Cal Poly student gets grant funds in Morro Bay project

A Cal Poly student received a grant from the college to continue her research on a deep ocean lander that could be used in conjunction with wind machines off the coast of Morro Bay.

Nikki Arm was one of 17 student research projects that shared in $60,000 in grants. 

The endowments support hands-on, project-based learning opportunities for individual students and groups in areas including STEM education, agricultural sciences, and climate change. Nikki Arm, a master’s student in mechanical engineering, received funding to support her thesis project designing, building, and testing a deep ocean vehicle lander. 

The project aims to improve a key component of the deep-sea lander by designing and utilizing composite pressure spheres to enable cost-effective, deeper submersion. Additionally, the project seeks to optimize sampling techniques in preparation for a multiyear controlled impact study on the wind farm being constructed off the coast of Morro Bay.