Scholar Profiles
John Grimes
2003 - 2004 University Scholar
Mentor: Douglas Jordan
College of Engineering
"I applied to the USP because I wanted to augment my undergraduate education with a hands-on research experience. Throughout my undergraduate coursework, I found that the vast majority of courses consisted primarily of assimilating information in a lecture-style setting and then demonstrating mastery of the material through quizzes and exams. I saw the USP as an avenue to obtain real-world experience and to make me a better engineer."
John is a senior majoring in computer engineering, with a minor in business. His academic interests include analog and digital circuit design, and he is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association of Computing Machinery. John is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Research Description:
Optical Measurements of Lightning Return Strokes
During the summer of 2003, I was given the opportunity to design
and implement a high-frequency optical detector system at the
Camp Blanding location of the International Center for Lightning
Research and Testing (ICLRT).
The system consists of fast-response PIN photodiode circuits
measuring the velocity of propagation of the lightning channel
return stroke. The circuits were designed, constructed, and
assembled into a unit that recorded the optical profiles at
four heights along the lightning channel. The entire unit was
carefully shielded due to the high electromagnetic noise environment
near the triggered lightning. A digital oscilloscope recorded
the photodiode signals, and the data were prepared for analysis.
The data from this experiment will be used to determine the
velocity of the optical wave as it travels up the channel. This
measurement has been made only once in the past by a researcher
from New Mexico. It has recently become more important, for
the theoretical modeling of the lightning channel, that the
ICLRT repeat the experiment, in order to verify the results.
A second reason for recording these data are that they can be
used to calibrate high-speed streak images of the lightning
process. The streak images are taken on film, which is a very
nonlinear recording medium. The inherent linearity of the photodiode
response makes it ideal for calibration of the streak images
at multiple heights.
This was an exciting experience for me, and the lightning group
was supportive and interested in my success.
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