Efrain Cobian Email & Phone Number

Santa Clara, California, United States

Santa Clara, California, United States

Chico, California, United States

Used a small fieldable instrument developed to measures tiny changes (±0.005 hPa) in barometric pressure at sample rates of 4 times per second. The device is designed to lay flat on the ground to detect small fluctuations in pressure caused by everyday turbulence, which is hypothesized to pump important trace gases (like carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor) into and out of porous soil.

Chico, California, United States

I and another mechanical engineering student worked under the Chico STEM Connections Collaborative(CSC^2) on a Beam Steering Unit (BSU), a component of the REAL system used to gather data on aerosol particulates in the atmosphere. We worked under our faculty advisor, Dr. Shane Mayor.We did the following in the ten week program:● Restored critical components of the LIDARs beam steering unit. ● Belts, Weather seals, glass and mirror components were all restored to working condition.● Restored the Electrical components, including power supply, controls, slip rings, and serial communication ports● Troubleshooted and analyzed previous LabVIEW programs to full function.● Created a user’s manual using LaTeX with 49 pages, 10 sections and over 40 figures on the operation and maintenance of the beam steering unit● A powerpoint presentation had to be made and presented at the end of the program, and a scientific poster to be presented at a symposium in September. More information can be seen in our powerpoint.