DAPS Outreach
K-12 Outreach
DAPS Lab and Professor Erb run and participate in many outreach events to engage young scholars (K-12) and get them excited about STEM fields.
Undergraduate Research
Prof. Erb leads the undergraduate research committee. He coordinates students with faculty to provide research experiences for undergrads.
Educational Program
Professor Erb teaches classes for both undergraduate and graduate students in the MIE department. He has developed an extensive educational program.
DAPS Lab is a strong believer in outreach. Scroll down for details.
K-12 Outreach by Prof. Erb and the DAPS Lab
The importance of STEM outreach
Exciting and educating the public about the benefits and challenges of mechanical engineering and materials science is important especially to young scholars from under-represented populations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Effective educational outreach requires long-term coordination to initially interest individuals and to provide pathways of continuing involvement in the long-term efforts of materials research.
Building Bridges
Prof. Erb runs workshops in the Building Bridges program to expose 9th-11th graders to engineering fields. This often gives students their first insight into what an engineering program at college is about. These workshops include engaging hands on experiments involving mechanical engineering technology.
Young Scholars Program
Prof. Erb gives lectures within the Young Scholars Program to engage visiting high school students with high level mechanical engineering research. These students work in funded roles within various Northeastern labs for the length of a summer.
Prof. Erb's Involvement with Undergraduate (UG) Research
Prof. Erb's Involvement with Undergraduate (UG) Research
UG Research in the MIE Department
Prof. Erb is the Head of the Undergraduate Research Initiative in the MIE department at Northeastern University. In this role, he works to match motivated undergraduate students with research experiences within labs across the department. He is available to answer individual student questions about undergraduate research.
UG Research in DAPS Lab
In addition, DAPS Lab is a firm believer in offering an undergraduate research experience. In just the last year, DAPS Lab has provideded the following high level research projects to talented Northeastern Undergraduate students:
2016
Tim Brewer, Nematic Packing of Vibrated Ellipsoidal Slurries
Tim Sakow, Flexible Antenna Electronics
Anvesh Gurijala, Magnetically Textured Desalination Electrodes
Joseph Gabay, Multi-Nozzle 3D Printing
Kelli Lynch, Pain Away for Rheumatoid Arthritis
2015
Anvesh Gurijala, Magnetically Textured Desalination Electrodes
Brad Fiore, Hardness Mapping of 3D Printed Composite Constructs
Cosden Leahey, Construction of a Thermal Processing Device for Controlled Polymer Melts
Daniel Ewald, Construction of a Thermal Processing Device for Controlled Polymer Melts
Patrick Stock, 3D Magnetic Printing of Composites with Programmed Toughness
Lachlan Tobiason, Characterization of a PLA/Calcium Phosphate Composite Precursor
Paul Arcoleo, Development of an Integrated 3D Printer
Hanqui Li, Fabrication Routes for Graded Electromagnetic Substrates
Tyler Mangini, 3D Magnetic Printing of Composites with Osteon-like Architectures
Winston Ge, Characterization of Shape Change in Microstructured Composites
Prof. Erb's Educational Program
Undergraduate Course Development
Prof. Erb has taught several undergraduate courses. In ME-2340 Materials Science, he created a SolidWorks module in Materials Science for students to use SolidWorks to build crystal structures of metals, create .stl files of them, and 3-D print these structures to enable visual and tactile materials. This educated the students about the complicated interstitial spaces in these structures that are manipulated and filled with interstitial atoms to tune material behavior. He does many in-class experiments and demonstrations.
In MEIE4702 Senior Capstone Design, Prof. Erb advised three design teams on diverse projects including an aerial drone for topographic mapping, a 3D printer for discontinuous fiber composites, and a magnetovibrational manufacturing device for electrode preparation. Two of these projects resulted in student patents pending.
Graduate Course Development
Prof. Erb has developed a new graduate course at Northeastern University titled “Soft Matter”. This course introduces the relatively young field of soft matter, which encompasses the physical description of various states of soft materials including liquids, colloids, polymers, foams, gels, granular materials, and a number of biological materials. Focus is placed on critical thinking, problem diagnosis, estimation, statistical analysis and data-based decision making. Course includes many in-class demonstrations from colloidal assembly, to emulsion stability, to cellular lysis. Applications are highlighted including industrial processing, life sciences, and environmental remediation.