This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The Division of Chemistry supports Sean T. Roberts of the University of Southern California (USC) as an American Competitiveness in Chemistry Fellow. Dr. Roberts will study the dynamics of energy migration in organic photovoltaic materials using sophisticated femtosecond spectroscopy techniques. In particular, he will look at the dynamics at the interface between electron-donor and -acceptor materials using interface-sensitive spectroscopies. Dr. Roberts will collaborate with experimental scientists at the University of Southern California as well as with theorists at Los Alamos National Laboratory. For his plan for broadening participation, Dr. Roberts will help launch a summer internship program at USC for high school and community college students in Southeast Los Angeles -- a region with a large percentage of Hispanic students. The internship program will include classroom and hands-on laboratory work studying alternative energy technologies.
Research like that of Dr. Roberts is aimed at developing a better understanding of how organic photovoltaics convert energy from sunlight into electricity. The ultimate goal of research like this is to develop improved technology for the conversion of solar energy into electricity. The efforts at broadening participation being pursued by Dr. Roberts are aimed at increasing the participation of young people from underrepresented groups in the sciences.
