Vol. 19, No. 33

June 8, 2000

NASA/UD announce three new space fellows

Three graduate students — Nellie Elguindi, geography; Glenn C. Gardner, mechanical engineering; and Stephen T. Pledgie, biomechanics and movement science —have received National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Delaware Space Grant Consortium (DESGC) 12-month fellowships. DESGC was established in 1991 to administer NASA's National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. The Bartol Research Institute at UD, as the lead institution, receives an annual NASA grant for programs supporting space research, education, outreach, student scholarships and special initiative programs. NASA support is matched by members' contributions. Including the three new fellows, UD has had 21 space grant fellows and awarded 36 fellowships. Nellie Elguindi Elguindi received her bachelor's degree in earth sciences and geography and a master's degree in geography at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. At UD, she is working with her advisers, Brian Hanson, geography, and postdoctorate researcher Cathleen Geiger, on the effects of local atmospheric processes on sea-ice variability in Antarctica. Her research involves modeling the effect of the Antarctic Peninsula and the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf on the local atmospheric process and sea-ice dynamics in the Weddell Sea. Glenn C. Gardner Gardner received his bachelor's degree in engineering from UD. His undergraduate research included the design and fabrication of a gravity-balanced planar mechanism to help muscular dystrophy patients perform physical therapy exercises independently. His current research involves the characterization of acoustic transmission loss, acoustic absorption and airflow resistance of polymeric foams. These materials are used as acoustic treatments in many aerospace applications. His adviser is Jain Sun, mechanical engineering. Stephen T. Pledgie Pledgie received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and his master's degree in biomechanics and movement science from UD. His master's thesis investigated the suppression of pathological tremor movements with robotic devices. His current research involves the development of a haptic interface that can function as an advanced exercise machine for neurorehabilitation. His adviser is Sunil Agrawal, mechanical engineering. —Sue Moncure