SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER, 2018 – UWI TODAY
9
Two UWI, St Augustine students,
Keenan Chatar and Ariel Chitan,
recently represented T&T at the NASA
International Internship Programme
(NASA I²), a ten-week summer
programme which offers promising
science students the chance toparticipate
in cutting edge science projects and gain
valuable international exposure. The
internships this year ran from June 18 –
August 24 at the NASA Ames Research
Center in Mountain View, California.
The two young scientists shared their
unique internship experiences to a very
attentive audience of about 80 tertiary
level students, parents, educators and
science fans at Engineering Room 101
in UWI on September 5, 2018.
Keenan Chatar, 24, is currently
pursuing his Masters in Applied
Science in Electrical and Computer
Engineering, and Ariel Chitan, 23,
has just completed the final year of
a Bachelor of Science in Physics and
Mathematics. Keenan and Ariel were
among four shortlisted candidates
selected following a local screening
process that involved more than 20 top
students studying Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
subjects.
The NASA internship programme
is intensive. It emphasizes teamwork,
research and creativity, balancing
science and technology with issues of
management, finance, social and human
issues faced by aerospace professionals.
Student s t ake par t in informa l
discussions, lectures, supervised
sessions, group projects and visits to
NASA centres, and are mentored by
NASA scientists.
Ke enan Chat ar ’s i nt e rnsh ip
centred on energy harvesting using
nanomaterials. Ariel Chitan’s internship
was part of aeromechanics research
activities that directly support the civil
competitiveness of the US helicopter
industry and the US Department of
Defence.
Retired Major Julia Charles-
Joseph, Registrar at NIHERST, spoke
at the September 5 Lecture Series,
describing the success of the NASA
I² programme since the first group of
T&T students took part in it in 2014.
She said NIHERST has supported nine
interns to date, and that the purpose
of the programme is to increase the
number of STEM professionals doing
research to help develop T&T. The
NASA I² programme is facilitated by the
Ministry of Education andNIHERST in
collaboration with NASA, with Atlantic
Energy as the main sponsor of the
programme.
KeenanChatarworkedondesigning
and building a portable data system
for a triboelectric nanogenerator. A
“nanogenerator” is a type of technology
From left, Keenan Chatar and Ariel Chitan at a recent public lecture to share their summer experiences on
the NASA International Internship Programme at NASA Ames Research Centre.
PHOTO COURTESY NIHERST
NIHERST/NASA
INTERNS RETURN
By
ShereenAnnAli
Shereen Ann Ali
is a freelance writer, culture journalist and publications editor
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING & MATHEMATICS
that converts mechanical or thermal
energy into electricity, while the term
“triboelectric” refers to a process where
certain materials become electrically
charged after they come into frictional
contact with a different material –
rubbing glass with fur, or a plastic comb
through the hair, for instance, can build
up triboelectricity.
Chatar explained: “Energy is around
us everywhere, in different forms, and
is often wasted. There are different
ways to harvest that energy and use it
better.” Imagine, for instance, being able
to charge your cellphone just though
your own walking. The principle of
nanogenerators can be applied to large
scale ideas, like harvesting the energy
produced by wind and ocean waves, or
to small scale uses, such as self-powered
micro devices.
Chatar built two prototypes of
TENG (triboelectric nanogenerator)
devices. He hopes to apply his research to
a Masters project proposal for building
a TENG wind energy harvester off the
Manzanilla coastline – a novel approach
to green energy.
Meanwhile, Ariel Chitan worked
at the NASA aerodynamics complex
where models are tested in massive
wind tunnels. She spoke of the “huge,
mind-numbing size” of the larger wind
tunnel, which measures 80 ft x 120 ft.
Her role was to help with research in
testing the effect on test results of the
80 x 120 ft wind tunnel when structures
(eg buildings or walls) are built opposite
the tunnel. A miniature model of the
wind tunnel was built, to see how a
wall-like construction would affect tests
in the tunnel. This involved simulating
turbulence with high velocity winds,
so a crane had to lift several massive
fans to create the winds. Chitan helped
measure and examine the behaviour of
these wind currents.
Both Keenan Chatar and Ariel
Chitan praised the high quality of
mentorship and networking experiences
they received on the programme. They
also enjoyed good fellowship and
camaraderie with fellow student interns:
“We met some super awesome people,
all doing fascinating things” said Ariel.
Keenan shared his awe at seeing the
NASA facilities at the Ames Research
Centre, including the Supercomputer
Facility which is used for fascinating
computer simulations such asmodelling
the birth of the universe. He shared
some astronaut food – freeze dried
banana slices – at the end of his talk, a
sweet end to a very interesting public
lecture on the NASA I² aerospace
internship.
MORE INFO:
gov.tt/awards/internships-nasa.html
The NASA internship programme is intensive. It
emphasizes teamwork, research and creativity,
balancing science and technology with issues of
management, finance, social and human issues
faced by aerospace professionals.
