The Excellence in
Measurement Science Engineering Scholarship Award has
been brought to Cal State Fullerton by senior electrical
engineering major Owen Cupp of Fullerton
February 6, 2007 :: No. 123
The award is given each year by the Measurement Science Conference, which helps
to set standards of measurement worldwide so that there is consistency across
the globe in all units of measurement, such as volts and meters.
Cupp won the award for Cal State Fullerton this year in large part for the work
he has done with Prasada Rao, assistant professor of civil and environmental
engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Cupp and Rao have been working on the Water Hazard Mitigation Research Project
for two years. The project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and
was prompted by hometown security efforts, a component of Homeland Security.
The purpose of the research is to develop methods and devices that can quickly
detect any harmful substances in drinking water delivery systems and automatically
shut down pipes if contaminants are discovered. With current technology, it can
take hours or days to confirm that toxic substances at harmful levels are in
the drinking water, then more time to shut down the system.
With algorithms developed by Cupp and Rao, substances that before were detectable
in parts per million are now detectable in parts per billion, and they can be
detected in seconds. The goal, said Rao, is to detect them in parts per trillion “or,
at least, in only a few parts per billion.” In addition, the algorithms
screen out the “background noise” of chemicals, such as chlorine
and sodium, which are always found in treated drinking water “so that
we don’t have any false alarms.”
Used in the project for experimental purposes are arsenic, cyanide, benzene,
and common herbicides and pesticides. Once the algorithms have been refined,
they can be used as models for algorithms to detect any substance from which
drinking water should be guarded.
Also contributing to winning the award was Cupp’s geophysical studies with
torsion pendulums — highly sensitive devices that have been used to measure
such phenomena as microseismic events.
“This award is very exciting,” Cupp said. “The scholarship
will certainly help, of course, but this is also good for all forthcoming students
at Cal State Fullerton. It is a confirmation of the internationally competitive
program the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Cal State Fullerton
offers students.”
Media Contacts: |
Owen Cupp at ocupp@csu.fullerton.edu
Prasada Rao, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 657-278-3525
Russ Hudson, Public Affairs, 657-278-4007 or rhudson@fullerton.edu
Measurement Science Conference headquarters at (866)
672-6327 |
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