This program for International Research Experience for Students (IRES), headed by principal investigator (PI) Ilona Kretzschmar, at the City College of New York (CCNY), will provide U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with early career research experience at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. During focused ten-week summer programs, IRES participants will be involved in materials science and interfacial phenomena research and will gain hands-on experience with colloidal assembly, particle surface modification, and particle-particle interaction characterization.
Student research training will occur in the laboratory of Professor Kretzschmar (CCNY) and at KTH, in cooperation with her counterparts in Stockholm, Professors Magnus Johnson, Mamoun Muhammed, Jinshan Pan, and Mark Rutland. The research component at CCNY will familiarize IRES participants with particle surface modification techniques that are used to create so-called patchy particles. The research component at KTH, in the School of Chemical Science and Engineering, will involve the training of IRES participants in AFM-based colloidal probe characterization for measuring particle-particle interactions and linker-patch binding strengths in patchy particle systems. Overall, these activities should help build a growing US-Swedish materials network of junior and senior researchers. Results are expected to lead to novel measurements of particle-particle interactions and linker-patch binding which may contribute to future work in applied electrochemistry and biotechnology in areas such as surface and corrosion science, functional materials, and wood chemistry.
The broader impacts of this US-Swedish IRES include the introduction of students from underrepresented groups, i.e., minority and female students, to a research environment at a leading European institution while providing all participants with early career mentoring. IRES participants will be recruited from the Grove School of Engineering and the New York City-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. Each participant will be mentored by the PI through biweekly meetings during the academic year and prepared for their international research experience in the PI?s laboratory. Prior to their travel to Stockholm, IRES participants will develop a summer research plan with their KTH mentors and the PI. The research experience itself will provide the students with a unique perspective on the scientific approach to problem solving and give them a global perspective on colloids research.
Further, IRES participants will share their experience via publications in the CCNY Journal for Student Research and presentations at the Urban Conference Series, the NSF Engineering Education Awardees Conference, and an annual Bridge-to-the-Doctorate retreat. Consistent with IRES objectives, this dissemination effort will provide U.S. students, many from from underrepresented groups, with ample role models while demonstrating the importance of obtaining international research experience. Altogether, this meets the NSF goal of advancing scientific knowledge by enabling experts in the United States and Europe to combine complementary talents and share research and education resources in areas of strong mutual interest and competence.
for Grant #:0968244 The goal of this grant was to expose undergraduate and MS students at the City College of New York (CCNY) and other colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY) to an international research environment and build a growing US-Swedish materials network of junior and senior researchers with broad participation from underrepresented groups (female and minority students). For the accomplishment of this goal, three objectives were defined: (1) identify, select, and prepare promising young researchers at the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York (CCNY), in the CUNY-wide NYC-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, and in the bridge-to-the-doctorate program at CCNY to perform cutting-edge materials science and engineering research at the Royal Institute of Technology, (2) mentor and support students throughout a 10 week international summer research experience at the Royal Institute of Technology involving cutting-edge engineering and science research; and (3) develop students’ soft and research skills such that they are successful in obtaining and maintaining a position in a PhD program in the United States. Research Outcomes: 19 ten-week summer international research projects were supported. Nine ChE projects resulted in: (i) design of a membrane distillation unit in which solar collectors replaced the electric heater, (ii) development of a four-step protocol for tunicate oil extraction, (iii) elucidation of the effect of pH on the adsorption of the two block copolymers PNIPAAM48 and PAMPTMA20, (iv) a better understanding of adsorption and conformation of biopolymers using quartz crystal microbalance measurements, (v) establishing that turbophoresis in wall-bound turbulent flow is reduced by addition of drag-reducing polymer additives, (vi) showing that a Li-doped CaO causes an overall higher biodiesel yield than unmodified CaO, (vii) production of silica-modified cellulose fibers and their incorporation as anodes in lithium batteries, (viii) determination of the optimum microwave-induced degradation condition for a powdered polyhydroxybutyrate sample (ix) cyclic voltammetry studies of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with a Pt/C catalyst that showed methane reversibly occupies the active Pt/C site. Three BME projects involved: (i) amplification of cDNA of nine target proteins, their purification, insertion into e. coli hosts, and expression of proteins, (ii) Sanger Sequencing of the entire mtDNA genome using 1000 base pair fragments for analysis of 9 haplotypes of Canis familiaris, and (iii) transformation and integration of a vector into E. coli that allows the co-expression of the membrane anchored protein domain and its soluble affinity protein. Three MatSci projects yielded: (i) nanoengineering of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) based thermoelectric materials, (ii) a better understanding of the effect of surfactants on the stability and thermal conductivity of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluids, and (iii) a fast synthetic method for the preparation of large batches of nano-structured thermoelectric Bi2-xSbxTe3. The ME project saw the development of an efficient, simple and straightforward windscreen method to decrease the unavoidable wind induced disturbances to dummy head recordings in windy environments. The EE project demonstrated a zinc oxide hybrid plasmonic nanowire waveguide configuration at the optical communication wavelength of 1550nm. The BIO project identified a fraction from a tumeric sample that has repelling properties when tested on pine weevils containing tumerone, Ar-tumerone, and 4-hydroxy-benzeneethanol as the main species. The CHEM project synthesized O-acetylated cyanohydrins with excellent enantiomeric excess using minor enantiomer recycling. Two of the CHE projects resulted in publications. Educational Outcomes: An international research exchange program has been established between CCNY and KTH. Nineteen students from both CCNY and other CUNY schools have been supported by this grant. The program increased the awareness of the students with respect to differences and similarities between European and US cultures, gave them access to an international research experience, and helped to prepare them in becoming global citizens. Nine of these students were female and twelve were from underrepresented minority groups (African American: 3 male and 2 female and Hispanic: 5 male and 2 female). Only two students belonged to neither of these two groups. Of the 19 students, twelve are currently en route to their PhDs at University of Wisconsin-Madison (1), Penn State University (3), Rochester University (1), University of South Florida (1), University of Delaware (2), University of California – Santa Barbara (1), Georgia Institute of Technology (1), CUNY Graduate Center (1), and University of Michigan (1). Two obtained their MS degrees at Brooklyn College and Penn State University. Two have started an industrial position and one has joined a company abroad. Dissemination Efforts Peer-reviewed publications: 2 National/International Conference Talks: 4/5 International Conference Posters: 14 Human Resource Development (brackets indicate students from underrepresented groups) MS students involved in international research activities: 3 (3) UG students involved in international research activities: 16 (13) MS students, who continued in PhD programs: 2 (2) UG students, who continued in PhD programs: 10 (9) UG students, who continued in MS programs: 1 (1)
