Summer 2019 Soft Matter REU at CSU

Summer 2019 Soft Matter REU at Cleveland State University

The third year of Cleveland State University’s REU, “Synthesis, Assembly and Characterization of Soft Matter,” ran from June 3^rd through August 9^th, 2019, and hosted a truly interdisciplinary cohort of nine students from around the country, featuring two physics majors, three chemical engineering majors, two double majors in physics and math, one double major in biological systems engineering and physics, and 1 double major in physics and material sciences. The students developed strong research and presentation skills through the work on their individual research projects as well as attending colloquia with leading soft matter researchers and visits to nationally recognized research centers. In addition, Cleveland State University was proud to host the 16^th Annual Northeast Ohio Research Symposium on August 2^nd, 2019, where REU students from Cleveland State as well as REU students from Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Akron, and NASA Glenn Research Center were able to present their findings from their summer research.  To see the program schedule of the summer 2019 REU, please click here.

Research Projects:

Below is the list of 2019 REU projects and faculty advisors. For more details, please see the 2019 project descriptions here.

• Structural Control and Macroscopic Assembly of Boron Nitride Nanotubes, Dr. Geyou Ao, Chemical & Biomedical Engineering
• Self-Assembly of Organic Molecules, Dr. Jessica Bickel, Physics
• Drug Delivery Nanoparticles, Dr. Nolan B. Holland, Chemical & Biomedical Engineering
• Enhancing Electron Imaging Capabilities of Soft Matter Systems, Dr. Petru S. Fodor and Dr. Kiril A Streletzky, Physics
• Microfluidic Channels and Mixers, Dr. Chandra Kothapalli and Dr.  Petru S. Fodor, Chemical & Biomedical Engineering
• Flowing Past Cilium, Dr. Andrew Resnick, Physics
• Studying Volume Phase Transitions of Polymeric Microgels, Dr. Kiril A. Streletzky, Physics
• Total Internal Reflection Microscopy (TIRM) of Anisotropic Particles, Dr. Chris Wirth, Chemical & Biomedical Engineering

2019 Cleveland State REU Colloquia Series:

Cleveland State University was pleased to host several interdisciplinary soft matter researchers as guest speakers throughout summer of 2019. After the presentations, the speakers stayed with the REU students for a lunch where the students we encouraged to have conversations with the researchers about their experiences in STEM and graduate school, their own research project questions, the career path of a scientist, and much more. The following three colloquia took place during the 2019 Cleveland State REU:

“Can That Really Be So? A Light-Hearted Look at the Concepts of Force and Entropy,” by Dr. Philip Taylor, who obtained his PhD from Cambridge University and now studies theoretical condensed matter physics. His current research focus is on the problem of phase transitions in polymers, which he conducts at Case Western Reserve University.

“DNA Cannons or Complex Gene Machines? A Physicist’s Journey Toward Understanding Viruses,” by Dr. Krista Freeman, who has her undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University as well as a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. Her talk focused on biophysics and virology, as well as a detailed description of her own path through physics and STEM.

“Fabricating Shape-Morphing Polymers through Compounding and Processing,” by Dr. Kevin Cavicchi, who has a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota and is now the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor at the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at the University of Akron, a leader in the fields of polymer research and engineering. His talk focused on shape-changing polymers and how they can be constructed using polymers common in everyday use.

REU Lab Tours

During the 2019 Cleveland State Soft Matter REU, students were invited on special tours of two prestigious research laboratories in northeast Ohio. Students had the opportunity to tour the labs at the Kent State University Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute (AMLCI) and the NASA Glenn Research Center. Led by Kent State physics professor Dr. Robin Selinger, students toured the AMLCI labs and spoke with the faculty and graduate students about the projects and programs offered there. They were introduced to a variety of different interdisciplinary approaches to the study of liquid crystals as well as the many applications of soft matter research in the field of liquid crystal research. At NASA Glenn, students were led by Cleveland State instructor and NASA Glenn researcher Dr. Jeffrey Mackey. He took the students on a tour of several fascinating labs including the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) (which had a mission to the International Space Station packed and almost ready for spaceflight), the Martian Dust Mitigation Lab (which focused on the effects of dust on future Mars missions), the NIR Spectroscopy lab (which used spectroscopy to work to make mirrors with sub-nanometer precision, hopefully to be used in laser communication in space), the NASA Glenn machine shop, and more. Students were encouraged to talk with the researchers about their projects, their experience in research, and careers in STEM.

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Life Outside the Lab:

Over the summer, students were able to find some free time away from the lab to explore some of what northeast Ohio has to offer. The summer kicked off with Parade the Circle in University Circle. This parade features cultures and art from around the world and was a great way for the students to see the multicultural environment of Cleveland. From there, students got to dive deeper into the culture of northeast Ohio with group outings to events such as the Night Market, a monthly Asian food and art festival near downtown, trips to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Museum of Art, complete with a good bite to eat in our famed Little Italy neighborhood afterwards, and a trip to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, presented by the Cleveland Orchestra, at Blossom Music Center. During these and many other experiences, Cleveland State REU students had a blast exploring Cleveland! 

Student Presentations in the Summer

Throughout the summer, REU students had two chances to give formal presentations of their work to an audience of their peers and the REU faculty advisors. The first presentation was a short introductory presentation to give students a chance to gain a basic understanding of their goals and map out a plan on how to achieve them. This was done in the third week of the REU. The final presentation was given in the ninth week of the REU and was a ten-minute summary of all the students had achieved over the summer. This included the goals they had accomplished, the results of their research, and the next steps that should be taken in their research. These presentations gave the students a chance to get comfortable presenting and talking about their research to a scientific audience and were a vital part of their experience during the Cleveland State REU.

The 16^th Annual Northeast Ohio Research Symposium, Hosted by Cleveland State University:

The summer ended with the 16^th Annual Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Research Symposium (NOURS), hosted by Cleveland State University on August 2, 2019, where the Soft Matter REU students represented Cleveland State University among peers in REU programs from four other northeastern Ohio programs: Akron University, Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University, and NASA Glenn Research Center. All nine REU students, as well as four CSU students, presented posters summarizing the results of their summer projects, while two REU students gave an additional 20-minute oral presentation to the symposium audience. This event allowed students to compile all of their work from the course of the summer and provided both the opportunity of a formal research presentations to an audience of over seventy-five researchers as well as excellent networking with students from around the country and faculty from northeast Ohio. For more highlights and a detailed recap of the 16^th Annual NOURS, please click here .

Student Research Experiences and Takeaways:

Students participating in the REU at CSU found that their experiences here were vital for their well-balanced education. They made great strides in learning how to think and work like a scientist, in understanding what it means to do scientific research as a career, and developing general problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Following are some quotes from REU students about the most important things they learned during the 2019 program:

• “I found that I was comfortable doing experimental research, which I had never done before. I now know that graduate school will be a good fit for me as a result of my enjoyment of doing research."
• “[The CSU REU] gave me a better understanding of the time commitments that an actual research career would look like and showed me the importance of reaching out to peers and advisers more often when trouble arises.
• “I realized how rewarding research can be. Despite the frustrations, when something finally works and you get results, it is one of the best feelings you can have.”
• “The poster session was very rewarding. I always think it’s fun to see your work come together on a well-designed poster.”
• “I loved working in the lab independently on a project, interacting with my peers in the REU program, and having the opportunity to present my findings both at NOURS and at a conference of my choosing later this year. I also really enjoyed talking with Dr. Krista Freeman about her work and her experiences in grad school.”

Continuing Connections:

REU students are encouraged to have ongoing connection with the Cleveland REU program and students’ faculty research advisors. This has already led to:

• at least one set of recommendation letters for a 2019 student applying to graduate school.
• continuing work on their summer research project by several REU students with their advisors as well as working on potential manuscripts for their summer research.
• four abstract submissions for the APS March Meeting, where they will get to travel to Denver and present their 2019 REU research at a national physics conference as well as connect with some of their 2019 summer REU research advisors.

Cleveland State REU students were also provided with $500 in travel funds to attend conferences and present their REU research. Current outside presentations include:

• Mario Alberto presented at the Bioengineering and Translational Medicine Conference at Duke University, which is organized by the American Institute for Chemical Engineers.
  • “Thermally Induced Aggregation Behavior of a Six-Armed ELP Star Polymer,” Mario Alberto, Dr. Kiril Streletzky, Dr. Nolan Holland
• Jacob Martin, Bradley Lockhart, and Ben Bosela presented at the Fall 2019 meeting of the Ohio-Regional Section of the American Physical Society (OSAPS).
  • “Achieving Flat Gold Surfaces for the Organization of Organic Molecules,” Jacob Martin, Dr. Jessica Bickel
  • “Pentacene Thin Film Growth,” Bradley Lockhart, Dr. Jessica Bickel
  • “Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Microfluidic Mixers,” Benjamin Bosela, Alexa Roberts, Dr. Chandra Kothapalli, Dr. Petru Fodor
• Quinton Wright traveled to Portland, Oregon to present his REU research at the Materials Science and Technology Conference.
  • “Microfluidic Synthesis and Characterization of Lead Iodide Perovskite Nanoplatelets,” Quinton Wright, Dr. Chandra Kothapalli, Dr. Geyou Ao, Dr. Petru Fodor