STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS

INSPIRE Conference in Istanbul

ACS Poster Presentation

Research Design Challenge

Research in Germany

Black Women in the Academy

Working Overseas in Japan

 

Mary Caruso

I consider myself very blessed to have had amazing research opportunities during the summers of my undergraduate education. After doing research through the 2005 CPIMA SURE program at the University of California at Berkeley, I traveled to attend a two-day regional undergraduate research conference held on the Hattiesburg campus of The University of Southern Mississippi. The conference, entitled the 3rd Annual INSPIRE Conference: Spotlight on Excellence in Undergraduate Research, “provides opportunities for the best and the brightest undergraduate students in polymer science, materials science, and biomaterials science to present their research and share their learning experiences with other students and faculty.”  I was given the opportunity to “meet leaders in scientific research and catch a glimpse of where their current career choices could lead.” The INSPIRE (Interstate Network of Science Programs Integrating Research and Education) conference was funded by the National Science Foundation, the University of Southern Mississippi, and some regional industrial partners (http://www.pslc.ws/inspire/).

I won the top prize in the poster division: a $200 cash award plus travel expenses to attend and present at the 1st-ever 10-day INSPIRE International Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey in June 2006. The title of my research poster was “Design and Synthesis of Reagents for the Construction of Protein-Based Bioimaging Agents,” based on the work I did with Dr. Matthew Francis and Graduate Student Jacob Hooker at the University of California at Berkeley.

In the summer of 2006, I traveled with Southern Miss faculty to attend the inaugural International Undergraduate Research Conference sponsored by an NSF International grant awarded to Dr. Lon Mathias of the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials (NSF OISE #0218222). Lon Mathias and Douglas Wicks of Southern Miss joined Robert Badger ( Stevens Point) and Larry Scheich (St Norberts College) in leading 8 American undergraduate students to Istanbul, Turkey for the first International INSPIRE Conference. We joined Turkish undergraduate students from Koc University and Bogazici University for 5 days of research presentations, combined with cross cultural experiences and a career development workshop.

The opportunity to talk with the Turkish students about their research and how life is different in Turkey as compared to the US was invaluable. This helped with networking and was emphasized in talks of future collaborations between international borders. Furthermore, the Professional Development workshop by Dr. Wicks challenged us to think of our futures now. He asked us to develop an “elevator speech,” a 30-second speech on who we are and what kind of science we do in laymen’s terms. It is very important for us as scientists to be able to explain our work in a non-technical manner to bosses.

Bethany Lyles

The American Chemical Society Meeting is a central event for the worldwide chemical community. There are countless opportunities made available to chemists at the meeting, including job fairs, sundry social events and of course, an extensive technical program. A myriad of seminars are given in all sub-disciplines of chemistry, including such minor areas as chemical law and small chemical businesses. The meeting provides an occasion to meet prominent chemists in one's field of interest and to learn more about all facets of the chemical world.

While at the 223rd National ACS Meeting, I attended a number of talks given by prominent chemists functioning in the fields of physical and polymer chemistry, as well as material science. Above and beyond, the best symposium I attended was that honoring Krzysztof Matyjaszewki for his achievements in polymer chemistry. He is responsible for the atom transfer radical polymerization method of polymeric synthesis. His lecture was of particular interest to me, as the polymers I studied with CPIMA using small angle X-ray scattering (under Alice Gast and John Pople) were prepared using this method. Those chemists introducing Matyjaszewski included, among others, Craig Hawker and Jean Frechet, two pivotal scholars in polymer science. I was honored to attend lectures given by these innovative and creative minds.

The presentation of my poster entitled "SAXS Solution Study of Self-assembling Polyelectrolytic Diblock Copolymers," was an exciting and stimulating experience. I presented this poster in the Chemical Education Division for undergraduates in the Polymer Chemistry Section. Displaying the poster promoted me to revisit the work I conducted while at CPIMA. The questions and comments from interested on-lookers instilled within me a desire to at some point return my academic and intellectual concentrations to X-ray scattering studies. The research conducted at CPIMA thoroughly prepared me for any inquiries I encountered. The personal attention I received from John Pople at CPIMA was invaluable when interpreting and discussing my research results.

As I am planning to attend law school in the fall, I attended a social hour for chemistry and the law. This event provided me with a casual setting with which to pacify my curiosities about many details of law school and the career of patent law, in particular. I was really nervous about my decision to pursue law, given by extensive background in polymeric chemical research. However, after attending the reception and talking with several practicing patent lawyers, my anxieties subsided and an excitement arose within me. The ACS Meeting provided a unique opportunity to learn about the career of patent law from those most informed about it, patent lawyers.

I appreciate the opportunity to attend the 223rd National ACS Meeting in Orlando, FL and to present the work I performed while at CPIMA. This was made possible by travel grants by CPIMA as well as by my principal investigator at CPIMA, Dr. Alice Gast. Working at the Stanford Synchrotron was the highlight of my undergraduate research career. Thank you, CPIMA!

Elisabeth Mansfield

During my CPIMA internship at IBM Almaden, I was offered the chance to participate in the Research Design Challenge hosted by IBM. The challenge was open to summer students who were interested at Almaden and also Watson Research Center in New York. From the Almaden site, there was to be a team of six students that would participate. The goal of the group was to create a product that would be handed out during National Engineering Week to students in 7th through 12th grade. This product was supposed to interest the students in math, science, engineering, and/or technical careers. After a short interview process, I was selected to be one of the six members from Almaden to participate. The team needed to design a product, create a presentation, and present the product in a competition against other summer students at Watson laboratory facility in New York.

The weeks before travelling to New York were busy but fun. The group met daily to brainstorm and build different products. We came from a variety of locations and backgrounds so the ideas were varied. We finally decided on an optical image maker that would use concave mirrors and optical properties to project an image to a hole in the top of the mirrors. This image was a hologram of the object we used. The hard part was the presentation. We decided to do something a little unconventional and present our product in a way that was more of a skit than a business presentation. Our final presentation was something that truly showed the spirit of the group.

My experience as a group member was valuable. I was getting to take part in creating interest in the science field, which I truly valued. Who better to introduce the younger generation to science than someone who realized once again through her internship how cool science really is. I don't doubt that my summer would have been fulfilling without the chance to participate in the Research Design Challenge, but the opportunity to take something from my internship and apply it towards other students was rewarding. I am grateful for the experience.

Arrelaine Dameron

I spent my summer doing research as I have before, but this year I was in Germany. I worked at the Max-Plank Institute for Polymer Science in Mainz, a university town just west of Frankfurt. I was working on a project trying to measure impedance across a polymer supported lipid bilayer. This involved first fabricating such a lipid bilayer and then going through the steps for the impedance measurements. Remarkably the project also managed to use facts that I have learned in a range of subjects from chemistry to biology to electrical engineering (some of which I had forgotten and others that I swore I would never use). I also gained valuable information about computer modeling. For the most part I worked with a wonderfully patient PhD student but also collaborated quite a bit with other members of the Knoll group. This was a great opportunity to not only see but also experience what it is like to be a graduate student. As much laboratory experience as I gained it still pales in comparison to the cultural experience of living in a foreign country. Spending three months in Germany was awesome and gave me an opportunity to explore a country I would not otherwise be likely to see in the same way.

Ticora Jones

The Black Women in the Academy Conference was a very informative and uplifting experience. Though attendance to the conference was not what I thought it would/should have been, I made a lot of great contacts with Black Women who have traveled a similar pathway to mine and who have attained goals that I also seek. I was pleased to also serve on two panels. One, entitled "Negotiating the Science and Engineering Environment as a Black Woman", was geared towards the undergraduates and graduate students attending the conference. The panel of MIT graduate students and undergraduates address issues of successfully navigating life as a science and engineering student We shared our own personal experiences and offered suggestions on things from how to ask for help, to how to balance your life so that school is not such an overbearing thing that consumes your being. The second panel I participated on was entitled "The Future of Black Women in the Academy: A Call to Action". On this panel I was the only undergraduate represented and my role was to speak about the concept of mentorship and how it has affected my life. The other panelists discussed issues of networking, structural support, and visibility within the academy. Especially interesting to me was the concept of "feeding the pipeline" of Black Women into the academic realm and keeping them there through strong support systems. In addition to the panels I participated on, I attended other sessions including the plenary session where Dr. Shirley Jackson spoke. I was truly inspired by her vision and her story. As the first Black Woman to graduate from MIT with a Ph.D. Mrs. Jackson's portrait graces the halls of MIT that I walk down each day. It was a pleasure to meet her and hear her speak on the topic of "Sources of Inspiration: Scholars, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters". She addressed how we as a community of Black Women should inspire one another by example as Scholars, through mentoring and nurturing as Mothers, networking as Sisters, and anticipating the future in our Daughters. She also spoke about her path to the Chairperson of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and now as President of RPI. Her words were truly inspirational and one of the more memorable moments of the conference for me. I have gained from the experience a new sense of direction. The conversations I had and the people I interacted with while at the conference have illuminated some of the possibilities for my future. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to attend the conference, it was a truly inspirational event. Ticora Jones, 1999 CPIM SURE student, attended Black Women in the Academy Conference on June 24 - 27 1999. Ms. Jones is currently a senior majoring in Materials Science & Engineering at MIT.

Sean L. Chen

During this past summer, I was quite fortunate to be able to participate in CPIMA's SURE program conducting research in Japan. Through CPIMA, I conducted research as an undergraduate student at Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation at Yokohama, Japan. My research topic regarded fundamental studies of powder fluidized bed. Scale down modeling of powder fluidized bed was performed to gain basic knowledge while different variable parameters were altered to see the effects. Individual fluidized beds were coupled to simulate behaviors of a real fluidized bed reactor. Determining characteristic relations among variables such as coupling length and coupling method with their effects to the fluidized bed was one of the purposes of this project. Various experimental methods and techniques were established along with research. Computer simulation using Discrete Element Modeling method was also carried to provide more information. Not only I gained knowledge in the field of powder fluidized bed, I also acquired experience conducting research at a foreign industrial institute. This opportunity provided me a chance to work closely with industrial researchers while adapting the work environment of a foreign country. I believe this experience was one of the most rewarding in aspects of both science and culture. Perhaps this program will be continued on and more students can be able to participate in such a wonderful experience. Sean Chen was a 1999 CPIMA SURE student at MCC in Yokohama Japan. Sean is currently a senior at UCDavis majoring in Mechanical Material Science and Engineering.