Over the first three years of the NEAR program, the students' focus has been primarily on the electrospinning process and the production of polymer nanofibers in a pure research environment.  In a pure research environment, the students were focused on the actual process of electrospinning more than they were focused upon creating a usable, marketable product.

The students researched experimental  variables such as polymer properties (viscosity, weight percentage, molecular weight), field strength (voltage and distance), station apparatus (polymer syringe angle, collection plate material), environmental factors (temperature, humidity, etc.) fiber alignment, and many other factors.

However, over the past two years, many of the students have begun performing applied research where their goal was to create nanofibers with possible uses in various industries.  Students have been experimenting in the following areas:

magnetically respondent fibers   air filtration applications   shear thickening polymers   vertical electrospinning against gravity   many other areas

The students have learned how to design experiments, set independent and dependent variables, run an experiment, develop a testing methodology that yields the most accurate results and how to analyze their data. 

The students are limited only by their imagination and have learned that they can learn just about as much from their failures in experimentation as the can from their successes.  The students are learning valuable skills that will help to prepare them for the challenges they will face in college and the workplace.

This year's students have some great ideas.  Here is a summary of each team's research focus: