobar: Visual Sensor Array Network Roberto Manduchi and Katia Obraczka Pasadena City College
George Schmaltz: Pedestrian Detection and Analysis in Video Applications Hai Tao New Mexico Tech
Jason Candelori: Monte Carlo Backscattering Electron Simulation using CASINO Michael Isaacson Allan Hancock College
Jonathan Hernandez: Visual Sensor Array Network Roberto Manduchi and Katia Obraczka California State University, Pomona
Juanita Banuelos: Characterization of Power Transfer System for Retinal Implant Wentai Liu CSU Long Beach
Scott Page: Characterization of Power Transfer System for Retinal Implant Wentai Liu University of California, Santa Cruz