Bachelors Student

Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, University Politehnica of Bucharest

Email: lupusorina@yahoo.com; elena.sorina.lupu@cern.ch

“When everything seems to be going against you, 

remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it”

Short biography

I am currently a senior student majoring in Microelectronics, Nanotechnology and Optoelectronics. My passions include space technology, robotics, travelling and public-speaking. Recently, I was awarded the “Hans von Muldau Prize for the Best Team Project” at the International Astronautical Congress(IAC) in Beijing, China and the “Best Student Award” at the League of Romanian Students Studying Abroad (LSRS) Gala. (LSRS 2014). My presentation at the IAC can be seen here: Investigation of the surface deformation and dendritic solidification of titanium alloy melted in miligravity Talk. The awarding ceremony can be viewed here. I also received the General Electric Scholar-Leader Award.
This summer, I had an internship at CERN, in Geneva where I studied the Impact of Temperature on Jitter and Phase for Timing, Trigger and Control Systems for High Energy Physics.

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Education and Professional Experience Space Technology and Robotics Fairs and National Project Olympiads and University Projects Last update: 25.10.2014

Public Speaking and Journalism Camps and Summer Schools List of publications Painting Awards Hobbies

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Education and Professional Experience

Education

 

• 2011 to present: Student at “Polytechnic University of Bucharest”, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and IT (freshman grade: 9.94; sophomore grade: 9.82; junior grade: 9.69).
• 2007 – 2011: “Tudor Vianu” National High School of Computer Science, Bucharest – with the overall grade of 9.91
• 1999 – 2007: „Dimitrie Sturdza” Secondary School – with the overall grade of 9.99

Professional Experience

06/2014 to 09/2014 – CERN SUMMER SCHOOL

• Topic: Design and build a Test Bench for investigating the behaviour of jitter on ASIC-based and FPGA- based boards.
• Programs and languages used: LabVIEW, Python, TCL, VHDL, ChipScope(Xilinx)
• Presentations:
  • Temperature Impact on Timing, Trigger and Control Systems for High Energy Physics (15′) during Summer Student Session
  • Impact of Temperature on jitter and phase in TTC System Elements (50′) during Fellows and Students Seminar

2013 – AUSTRIAN SPACE FORUM (volunteering)

• Task: helping the organisation of World Space Week

2013 to present – VOFAIR and co-founder of TRAVOL (volunteering)

• Tasks: working on the INTRANET of VOFAIR and developing the TRAVOL which is a mobile application that links travellers and volunteers(TRAVOL Presentation)

07/2012 to 08/2012 – ORANGE ROMANIA

• Task: testing Oracle Applications using an Oracle Application Testing Suite

2010 to 2013 – AEPADO (European Association for Defence of Human Rights)

• Task: magazine editor

Space Technology and Robotics

Projects

2012 – 2014

REXUS/BEXUS Programme

• Description: The REXUS/BEXUS programme is realised under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB). The Swedish share of the payload has been made available to students from other European countries through a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). The REXUS/BEXUS programme allows students from universities and higher education colleges across Europe to carry out scientific and technological experiments on research rockets and balloons. Our team, entitled LOW GRAVITY , proposed an experiment of studying the melting and welding process of several titanium alloys covered with nanotubes using a LASER diode of 25W.
• My tasks as a team leader:
  • Proposal development for Selection Workshop
  • Decision-making in the design of the experiment
  • LASER and other components selection
  • Preparation of the metal samples and anodization to obtain TiO2 nanotubes
  • Thermal tests in Solidworks and Ansys
  • Vibrations tests using an industrial shaker
  • Mechanics and electronics involvement if needed
  • Documentation and presentations writing
  • Post-flight analysis
• Website: Low Gravity
• Number of team members: Beginning: 5 (Sorina Lupu, Ioana Ciuca, Laura Manoliu, Claudiu Cherciu, Camil Muresan), Recruited: 5 (Claudia Chitu, Dan Dragomir, Costel Nachila, Ion Ciobanu, Cristian Soare)
• Duration: from 1st of November 2012 to 1st of November 2014 with the phases: Selection Workshop, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, Integration Progress Review, Experiment Acceptance Review, Integration Week, Bench Test, Final Launch.
• Watch the Launch

2010

NASA Butterflies on Space Research Project

• Description: Our team was in charge of growing Vanessa Cardui butterflies and compare their emerge from cocoons and life-cycle with the ones sent to the International Space Station.
• My tasks included:
  • Finding the provider with larvae of Vanessa Cardui
  • Developing a research poster about the comparsion between Vanessa Cardui on Earth and in Space
• Number of team members: 4
• Duration: Several months
• Award: Honourable Mention
• Website with our research can be seen here

NASA Starcount Quest

• Description: Our team was in charge with studying the magnitude of stars in our city, to determine the level of light pollution.
• My tasks included:
  • Writing a research document
  • Presenting the project to different delegates coming to our high-school
• Website with our research can be seen here

NASA High Resolution Imaging Science Quest

• Description: Our team was in charge of studying different Mars images and explain why they should be thoroughly studied for water presence.
• My task included: Writing a research document
• Website with our research can be seen here

NASA Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica Quest

• Description: The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica (LIMA) is the first-ever true-color high-resolution satellite view of the Antarctic continent enabling everyone to see Antarctica as it appears in real life. Our team was in charge of writing a proposal which emphasizes the importance of several features presented in the images.
• My tasks included:
  • Writing a research document
  • Presenting the project to different European delegates coming to our high-school
• Website with our research can be seen here

Competitions – Space Technology

2012 – 2014

NASA Lunabotics Mining Competition

• Description: NASA Lunabotics Mining Competition organized at Kennedy Space Center is for university-level students to design and build a mining robot that can traverse the simulated Lunar terrain, excavate regolith and deposit the regolith into a Collector Bin within 10 minutes. Currently, this competition was replaced with “NASA’s Annual NASA Robotic Mining Competition” which involved simulated Martian terrain. Our robot can be seen here
• As I was a freshman student, I had the opportunity to learn from older students. My tasks included:
  • Helping with electronics and mechanics when needed
  • Writing the Paper Engineering that was juried separately from the robot
  • Presenting the project in front of a NASA jury
• Number of Team Members: 7

2008 – 2011

NASA Green Aviation Competition

• Description: The challenge was to submit ideas and designs for aircraft or engine concepts and technologies that would assist in meeting the project’s goals for more environmentally friendly aviation by the year 2020. Those goals include better fuel economy, fewer emissions, less noise and better performing airplanes.
• My tasks included:
  • Finding ideas and develop the research paper
  • Designing the movie in 3dsmax
• Number of team members: 2
• Award: Second Prize
• Movie in 3dsmax of the plane here
• Article from NASA here<

NASA “Humans in Space” Youth Art Competition

• Description: The competition was in charge of inspiring teenagers to develop their art skills with space themes. I and my colleague were in charge of building a software in Macromedia Flash as a game to inspire children to learn about planets.
• Number of team members: 2
• Award: First Prize

Cassini – Scientist for a day Competition

• Description: Cassini Scientist for a Day is an essay contest designed to give students a taste of life as a scientist. Students compare and research three possible targets that the Cassini spacecraft can image during a given time set aside for education. They are to choose the one observation they think will yield the best science results and explain their reasons in an essay.
• Number of team members: 4
• Award: Third Prize

NASA GREAT MOONBUGGY RACE, Huntsville, Alabama

• Description: The Annual Great Moonbuggy Race is held in April in Huntsville, Alabama, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Students are required to design a vehicle that addresses a series of engineering problems that are similar to problems faced by the original Moonbuggy team.
• My tasks included:
  • Designing the moonbuggy car
  • Writing the Design Paper that was juried separately from the robot
  • Developing the stickers and brochures
• Number of Team Members: 6
• Awards: Best Design and Team Spirit
• Website with our research can be seen here

Robochallenge National Competition

• Description: During this competition, the robots try to push the competitor off the ring, as in the traditional Japanese martial arts. For this contest, I build a microsumo robot using Arduino Nano and I won First Prize

Freescale Cup

• Description: Together with 3 team mates, we build an autonomous car that is able to follow a line with high speed. At the National Phase, we were awarded First Prize and were able to compete at the International level at Fraunhofer Institute, Erlangen. My tasks included mechanics design in SolidWorks and soldering prototype boards.

Fairs and National Project

2008 – 2011

• Participation in a project organized by CERN with the soft “You too can search for the Higgs Boson” build in Macromedia Flash
• National Inventika and Creation Fair, Romexpo with the Moonbuggy prototype

Award: Second Prize

• Distinction from the Minister of Education and Chamber of Deputies for the awards received in the NASA Great Moonbuggy Race
• Biology Workshop – with the project Global Warming – friend or enemy

Award: First Prize

• National Competition of Virtual Learning with the project „Electrostatics”
• Soft Competition „Discover and Explore – Teach and Learn – Build and Share

Award: Second Prize

• Organizer of the International Year of Astronomy and World Space Week in my high school during 2008 and 2009

Olympiads and University Projects

2012 – 2013

• CERN Summer Student Sessions
  Topic: “Temperature Impact on Timing, Trigger and Control Systems for High Energy Physics”
• CERN PH-ESE-BE Students/Fellow Seminars
  Topic: “Impact of Temperature on jitter and phase in TTC System Elements”
• Communication Session of the Mechanics Department of Polytechnic University of Bucharest with the presentation “LOW Gravity Project – investigation of physical deformation on titanium alloy after being melted and welded in miligravity”

Award: Grand Prize

• Communication Session of the Physics Department of Polytechnic University of Bucharest with the presentation “LIDAR Systems in Romania”

Award: Second Prize

• Communication Session of the Graphics in Engineering Department of Polytechnic University of Bucharest with the presentation “Educational Soft for learning Curves and Surfaces”

Award: Honourable Mention

• Ion Agarbiceanu Contest – physics competition organized by Polytechnic University of Bucharest

5th place

• 2005 – 2011 – Awards and participations in Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science Olympiads (city levels)
• 2004 Participation in the National Olympiad of Computer Science, Buzau

Public Speaking and Journalism

2010 – 2014

• TEDx Reghin Speech – Theme: How to love space?
• CERN Summer Student Sessions – Topic: “Temperature Impact on Timing, Trigger and Control Systems for High Energy Physics”
• CERN PH-ESE-BE Students/Fellow Seminars – Topic: “Impact of Temperature on jitter and phase in TTC System Elements”
• Debate Romania National Competition organized by Dan Voiculescu Foundation

Award: Best Speaker

• International School of Bucharest Model United Nations

Award: Honourable Mention

• Participation in Slovenia International Model United Nations and in the European Youth Parliament – Regional Selection
• Organizer of the International Competition „Be aware! Not addicted!”
• Organizer of the charity project „Christmas in a child soul!”
• Participation in the National Phase of the contest organized by JA Romania „ Student Company”
• Organizer of the “Dialogue across boundaries” – a project which celebrated the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue

Camps and Summer Schools

• 2013 – Alpbach Summer School, Alpbach, Austria (organized by the European Space Agency)
• 2013 – Leadership Development Programme, Budapest, Hungary
• 2012 – Training Course “Combating Discrimination against Roma people and Migrants”, Strasbourg, France
• 2012 – Robochallenge Summer School, Bucharest, Romania (learn how to design, built and program robots)
• 2011 – International Youth Meetings Cabuenes, Gijon, Spain (presentations regarding sustainability and environment)
• 2010 – ISSC (International Science Summer Camp), Vilnius, Lithuania (factory visits, science lectures)
• 2009 – Summer School – Cambridge University – English Courses (A grade – advanced)
• 2008 – Summer School PHY (physics and computer science lectures)
  Award: Honourable Mention
• 2008 – Journalism Summer School, Costinesti, Romania

List of Publications

1. Birgit Ritter, Arjan J. H. Meskers, Oscar Miles, Michael Rußwurm, Stephen Scully, Andrés Roldán, Oliver Hartkorn, Peter Jüstel, Victor Réville, Sorina Lupu, Alexis Ruffenach A Space Weather Information Service Based Upon Remote and In-Situ Measurements of Coronal Mass Ejections Heading for Earth http://arxiv.org/abs/1502.01846
2. Sebastian Hettrich, Aline Dinkelaker, Ali Alizadeh, Elena Sorina Lupu, Isabella Pfeil, Leila Ghasemzadeh, Efstratia Salteri, Carmen Victoria Felix, Tilo Kauerhoff, Jane LInda MacArthur, Geraldine Marien, Andreas Rieser, Nina Sejkora, “Planning strategies for Mars (analog) missions: real-time, 3-days-in-advance and 1-day-in-advance planning;” SpaceOps Conference, California(2014)
3. Elena Sorina Lupu, Claudiu Cherciu, Ioana Ciuca, Laura Manoliu, Marius Dan Dragomir, Costel Nachila, Claudia Chitu, Ion Ciobanu, Camil Muresan, Cristian Soare “Investigation of the surface deformation and dendritic solidification of titanium alloy melted in miligravity” International Astronautical Congress, Beijing, China (2013)
4. Aline Dinkelaker, Sebastian Hettrich, Elena Sorina Lupu, Leila Ghasemzadeh, Agnieszka Sekula, Ali Alizadeh, Norbert Frischauf, Izabela Gołębiowska, Gernot Groemer, Natalie Jones, Tilo Kauerhoff, Anna Losiak, Jane MacArthur, Linda Moser, Isabella Pfeil, Christoph Ragonig, Barbara Ramirez,Quentin Scornet, Nina Sejkora, Alexander Soucek “THE MISSION AND ACTIVITY PLANNING STRATEGY FOR THE MARS2013 MISSION” International Astronautical Congress, Beijing, China (2013)
5. Ioana Stoica, Lupu Elena Sorina “You Too Can Search For The Higgs Boson!” Conference of Virtual Learning – Virtual Reality (ISSN 1844 – 8933 page 522) (2011) http://www.scribd.com/doc/69421046/Proceedings-of-ICVL-2011-ISSN-1844-8933-ISI-Proceedings
6. Lupu Elena Sorina, Radoi Horia, Ioana Stoica “Electrostatics” Conference of Virtual Learning – Virtual Reality (page 175) (2008) http://www.cniv.ro/2008/disc/cniv/documente/html/lista_alfabetica_autori_lucrari_cniv.html
7. Lupu Elena Sorina “GIS – Geographic Information Systems” Youth Folder Magazine ISSN 1843-9853 (2008)
8. Lupu Elena Sorina “SUDOKU – Software and Strategy” Youth Folder Magazine ISSN 1843-9853 (2008)
9. Lupu Elena Sorina “Teleportation” Youth Folder Magazine ISSN 1843-9853 (2008)

Painting Awards

• 2009 – Honourable Mention – National Competition „Icons on glass”
• 2006 – Best Debut Award – National Competition “Icons on glass”

Hobbies

Photoshooting

Travelling the world

Europe: Germany, Spanin, France, United Kingdom, Sweden, The Netherlands, Hungary, Serbia, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Greece, Bulgaria;

North America: United States: Arizona, Alabama, Florida, Georgia;

Asia: People’s Republic of China, Turkey;