Last summer, Anderson High School graduates Leon Kozinakov and Amanda Meriwether were selected to participate in the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program at the Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin. S&EAP provides an opportunity for recent high school graduates seniors to gain exposure to laboratory research and development. Kozinakov and Meriwether were both supervised by a research scientist or engineer and completed a project during the program.
Sound Science
During the apprenticeship program, Kozinakov worked with a SONAR array to detect underwater sounds. Using an array made up of two hydrophones, which detect pulses that can be used to determine the distance between the hydrophone and sound source, Kozinakov was able to locate a source within a two-dimensional plane. Kozinakov also used MATLAB to create an additional program that allows users to input different data points to determine a precise distance and angle of where the sound is occurring.
Meriwether, meanwhile, worked on a project that examined Global Navigation Satellite System and Precise Point Positioning. This navigation system determines very precise information about a location, down to one centimeter. But GNSS PPP can take up to 17 days to process the information, something that may not be very helpful in the data gathering stages. Meriwether worked to increase the capacity of GNSS PPP by making it work faster and stream more real time data from satellites. And she was successful—the GNSS PPP now only takes a few minutes, though the information it produces may be less precise.
Kozinakov and Meriwether are both first year students at the University of Texas at Austin. Kozinakov is studying both Electrical and Computer Engineering, while Meriwether is studying Plan II and Biomedical engineering. Both students said the summer experience with S&EAP provided them with exposure and opportunities that will help them in their chosen studies.
For more information on their projects, check out the links below.