Anup Sharma, Ph.D. - US grants

9701538 Sharma The proposal deals with fabrication of new devices and sensors using fiber-optic Bragg gratings. While the characteristics of reflection Bragg gratings is quite well understood, this is not so for tapped Bragg gratings. This is proposed to be done here. A novel directional coupler consisting of two tapped Bragg gratings side-by-side will be fabricated. Its application as a wavelength sensitive light-tap will be inveqtigated. A number of such devices fabricated in series will be useful for distributed sensing of transverse strain in Smart Structures. Such a sensor will compliment the well known distributed sensing of longitudinal strain by reflection Bragg gratings in series. Reflection Bragg gratings will also be used to fabricate a chemical sensor for sensing environmental gases like NH3, H2O and CH4 in a novel correlation spectroscopy set up where a grating will replace the cumbersome bulky reference cell. With the grating set up 100% modulation of correlation between the gas absorption lines and the Bragg wavelength can be obtained unlike partial modulation by Stark shift and broadening of spectral lines as in conventional correlation spectroscopy. This technique will be used for distributed sensing of environmental gases. This will have important applications in the area of monitoring and control of atmospheric pollution. Students will be an integral part of all research activity described in the proposal. At any time over the four year duration of the proposed integrated plan one Ph.D. student will be involved in the research, working towards his/her degree in applied physics. The University has a work/study program for undergraduate students working towards their physics/engineering degrees. A student typically works as a research assistant and is paid to cover his tuition and other expenses. At any given time the proposed research will support one undergraduate student as well, assisting a graduate student in his/her research. Finally, the proposal d escribes an apprenticeship program for high school students in which they will spend 4-6 weeks of their summer getting a hands-on experience with basic devices in a fiber-optics laboratory. ***

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Sharma

Description: This award supports US-India cooperative research entitled Fabrication of Doped Single-Mode Optical Fibers for Investigation of Bragg-Grating Characteristics. The collaborators are Anup Sharma of Alabama A&M University (AAMU) and Har Narayan Acharya of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IITKgp). They will examine issues related to the fabrication of specifically doped single-mode optical fibers and followup with an investigation of the Bragg-grating characteristics that are written in these fibers. The researchers will utilize the unique capabilities and expertise offered by each participating institution to accomplish the research objectives. The IITKgp specializes in optical fiber preform and single-mode fabrication; AMMU is a leader in characterizing Bragg- gratings in optical fibers. Fiber Bragg-gratings have numerous important applications in sensing and communications. The research goals include developing a novel scheme for fiber sensing of strain and temperature.

Scope: This activity will initiate a new international collaboration with a competent group of Indian materials scientists and will promote the participation of under-represented groups in research. A doctoral student will accompany the PI on trips to the IITKgp where he will learn about the modified chemical vapor deposition techniques; likewise, the Indian collaborator will gain exposure to fabrication techniques developed at AAMU. This proposal has strong educational aspects and there is a good chance that the investigators will produce novel results. The Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) jointly supports this activity under the NSF/DST program.

The HBCU-RISE proposal by Alabama A&M University aims to develop research infrastructure in the areas of advanced materials and nanophotonics. AAMU has a doctoral program in physics with emphasis in areas of optics and materials sciences. The proposed HBCU-RISEproject intends to strengthen the materials science and optics infrastructure in the department. Some of the research projects which will be supported include: nanostructured binary materials and their application to chemical sensing, growth of novel triboluminescent crystals and their application to structural health monitoring, preparation of rare-earth ion doped oxyfluoride nanostructured glasses and their application to luminescent devices, development of high-yield organic solar cells sensitized with metal nanoparticles, two-photon biophotonic nanomaterials for cancer diagnostics/ treatment and nanopatterned polymer substrates for plasmonic chemical sensors. Recent developments in nanoscience/nanotechnology are a common underlying thread that connects many of these projects. This project will provide new opportunities for graduate studies and will create a pool for new graduate students who would be interested in for PhD degree in materials science. In addition, participation of undergraduates in research internships, workshops and seminars will add to the pool of applicants for graduate studies.

Tuskegee University is leading a team of Alabama institutions, which includes Auburn University, Alabama A&M University, Auburn University Montgomery, Southern Union State Junior College, and Lawson State Community College, with support from Oakland University to implement a collaborative S-STEM project titled "Making to Advance Knowledge, Excellence, and Recognition in STEM" (MAKERS). The MAKERS project will provide scholarships to up to 158 students majoring in the biological, physical, mathematical, geological, and computer and information sciences; engineering; and associated technology areas. The MAKERS team will implement and assess a comprehensive list of hierarchical, evidence-based interventions designed to facilitate transfer, increase persistence and retention, and prepare Scholars for graduation and future careers in STEM fields. The MAKERS S-STEM model is designed to attenuate the potential factors that decrease persistence of low-income students in STEM degree programs by integrating STEM enrichment, research, and peripheral activities. The nature of many of the MAKERS project components and the wide range of institutional contexts show promise for improving outcomes for students at other institutions with similar demographics while capitalizing on their existing resources. MAKERS' hallmark intervention will be "Learning by Making," which will involve interdisciplinary Scholar clusters identifying and investigating problems affecting their local communities, and applying their STEM knowledge to "make" a product that has the potential to solve those problems.

The major objectives of MAKERS are to: (1) increase student retention and graduation rates; (2) prepare students with the STEM academic foundation, professional skills and experiences needed to enter the STEM workforce or graduate school in STEM disciplines; and (3) investigate the MAKERS model's impact on recruitment, retention, success, and graduation of students in the target population and majors. The MAKERS project is innovative because, rather than focusing solely on developing the students' academic potential or restructuring institutional variables, it will empower students as active agents in their education by creating connections between their majors and the local community, mitigating potential inhibiting factors in the students' social context. Three unique aspects of the project - immersion of scholars in the "Learning by Making" process; strong cross-institutional social and professional networks; and the use of online platforms for support and collaboration - have the potential to transform the learning process for these students, helping them develop a STEM identity, fostering agency, and persisting to degree completion. A team of evaluation experts will continuously assess its interventions using mixed methods and provide feedback to the investigators to identify new best practices that will be added to the extant knowledge base on broadening participation of low-income groups in STEM fields.