Abstract
My technical project focused on developing a lower-cost system for measuring thermal conductivity using the 3-omega method. Although my technical project and STS research paper focus on different topics, they both deal with how engineering systems are used and understood outside of just their technical design. The technical project focused on making thermal conductivity testing more affordable and accessible for future research. My STS research paper focused on nuclear energy technology and the social perceptions that are constructed that directly influence how the technology gets viewed. Together, both projects convey how the success of a technology depends more on the implementation and if it works. Cost, accessibility, trust, communication, and public acceptance all play a role in whether a technology can be used effectively.
The technical portion of my thesis focused on creating a lower-cost thermal conductivity testing system as an alternative to systems that depend on liquid helium. Since liquid helium is expensive, the project investigated using helium gas to reduce operating costs while still making thermal conductivity testing possible. The team I was a part of designed, analyzed, and manufactured several key components, including a structural support to hold the cryostat upright, a sample mount for the test material, and a vacuum plate designed to withstand pressures as low as 10^-8 torr. During the second phase of the project, we worked on setting up the vacuum and electrical connections needed to perform the 3-omega method. Using a compressor to pump helium into the system, we successfully achieved a vacuum of 10^−6 torr and performed thermal conductivity testing at room temperature, above room temperature, and below room temperature. Although we could not reach the desired 10 K operating temperature, the results still helped validate part of the system and showed that a more affordable testing system could be useful for future thermal conductivity research.
In my STS research paper, I examined why nuclear energy is socially contested despite its potential as a low carbon and reliable energy source. Using the Social Construction of Technology framework, I looked at how different social groups interpret nuclear energy through the cases of Three Mile Island, Fukushima Daiichi, and Italy after Chernobyl. These cases showed that governments, institutions, and the public construct nuclear energy in different ways based on trust, accidents, and risk perception. This work therefore is significant because it shows how nuclear energy is socially constructed and the different social groups at play that provide different meanings to nuclear energy. Additionally, nuclear energy’s future depends not only on improved technology, but also on public trust, clear communication, and institutional accountability.
My technical project and STS research paper are connected because both show that engineering systems must be understood within the larger conditions that affect their use. In the technical project, the main issue was accessibility through cost, since a thermal conductivity testing system that depends on expensive liquid helium may limit who can use it for future research. In the STS paper, accessibility appeared in a different way, where nuclear energy may be useful in a technical sense but still face resistance if institutions do not build trust or communicate clearly with the public. Together, these projects show that technical performance and benefits alone do not determine whether a technology succeeds. Responsible engineering also requires attention to cost, communication, trust, and the social conditions that shape how technologies are accepted and used.
Notes
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Technical Advisor: Ethan Scott
STS Advisor: Travis Elliott
Technical Team Members: Brandon Flores Castaneda, Mary Cotter, Andrea Rojas Ramirez, Philip Li, Matthew Alexander Orellana-Aquino, Raymond Ni, Jimmy Chen, Mohammad Ahmadzai, Tristan Huynh, Jimmy Bastos Infantas, Hannah Heafner, Mia Petersen
