Bailey is a student in the SERCCS program at CHESS.
Bailey is researching methods to test load frame compliance at the FAST beamline.
What is your home institution and your expected graduation year?
My home institution is Finger Lakes Community College and my expected graduation year to get my associate degree is 2024 and my expected graduation year to get my bachelor’s degree is 2026.
Which CLASSE summer program are you a part of and who is your mentor?
I am part of the Summer Engineering Research for Community College Students program, and my mentor is Amlan Das who is a staff scientist at CHESS and is trained as a materials scientist.
What is the research you are engaged in and what have you accomplished so far this summer? What are you hoping to accomplish by the end of your project?
My mentor and I are attempting to find a method to measure the compliance of a compact load frame which is the deformation experienced by a load frame while a mechanical test is being conducted with a sample under load. My mentor and I are hoping to have a working or at least a theoretical method of measuring the compliance of the compact load frame at CHESS.
What are the impacts of your research for the general public?
Being able to remove the compliance of a load frame from the data collected during a mechanical test will ensure solid data is being acquired when measuring how stresses and strains affect the materials being tested. Materials are all around us in everyday life, so it is incredibly important to have quality data when measuring materials so that their properties are well understood in case of unexpected factors deforming a material.
What are you enjoying most about this research/summer experience?
The most enjoyable part of the research/ summer experience was the overall environment of the campus we are working at. Being able to stay and conduct research at such a well-established institution has been an amazing experience and the location is beautiful to say the least. I am an avid hiker and runner, so this has been the perfect place to spend the summer to indulge in my hobbies.
What are you finding the most challenging about this research?
The most challenging portion of the research has been measuring the strain on the sample under load. There are many complications that are very difficult to work around and finding a feasible method to measure this variable is often difficult to nail down.
How has this experience changed your view about being a researcher?
I’ve always been unsure about where I will end up taking my life which is much of the reason I’ve started my higher education at a community college. Being able to gain experience through the SERCCS program, which is tailored to community college students and opens a huge door for them, has been very eye opening. After my first year of college, I thought I may want to become a professor one day, but after this experience I think it would also be incredibly enjoyable to include research in my personal life and research topics I am heavily interested in.