Completed REU Projects

The following are examples of projects completed by participants in our Research Experience for Undergraduates program. We have had projects ranging from experimental nanoscience to theoretical physics to polymer science and even biomaterials. Since the center faculty members come from 8 different academic departments, we have projects for students from pretty much any scientific or engineering background.

Main Areas of Research (click to jump to project titles):

Polymers, Polymer Nanocomposites and Supramolecular Structures
Multifunctional Metal Oxide
Nanowires and Molecular Electronics
Biologically Relevant Materials
Art Conservation
Patterning and Device Fabrication
Computational Modeling

 

Polymers, Polymer Nanocomposites and Supramolecular Structures

Characterizing the Effects of Molecular Weight on Peptide Amphiphile-Hyaluronic Acid Hybrid Sacs and Membranes
Ameera Haamid, Jackson State University
Professor: Samuel Stupp, Chemistry

The Effect of Interface Geometry on the Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites
Ike Osamor, University of Texas at San Antonio
Professor: L. Catherine Brinson, Mechanical Engineering

Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization of Unsaturated Lactams
Aleksandr V. Zhukhovitskiy, Northwestern University
Professor: SonBinh Nguyen, Chemistry

Calcium Cobaltite Thermoelectrics Formed by Thermoreversible Gelcasting
Audrey Forticaux, CPE Lyon, Lyon France (International-REU program participant)
Professor: Katherine Faber, Materials Science & Engineering

The Effect of Copolymer Architecture on Glass Transition Temperature in Confined Geometries and on Critical Micelle Concentration
Golnar Doroudian, University of New Mexico
Professor: John Torkelson, Chemical & Biological Engineering

Living Character of the Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate in the Presence of Styrene Prepared via Nitroxide-Mediated Controlled Free-Radical Polymerization
Miguel Santiago-Cordoba, University of Puerto Rico
Professor: Linda Broadbelt, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Exploration of N-allylhydrazone Rearrangements
Colleen McGourty, Northwestern University
Professor: Regan J. Thomson, Chemistry

Multifunctional Metal Oxides

Doping Studies of Homologous In2O3(ZnO)k Transparent Conductors
Chastity Dunlap, University of Washington
Professor: Thomas Mason, Materials Science & Engineering

Formation of p-type CuAlO2 Delafossite Thin Films
Carolyn Swanborg, Michigan Technological University
Professor: Scott Barnett, Materials Science & Engineering

Defect Chemistry and Electronic Properties of Homologous (ZnO)kIn2O3 Compounds
Steven Hawks, California Polytechnic State University
Professor: Thomas Mason, Materials Science & Engineering

Synthesis and Structural Study of BaxSr1-xTiO3 Nanoparticles
Ashwin Atre, Princeton University
Professor: Kenneth Poeppelmeier, Chemistry

Temperature-Dependent X-Ray Structural Study of Perovskite Thin Films on Si(001)
Marc Aranguren, Seton Hall Univeristy
Professor: Michael Bedzyk, Materials Science & Engineering

Nanowires and Molecular Electronics

A Study of the Breakdown of a Self-Assembled Nanodielectric
Sara Renfrew, California Institute of Technology
Professor: Lincoln Lauhon, Materials Science & Engineering

Structural Analysis of Self-Assembled Nanodielectrics by X-ray Reflectivity
Evan Uchaker, The Ohio State University
Professor: Michael Bedzyk, Materials Science & Engineering

Formation of Metal-Semiconductor Nanowire Heterojunctions Through Controlled Silicidation
Phillip Barton, Northwestern University
Professor: Lincoln Lauhon, Materials Science & Engineering

Effect of Chain Length on Self-Assembly Monolayer Formation on Indium Oxide Substrate
Jason Douglas, MIT
Professor: Thomas Mason, Materials Science & Engineering

Biologically Relevant Materials

The Structure & Dynamics of the E. Coli Chromosome under Slow Growth Conditions
Kevin Spencer, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign
Professor: John Marko, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cellular Biology, Physics and Astronomy

The Effects of Antibodies Conjugated to Gold Nanoparticles of Varied Sizes
Christopher Ojeda, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Professor: Vinayak Dravid, Materials Science and Engineering

The Effects of M9 Minimal Medium and L. B. Growth Medium on the Growth Rate of E. coli.
Janet Cranfield, California State University Fresno
Professor: John Marko, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cellular Biology, Physics and Astronomy

Controlled Bupivacaine Delivery from Citric Acid-based Composites
Arnelya Cade, The University of Alabama
Professor: Guillermo Ameer, Biomedical Engineering

Art Conservation

Prehistoric Mississippian Pyrotechnology at Cahokia, Illinois
Phoebe Harpainter, University of Redlands
Professor: David Dunand, Materials Science & Engineering

Characterization and Identification of Early Synthetic Organic Dyes by Fourier Transform Raman Spectroscopy
Catherine Mauck, Oberlin College
Professor: Katherine Faber, Materials Science & Engineering
Conservation Scientist: Francesca Casadio, Art Institute of Chicago

Compositional Analysis of House Paints Used by Picasso
Matthew Chastain, Northwestern University
Professor: Katherine Faber, Materials Science & Engineering
Conservation Scientist: Francesca Casadio, Art Institute of Chicago
(This work was funded by the Mellon Foundation as part of a collaborative project between Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago.)

Patterning and Device Fabrication

Optimization of Patterned Self Assembled Monolayers on Gold Substrates using Alkanethiols
Heather Robinson, University of Richmond
Professor: Teri Odom, Chemistry

Field-Induced Oxide Patterning and Characterization of Epitaxial Graphene
Joohee Park, Northwestern University
Professor: Mark Hersam, Materials Science & Engineering

Synthesis of Organic Materials For Polymeric Semiconductors in Thin Film Transistors
Bradley King, Taylor University
Professor: Tobin Marks, Chemistry

Magnetic Nanopyramids as Ultra-Sensitive Nanoprobes
Leslie Wallace, Winston-Salem State University
Professor: Teri Odom, Chemistry

Computational Modeling

Designing Polymer Architectures Through Synthesis, Characterization, and Kinetic Analysis
Emmanuel Dowuona, Morgan State University
Professor: Linda Broadbelt, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Investigation and Comparison of Cross-Conjugated Molecular Models as Potential Dielectrics for Capacitors
Matthew Rickert, Loyola University
Professor: Mark Ratner, Chemistry

Simulation of Laser induced alignment of a I2-Molecule on a Silicon(100)Surface
Nadine Walter, Hochschule Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany (International-REU program participant)
Professor: Tamar Seideman, Chemistry

 

 

Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Academic-Year Undergraduate Research Internship (URI)
Research Experience for Teachers (RET)
K-12 Programs

Volunteer Opportunities

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) is supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF Award Number DMR-0520513. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.
© 2007 Northwestern University