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Below is the proposal written which was accepted by the University of Texas at Dallas for a research grant. I was selected as one of 69 students for this!
As we continue to aggressively expand our knowledge of the universe, the ability to venture further from Earth relies heavily on research and development. Many systems we send up to space rely on being able to operate on power sources and properly distribute heat loads away from vital components in reduced and zero gravity environments. While I cannot currently send an experiment into the outer depths of space, we can get anywhere from 15-22 miles up via weather balloons.
My proposal is to study the ability to use Ferro fluid in aerospace applications for heat transfer and possible energy production. Ferro fluid is a liquid that has a strong magnetic reaction when in the presence of magnetic fields. The properties of Ferro fluids are important to understand, so as to know just what the material can do for the engineering of better products. In reduced or zero gravity, natural convection based on gravity does not work. We might be able to address this issue by using magnets to affect the energy landscape of a Ferro fluid by applying a magnetic field, thus we might be able to produce a pseudo-convection pattern in microgravity conditions.