Undergrad Students Explore Nanotechnology Research

Five students from different colleges throughout the U.S. are on the University of Washington campus this summer getting their first introduction to nanotech and molecular engineering research.

As participants in the 2014 National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network Research Experience for Undergraduates (NNIN REU) Program, each member of the group is working on a specific research project and will present his or her findings at a national convocation in August in Atlanta. In total, 60 students are participating at top research universities across the nation through NNIN REU, now in its eighteenth year.

For ten weeks, the students will work alongside experienced MolES faculty and graduate student mentors in UW labs on biotechnology and clean technology-related projects. Below is an introduction to each of the students and their research projects.

 

Jacob Busche
Undergraduate College: Oregon State
Principal Investigator: David Masiello
UW Graduate Student Mentor: Nicholas Bigelow
Project Title: Optical-frequency magnetism in plasmonic metamaterials: Theory and simulation

 

 

Eve Byington
Undergraduate College: Cornell University
Principal Investigator: Deok-Ho Kim
UW Graduate Student Mentor: Peter Kim
Project Title: Nano/Microfabricated Polymeric Biomaterials for Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering

 

 

John Ren
Undergraduate College: Oregon State
Principal Investigator: Christine Luscombe
UW Graduate Student Mentor: Jason Lee
Project Title: Engineering molecules for photovoltaic applications

 

 

Nicholas Stone-Weiss
Undergraduate College: Juniata College
Principal Investigator: Xiaodong Xu
UW Graduate Student Mentor: Gen Clark
Project Title: Growth of Two-Dimensional Semiconductors and Heterostructures

 

 

Emily Thompson
Undergraduate College: Arizona State University
Principal Investigator: Daniel Ratner
UW Graduate Student Mentors: Shon Schmidt and Pak Khumwan
Project Title: Silicon Nanophotonics for Clinical Diagnostics