Materials Science & Engineering Class Day
The Certificate Program for Materials Science & Engineering graduated 24 students on Monday, June 2, 2008. The 2008 class had students from Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Molecular Biology, and Civil & Environmental Engineering Departments. The future plans of the students range from graduate work in bioengineering to teaching English in Guatemala. Two students were awarded the "Outstanding Materials Student" Award- Brett Nitchke and Dave Uppal.
Brett Nitchke, of the Chemistry Department, was advised by Prof. Robert Cava. When describing Brett's senior thesis Prof. Cava said, "For his senior thesis research Brett grew large crystals of nine different chemical variants of a mineral called “boracite”. In this crystal structure, magnetic atoms are found in a unique triangular array, leading to what is known as “geometric magnetic frustration” – where no magnetic ordering state at low temperatures is preferred over any other. Brett’s measurements of the magnetic properties of his crystals showed that this frustration leads to some very unexpected magnetic properties." This fall Brett will be attending medical school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Dave Uppal, of the Chemical Engineering Department, was co-advised by Prof. Robert Prud'homme and Prof. Jamie Link. Of Dave's work Prof. Prud'homme said, “Dave Uppal worked with Prof Link and me on a project that involved the adaptation of a azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction (so called "click chemistry") as a facile route for the production of model block copolymers and functionalization of targeting ligands on block copolymers. His results enable us to target nanoparticles both for surface patterning as a part of the NSF MRSEC and for drug targeting we are pursuing through our nanoparticle NIRT. His results are foundational to the directions we are going in both projects. The new method of synthesis of block copolymers will allow us to test fundamental theories of the sizes of nanoparticles as a function of hydrophobic and hydrophilic block lengths. They will also enable us to pattern nanoparticles on surfaces for gene chip arrays." Dave will be working as an engineer at Chevron Corporation.