Meet student researchers impacting security and sustainability

What made you want to get involved in FURI and the project you chose?

The idea of learning more and expanding my network has always been of interest to me. I’ve always wanted to learn more about electric cars and the specific differences they have from internal combustion engine vehicles. I chose this project because it is an opportunity to do that.

How will your engineering research project impact the world?

Cyberattacks are a major threat to electric vehicles and chargers. This engineering research project will help impact the world in that it will help people better prepare against cyberattacks on electric cars.

Plugging an electric vehicle into a charging station allows it to draw power from the grid. Chargers power an electric motor, which rotates the wheels, by storing the electricity in rechargeable batteries, which then provide power for the motor as needed. The microcontroller and charging system within the car are the main targets of cyberattacks in electric cars.

Attackers can use different methods to overcharge or undercharge a car’s battery, as well as obtain information regarding the owner of the vehicle from the charging station. The biggest issue I seek to address is limiting cyberattacks and ensuring EV safety and preparedness with software modifications.

Have there been any surprises in your research?

The simplicity of electric cars has been a surprise to me. The power of electric motors is frequently limited by the EV’s battery rather than the motor itself because they are lightweight, dependable and have significantly fewer mechanical components than a gasoline engine. 

What has been your most memorable experience as a FURI student researcher?

My most memorable experience was being selected for the program. It was a great moment filled with lots of excitement. 

How do you see this experience helping with your career goals?

FURI has helped in learning more about engineering, and it can be a potential opportunity to learn different types of skills to utilize in the real world. 

What is the best advice you’ve gotten from your faculty mentor, Ayan Mallik?

His best advice was to expand my network and have the willingness within me to learn more. 

Learn more about Saif Elsaady’s Fall 2022 FURI project.

What made you want to get involved in FURI and the project you’re working on?

I wanted to get involved in FURI because it’s a way to explore the field of biomedical engineering outside of my classes. I chose the project I’m working on because it allowed me to gain a better sense of what goes into making an efficient bioreactor using an innovative fermentation method.

Have there been any surprises in your research?

Yes! I did not expect that so much work went into ensuring the safety of the researchers when it comes to dealing with certain materials like bacteria or fungi. I was also surprised by how much heat is generated by fungi to produce penicillin. This is important because the best bioreactor would have the best aeration and agitation mechanisms to be able to regulate that heat and prevent malfunction.

How will your engineering research project impact the world?

Creating a functional solid-state fermentation bioreactor for spacecraft that produces penicillin will help make space travel more sustainable. A resource-efficient way of keeping medicine on hand can only make sustainable space travel a more attainable reality.

A bioreactor is simply any system/apparatus that supports the growth of microorganisms under controlled conditions. For this FURI project, we are designing multiple laboratory-scale bioreactor prototypes. The operation volume of laboratory-scale (or small scale, not commercial or industrial) bioreactors is in grams.

Solid-state fermentation, or SSF, is a type of fermentation process that has been regaining popularity for many reasons over its counterpart, submerged fermentation, or SmF. Solid-state fermentation is defined as the growth of microorganisms in moist, insoluble substrates with low water content. A low water requirement means lower consumption and less wastewater generation, which means this method of fermentation requires less energy and resources to keep bioconversion processes up and running in addition to a higher yield of products. The substrate in an SSF system is a solid matrix that serves as the structural support and supplier of nutrients to encourage microbial growth.

Why should other students get involved in FURI?

Other students should get involved in this program so they can get a more accurate or more informed sense of what research is like. If a student is considering multiple career paths, and research is one of them, FURI is definitely a good way to get introduced to the whole process so they can figure out what they want to do and where their interests lie.

Is there anything else you want to mention about your experience?

There have been so many surprises, but I’m glad I get a chance to be involved in a research project that is interesting to me and learn more about a certain topic — which in this case is bioreactors — that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise in my regular classes.

Learn more about Joy Agus’s Fall 2022 FURI project.