Undergraduate Research « The Erlenmeyer Flask

Who is your PI? – Sean Burrows

Do you have a Graduate Student/Post-Doc Mentor? – Kyle Almlie

How did you learn about the position? – I got into the research with Dr.Burrows by volunteering, which I got to know about from my adviser, to help set up his lab when he first became a faculty in OSU. I was interested in the research he was going to conduct (currently conducting) and I asked whether he needed any undergraduate researchers in his lab.

Why did you get into Undergraduate Research? – To gain knowledge and have first hand experience in the analytical and spectroscopy field of chemistry. Moreover, I had a some spare time left and did not wanted to waste it.

What advice might you have for other Undergraduate students thinking of pursuing research or just getting started? – Being an undergraduate researcher is very fun and rewarding. I get to do cool experiments on my own and also shadow the graduate students in conducting much higher level experiments. What I think they should expect is depending on the field of research, always remember the basics of general chemistry such as finding the moles and concentration of a substance . Also, don’t be too picky about what the research is about but just dive into it and gain the experience and knowledge regarding the research.

Who is your PI? – Sandra Loesgen

How did you learn about the position? – I emailed everyone I could, basically. I emailed Dr. Christopher Beaudry for a position at first, then he referred me to Dr. Sandra Loesgen & I emailed her as soon as I could & began setting up appointments. Once I learned what her research was about, I decided I wanted in immediately.

Why did you get into Undergraduate Research? – I got into UG research for a few reasons; one of them was that I want to gain experience now & have some understanding of what a potential future career may be like for me in the field of Chemistry. Another was so I could go to Grad School; research is mandatory in that regard, so I decided to get into it now. The last is that I want to surround myself with like-minded people & to me, a great way to do that is by research.

What advice might you have for other Undergraduate students thinking of pursuing research or just getting started? – Students getting into research should expect to be smothered with knowledge that they aren’t familiar with. Already being in Dr. Loesgen’s research team, there is plenty that I’ve encountered that I’m not familiar with & that I need to do some reading up on. You’ll have to do some reporting also, but that’s a 6-week sort of thing so it’s not that big of a deal. On top of that, you will be around equipment that you may or may not have used before, so it is a great idea to become acquainted with as much as you can with regards to lab equipment & lab safety.

Who is your PI? – Mas Subramanian

Do you have a Graduate Student/Post-Doc Mentor? – Sean Muir

How did you learn about the position? – My best friend, who had been working in the research group for two terms prior, introduced me to the P.I.

Why did you get into Undergraduate Research? – I wanted to obtain practical, hands-on experience to supplement my didactic learning in the classroom.

What advice might you have for other Undergraduate students thinking of pursuing research or just getting started? – Build good relationships with your research team. Science is inherently collaborative and as an undergraduate you will be receiving plenty of guidance from the graduate students and P.I.

Who is your PI? – Mas Subramanian

Do you have a Graduate Student/Post-Doc Mentor? – Sean Muir

How did you learn about the position? – After class my chemistry instructor introduced me to a graduate student within the Chemistry department who was researching different kinds of synthesis methods for making superconductors. Since then I have been working with the same person I was introduced to three years ago in Dr. Subramanian’s lab.

Why did you get into Undergraduate Research? – The first time I ever saw magnetic levitation was freshmen year in my general chemistry class – I had to understand how this was possible. After my chemistry instructor explained to me how this relied on superconductor materials, and that stable levitation was possible due to ‘quantum locking’, I knew I wanted to research these further.

What advice might you have for other Undergraduate students thinking of pursuing research or just getting started? – Expect to be overwhelmed in the beginning of any research experience. I learned more about chemistry in one month of research then I did in one year of taking a class.

Who is your PI? – David Ji

How did you get into Undergraduate Research? – I got into UG research because I heard of it from a T.A. at the Mole Hole. He, like me, had a scholarship requiring a certain amount of credits, and he told me that it was a nice way to help fulfill that requirement while gaining real work experience and helping others.

What advice might you have for other Undergraduate students thinking of pursuing research or just getting started? – I am very happy with my UG research position. I enjoy going in for UG research, and learn a lot from it. I also really like the UG research system, as it is a symbiosis, with both parties benefiting. It is difficult to tell others what to expect in the position, because that will vary greatly depending on what T.A. he/she works for, and what department of chemistry he/she works under. In general, you should expect to aid the graduate student with their experiments in any way he/she asks, be it preparation work, clean up, experiment assistance, individual conduction of experiments, etc.
The best advice I have regarding UG research is to meet with the T.A. that you will be working for during the first week of the term and set up a timetable detailing what days and how many hours you will be coming in to work, fitting this timetable around both you and your T.A.’s schedule. This assures that there will be no time conflicts for either of you, and will allow the research to run smoothly.

Guest Blogger: Stefan Lucchini

Undergraduate research began as something I heard really helped someone get into grad school. I was by no means a 4.0 student, which made me worry about my chances of getting into top schools after graduating. I knew that one of my best options for gaining a competitive advantage was going to be hands on experience working in research. Being only a freshman taking general chemistry, I did not have the greatest qualifications nor much of an idea as to what specific areas of research interested me. Knowing I had to act quickly to get as much experience as possible, I emailed every professor whose research sounded interesting.

The professor I ended up working for was Dr. Darrah Thomas, an emeritus professor. His research focus is in electron spectroscopy of small molecules. Working in research completely changed my perspective on education. It allowed me to fast-forward to the part where I am making a lasting, substantial contribution to scientific understanding. Prior to my work with Dr. Thomas, I was coasting along my undergrad without much drive at all to end up anywhere. I had no goal and no clear understanding of what I hoped to become. By working in research, I was immersed in the wonders of scientific pursuit. It was inspiring and it resulted in a sharp increase in my academic performance.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the work I did for Dr. Thomas, I felt compelled to explore other areas of chemistry. When considering just how long a career is, I wanted to make sure I have found exactly the right field for me to call home. After working in physical chemistry, material science, and biochemistry, I decided to material science was a place I could call home. It was the perfect combination of chemistry and physics, all while being a booming, growing field with an exciting future. I have been working for Dr. Douglas Keszler for 2 years so far and intend to continue until I graduate.

My work with Dr. Keszler has been focused on the thickness changes and ion exchange of HfO_₂₋_x(SO₄)_x(HafSOx). HafSOx is an inorganic photoresist material discovered in the Keszler laboratory. The key, distinguishing feature of HafSOx is that it is currently the world leader in lithography resolution. Through use of electron beam simulation, it has been found that HafSOx will be capable of lithographic techniques using extreme ultraviolet light, which are currently in development. It will be capable of creating 13.5nm devices. The extreme resolution capabilities of HafSOx will enable to be used to create ultra-small transistors and other electrical devices. I feel privileged to be a part of such an exciting research project!

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