Allan Buyinza

Chemical engineering

Hometown: Jinja, Uganda

Graduation date: Spring 2019

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FURI | Fall 2018

How to Make Nanoparticles in a More Environmentally Friendly and Cost-Effective Way

Can the formation of nanoparticles be made more environmentally friendly and cost-effective? Making nanoparticles currently involves the use of acidic compounds, such as 4-Mercaptobenzoic acid (pMBA), under harsh conditions. The team’s research involves pursuing protein-directed synthesis of gold nanoparticles, which is a very environmentally friendly alternative. Initial research has focused on examining the formation of gold nanoparticles using pMBA; solutions of gold (III) chloride trihydrate, pMBA, sodium hydroxide, methanol, sodium borohydride and sodium chloride are used in this synthesis. Future work will focus on extending this system with biological molecules to substitute pMBA as a surface capping agent.

Mentor: Brent Nannenga

More projects from the current symposium

Shashwat Raj

Computer systems engineering

Optimizing Earth Science Observations: Developing Reinforcement Learning Techniques for Autonomously Determining Priority Observations in a Dynamic Environment

Developing a reinforcement learning model for satellites to accurately prioritize observations in areas with convective precipitation storms.

Mentor: Paul Grogan

Program: FURI

Devanshi Tushar Prajapati

Software engineering

Educational Data Mining to Assess Code Quality in Programming Courses

Enhancing coding through student work analysis will empower instructors to teach industry practices and prepare students for jobs.

Mentor: Ruben Acuna

Program: MORE

Abdalla E. Osman

Computer science

Practical Collaborate Framework Using Aerial Vehicle for Improved Surveillance

Implementation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in connection with a convoy of ground vehicles will help improve object detection accuracy.

Mentor: Junfeng Zhao