Program


The Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC), the Ing. José Domingo Pérez School of Engineering, and the School of Natural Sciences and Technology at Universidad del Turabo, are pleased to invite you to the IX Puerto Rico Energy Center (PREC) Symposium to be held on February 15-16, 2018 in the Argentina Hills Amphitheater, located at the Universidad del Turabo main campus in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. This year the main topic of the symposium is Energy and Environment.

The program provides networking opportunities for professional, R&D, and educational experts with business leaders, investors, and exponents of leading technologies. The Symposium will feature keynote presentations, technical sessions and exhibitions related to the main topic of Energy and Environment. 

Click here to get directions inside of Universidad del Turabo Main Campus.


7:00-8:00 am

REGISTRATION

Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building,
Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, PR

Track 1 - Enviromental Analysis & Management

Room NES 161, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

8:00 - 8:15 am

Hexadecane Degradation Stimulates Bacterial Bioplastic Production

Christian D. del Valle

8:15 - 8:30 am

Distribution of sulfidogenic communities across
layers of a hypersaline microbial mat

Luis Serrano

8:30 - 8:45 am

Waste materials from land fields and wetlands as
energy source: Nitrogen profile of an urban wetland

Yariann Cardona

8:45 - 9:00 am

Bacterial Diversity Present in Pterocarpus Forest Natural Reserve
in Palmas del Mar, Humacao, Puerto Rico

Glorimar Rivera

Track 2 - Other

Room NES 162, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

8:00 - 8:15 am

Simulation of Adsorption of Ionic Liquids
on Porous Carbon Electrodes for Capacitors

Jordan A. Caraballo

8:15 - 8:30 am

Fabrication of CNC/glycerol thin films as substrate
for electronic applications

Milagros Rivera

8:30 - 8:45 am

The Properties of Room Temperature Ionic Liquids
and Water confined inside Microporus Carbon

Alice Alayon

8:45 - 9:00 am

Virtual Reality Treatment for Acrophobia

Keneth Young

Track 3 - Energy Systems + Clean Technologies

Room NES 163, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

8:00 - 8:15a m

Chemical reduction and Characterization of Pt Particles:
Inclusion in Urease- Nanodisc Assembly

Namir Huertas

8:15 - 8:30 am

ARX System Identification on Hot Air Bypass Valve Operating
Points of Gas Turbine/Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hybrid System

Harry Bonilla

8:30 - 8:45 am

Building Permanent Magnet Generator for
Wind Turbine in Public Lighting Application

Miguel Goenaga

8:45 - 9:00 am

Cost Evaluation to AC Energy

Yediel Calderón

Track 4 - Energy Systems + Renewable Energy

Room NES 164, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

8:00 -8:15 am

Rotating Disk Slurry Electrodeposition of Platinum on
oOnion like Inner Core Particles: A novel material for
catalyst layer for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

Abrahan Alvarado

8:15 - 8:30 am

System Identification on Hot Air Bypass Valve Operating Points
of Gas Turbine/Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hybrid System

Harry Bonilla

8:30 - 8:45 am

Wind Resource Assessment for Highway Luminaire Applications

Harry Bonilla

8:45 - 9:0 0am

Improving Energy Efficiency at UPR

Alejandro Hernández

9:00 - 9:20 am

WELCOME REMARKS

Keynote presentation:
Evaristo Bonano, Sandia National Laboratories

Biblioteca Museo Gobernador Pedro Roselló

Track 5 - Energy Systems + Renewable Energy

Room NES 161, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

9:30 - 9:45 am

Modification of TiO2 nanoparticles with iron ions
for effective photoactivation under visible light

Alba Lacen

9:45 - 10:00 am

Use of Vegetation for Energy Efficiency Improvement

Abel Concepción

10:00 - 10:15 am

Synthesis and Characterization of a Highly Biocompatible
Carbon Material: Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots

Paola Carrión

10:15 - 10:30 am

Detection and Characterization of Dopamine via
Electrochemical Methods using Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes

John González

10:30 - 10:45 am

Detection and Characterization of Dopamine via
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Joshua Reyes

Track 6 - Renewable Energy

Room NES 162, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

9:30 - 9:45 am

Preparation of Type II Heterostructures Consisting of V2O5
Nanowires and PbS Quantum Dots for Efficient Charge Separation

Kevin Rivera

9:45 -10:00 am

Multiple Spectrum Smart LED Lamp Using Renewable Energy

Michael Rivera

10:00 - 10:15 am

Solar and Load Data Needs for Accurate Distribution Grid Simulations

Matthew Lave

10:15 - 10:30 am

Development of Manganese Oxide Nanomaterials for the
Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Electrolyte

Timothy Lambert

10:30 - 10:45 am

Validation of Real-Time Power Hardware-in-the-Loop
Distribution Circuit Simulation with Renewable Energy Sources

Rachid Darbali

Track 7 - Resilient Power Electric and Logistics Systems

Room NES 163, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

9:30 -9:45 am

Reliable Capacitated Facility Location Problem with Service Levels

Héctor Carlo

9:45 - 10:00 am

Transportation Network Vulnerability Assessment for Emergency Response

Karina Rodriguez

10:00 - 10:15 am

Improving Electric Power Infrastructure Resilience to Extreme Weather Disruptions

Lymaris O'Ferral

10:15 - 10:30 am

Computational Models for Vulnerability Assessment
of Electric Power Infrastructure Systems

Alberto Cruz

10:30 - 10:45 am

Day ahead load forecast using multitask Gaussian Processes

Manel Martinez

Track 8 - Energy Systems

Room NES 164, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

9:30 - 9:45 am

Thermo-Comfort Cushion & Back Car Seat

Eduardo Castillo

9:45 - 10:00 am

Optimization of Energy Consumption and Surface Quality of the
Final Product ( Component) in Material Removal Type Manufacturing Processes

Jayanta Barnee

10:00 - 10:15 am

Hybrid Energy Harvesting using Lithium Niobate

Fabian Zayas

10:15 - 10:30 am

Oxy-Combustion: Clean and Efficient Use of Coal and Fossil Energ

Bryan Morales

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Keynote presentation:
Past, present & future of Energy Projects in Puerto Rico

Leslie Hufstetler, Sonnedix- Ruben Rivera, Pattern Energy

Biblioteca Museo Gobernador Pedro Roselló

12:00 - 1:00 pm

LUNCH

1:00 - 2:00 pm

Keynote presentation:

Dr. Carlos R. Cabrera, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus

Biblioteca Museo Gobernador Pedro Roselló

Track 9 - Renewable Energy

Room NES 161, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

2:10 - 2:25 pm

Micro Wind Turbine Control System

Luis Benitez

2:25 -2:40 pm

Parametrization of Hydrodynamics of Mangrove Root-Inspired Model
for Coastline Protection & Energy Harvesting

Julio Noel Lebrón

2:40 -2:55 pm

Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical studies of
zinc oxide materials for energy harvesting applications

Mitkel Santiago

2:55 - 3:10 pm

Biofuels From Microalgae: Development of a Rapid Method for
Screening High Lipid Containing Species

Harim Delgado

Track 10- Other

Room NES 162, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

2:10 - 2:25 pm

Effect of the Incorporation of sulfonated Graphene Oxide on the
Transport Properties of Sulfonated Poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene)

Eduardo Ruiz

2:25 - 2:40 pm

Xylene degradation by bacteria from different environments

Bianca Serrano

2:40 - 2:55 pm

Plastic Instability in Manufacturing Processes
from the Standpoint of Energy Economy

Jayanta Barnee

2:55 - 3:10 pm

Implementation of a Low-Cost, Portable, Solar-Powered Weather Station
for Wind Farm Site Selection: Electrical Testing and Structural Design

Luis Benitez

3:10 - 3:25 pm

Fault Diagnosis of Electronic Systems Via At-Speed Current Testing

Nicolas Cobo Yepes

Track 11- Systems + Clean Technologies

Room NES 163, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building Salón

Hour

Title

Presenter

2:10 -2 :25 pm

Automation of a High Precision Stage For X-Ray Grazing Incidence
Small-Angle Scattering (GI-SAXS) and Reflectivity (XR) Studies

Daniel Puentes

2:25 - 2:40 pm

Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulations of
Distribution Circuit Voltage Regulation using Extremum Seeking Control

Jay Johnson

2:40 - 2:55 pm

Characterization of Zn(1-x)Co(x)O Nanomaterials for Fuels Cells Applications

Dinorah Martinez

2:55 - 3:10 pm

Visions of a Transformation: Exploring the Perception,
Values and Attitudes of Energy Stakeholders in PuertoRico

Adriana Castillo

3:10 - 3:25 pm

Hybrid multimedia-filter prototype (HMP) for the degradation
of organic matter and pathogens control from raw waters.

Amir Saffar

Track 12 - Energy Systems

Room NES 164, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

2:10 - 2:25 pm

A Fuel Composition Characterization of the Fuel Cell by
bypassing Cathode Air Flow in a Hybrid Fuel Cell/Gas Turbine System

Bernardo Restrepo

2:25 - 2:40 pm

Copper Sensing in Alkaline Electrolyte Using Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

Joed Ortiz

2:40 - 2:55 pm

Numerical simulation of Li-Ion battery thermal management system using heat-pipes

Michael Rivera

2:55 - 3:10 pm

Parameter Sensitivity Analysis on Dynamic Models of the
Cathode Air Flow Bypass of Gas Turbine/Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Hybrid System

Bernardo Restrepo

Track 13- Enviromental Analysis & Management

Room NES 161, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

3:35 - 3:50 pm

Light pollution effects and PR Law 218-08

Rafael Caballero

3:50 - 4:05 pm

Bacterial Prospects For Decane-Degradation From The San Juan Bay Estuary System

Janmary Colón

4:05 - 4:20 pm

Physiological and immunological response of
coral Acropora cervicornis to algae overgrowth

Giannina Aponte

4:20 - 4:35 pm

Evaluation if Artificial Corals as an Alternative to Promote the
Recruitment ofCoral Reef Fish at Tamarindo Bay, Culebra Puerto Rico

Birla Pérez

4:35 - 4:50 pm

Bacterial Bioprospecting for Bioenergy Applications: Xylose Fermentation

Jonathan López

Track 14- Other

Room NES 162, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

3:35 - 3:50 pm

Aqueous Synthesis of (Ag, Cu, Au) Nanoparticle Embedded
Cationic Polymer Nanomaterial and Their Antibacterial Activity

Dalia Huguet

3:50 - 4:05 pm

Impact of mechanical and mineralogical heterogeneity on
mechanical properties of Mancos shale

Hongkyu Yoon

4:05 - 4:20 pm

Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Virtual Reality Treatment

Kenneth Lebrón

4:20 - 4:35 pm

Study of Area Reduction on Stenotic Arteries using Particle Image Velocimetry

Luis Serrano

4:35 - 4:50 pm

Study of the Chemical Composition, Cytotoxic and
Antitumor Activities of Croton discolor

Belmari Méndez

Track 15- Energy Systems + Renewable Energy

Room NES 163, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

3:35 - 3:50 pm

Modelling the Response of a Petroleum Reservoir Stimulated at an
Exciting Well by Sinusoidal Changes in Input Pressure

Roberto Callarotti

3:50 - 4:05 pm

Biocrude production from the macroalga Ulva fasciata:
an optimization of the reaction conditions

Arnulfo Rojas

4:05 - 4:20 pm

Sandia’s Offshore Floating Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Project Summary

Brandon Ennis

4:20- 4:35 pm

Synthesis, characterization and efficiency determination of
Cds-based photocatalysts for the hydrogen production by water splitting

Abraham García

4:35 - 4:50 pm

Land Use Land Cover change in Haiti for the year 2000 to 2015
using Google Earth Engine and Landsat time-series images

Ose Pauleus

Track 16- Clean Technologies + Renewable Energy

Room NES 164, Nuevo Edificio de Salones Building

Hour

Title

Presenter

3:35 -3:50 pm

Design of a Hydrofoil System for Solar Power Boat

Jonathan Martinez

3:50 - 4:05 pm

Isolation of putative-lignin deconstructing bacteria

Alexis Healion

4:05 - 4:20 pm

Cost and Performance Analysis of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)

Elena Kalinina

4:20 - 4:35 pm

Pendulum-based energy generator from walking

Edwar Romero

4:35 - 4:50 pm

VetKnow

Michael Martinez