Rachel Hallock
Compost Thermal Heating
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This project was started by a student in 2009 and has been worked on by various students over the years, each finding an indivual spin to put on it. I chose to explore the fluid dynamics of the convecting tube which transfers the energy from the compost pile to our thermoelectric model.
While researching this, I read about the Tom's effect which occurs when certain materials added to water give the water non-Newtonian properties, such that it flows in a more laminar fashion, thus improving effiency of convection.
This was my senior thesis project and I presented it at the Ithaca College Whalen Symposium in 2014.
Research
Road Salt in Chapel Pond
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This project began as an attempt to understand how road salt practices correlated to ion levels in the man-made retention pond on campus.
By taking weekly samples and recording precipitation type and amount, we matched spikes of ion levels with rain events. Each sample was analysed in an ionchromatograph.
A statistical correlation found that the increased presence of sodium ions was related to increase in naturally found ions leading us to believe the jumps were not a result of road salt exclusively.
I presented this project at the Ithaca College Whalen Symposium in 2013.
