This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The Division of Chemistry supports Elizabeth R. Young of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an American Competitiveness in Chemistry Fellow. Dr. Young will work with scientists at MIT to study the formation of the effective water-splitting photocatalyst Co-Pi at solid surfaces. Specifically, Dr. Young will use a variety of solid-state thin film deposition techniques to produce active Co-Pi catalyst. In addition, she will investigate a variety of schemes to incorporate Co-Pi catalyst into a photoanode for a photoelectrochemical cell. Dr. Young will work on these projects in collaboration with scientists at Sun Catalytix, a company with expertise in the development of photoelectrochemical cells. For her plan for broadening participation, Dr. Young will partner with Science Buddies, a national non-profit, to develop science fair projects for young people, based upon her research. In addition, Dr. Young will mentor an undergraduate from Southern University at Baton Rouge in summer research at MIT.
Research like that of Dr. Young is aimed at developing new materials the efficient conversion of solar energy into chemical forms, useful to society. The ultimate goal of research like this is to develop improved technology for the conversion of solar energy into other forms of energy (fuel, electricity, etc.) The efforts at broadening participation being pursued by Dr. Young are aimed at increasing the participation of young people from underrepresented groups in the sciences.
