The Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame (ND Energy) has announced the recipients of the 2021 Vincent P. Slatt Fellowship for Undergraduate Research in Energy Systems and Processes at the University of Notre Dame. This prestigious award is used to support undergraduate research and education. Student recipients are highly accomplished with a clear passion and understanding of the importance of energy-related research and its impact on society.
“Enhancing undergraduate education with a Slatt research experience supports the foundation of the University’s mission and our research center,” said Peter C. Burns, Henry J. Massman Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences and director of ND Energy. “This opportunity enables students to shape their career goals and deepen their knowledge and understanding through scientific discovery and research collaborations. Many also decide to attend graduate school as a result of doing research.”
Since the start of the Slatt program, a total of 193 awards have been granted to undergraduate students in the amount of $800,943. This year, 17 students received awards totaling $71,000. The largest cohort of 38 awards totaling $117,000 occurred in 2020 to support the reopening of laboratories due to COVID-19 and the experimental winter session.
“I am very grateful to the Slatt family for making this research opportunity possible for undergraduate students,” said Burns. “It is through their generosity that we are able to enhance undergraduate education and advance energy-related research at Notre Dame.”
Students conducting research through the summer will also benefit from participating in joint professional development and networking events with other research experiences for undergraduates and fellowship programs on campus. Students also will have the opportunity to present their research during the annual Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Meet the 2021 Slatt scholars:
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Andrew Christy (’22), major in chemistry and minor in energy studies, for research titled, “Triplet Sensitization in Semiconductor Nanocrystals” in the lab of Prashant Kamat, Rev. John A. Zahm Professor of Science in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Radiation Laboratory and concurrent professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. |
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Thomas Coates (’23), major in computer science and engineering and minor in energy studies, for research titled, “Probe Waveform and Nanosecond Imaging Comparative Analysis for Volumetric Space Charge Waves” in the lab of Sergey Leonov, research scientist in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. |
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Hannah Collins (’22), major in chemistry with minors in energy studies and studio art, for research titled, “Structure-Property Relationship Study of Metal Ion Transport in Ion Liquid Crystals” in the lab of Jennifer Schaefer, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. |
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Neila Gross (’22), major in chemical engineering, for research titled, “Low Frequency Ultrasound to Control Biofouling and Reduce Energy Losses” in the labs of Albert Cerrone, Melchor Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, and Robert Nerenberg, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. |
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David Hale (’23), major in chemical engineering, for research titled, “Catalyst Screening for the Plasma-Assisted Synthesis of Liquid Chemicals from Ethane” in the lab of Jason Hicks, Tony and Sarah Earley Collegiate Associate Professor of Energy and the Environment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. |
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Brendan Kane (’22), major in aerospace engineering, for research titled, “The Development of Luminescent Ice for Environmental and Energy Applications” in the lab of Hirotaka Sakaue, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. |
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Brian Kang (’22), major in chemical engineering and minor in energy studies, for research titled, “Gradient Film with Cation Migration” in the lab of Prashant Kamat, Rev. John A. Zahm Professor of Science in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Radiation Laboratory and concurrent professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. |
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Thomas Kasl (’22), major in chemistry and minor in bioengineering, for research titled, “3D-Printing Hierarchical Nanostructure Absorbance for Contaminant Removal and Resource Recovery” in the lab of William Phillip, associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. |
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Thomas Maloney (’22), major in electrical engineering, for research titled, “Boosting Transportation Efficiency: The Effect of Lowpass Filtering the Speed Trajectory” in the lab of Peter Bauer, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering. |
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Andrew Scott Manning (’22), major in chemical engineering, for research titled, “Using Molecular Simulations to Understand Behavior and Structure of Liquid Electrolyte Systems” in the lab of Jonathan Whitmer, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. |
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Stephanie Mueller (’22), major in biochemistry and minor in anthropology, for research titled, “Zinc (II) Carbene Synthesis and Reactivity” in the lab of Vlad Iluc, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. |
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Jacob Novitch (’22), major in environmental engineering, for research titled, “Effect of Hydroxylamine on the Structure and Function of Nitrifying Biofilms” in the lab of Robert Nerenberg, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. |
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Melanie Perez (’23), major in mechanical engineering and minor in energy studies, for research titled, “Fabrication of Arrays of Gold Hexagonal Nanoplates on Sapphire using Brij-700 Surfactant” in the lab of Svetlana Neretina, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. |
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Christina Tan (’22), major in chemical engineering, for research titled, “Automated Detection of Defects in Porous Materials with Machine Learning” in the lab of Yamil Colón, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. |
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William Tjaden (’21), major in civil engineering, for research titled, “Long Term Performance of Wind Turbine Foundation through Numerical Modeling” in the lab of Yazen Khasawneh, associate teaching professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. |
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Alexander Tullman (’22), major in finance and minors in energy studies and history, for research titled, “Can Coating Power Transmission Lines with Graphene Increase Conduction Efficiency?” in the lab of Ian Lightcap, research and facilities program director of the Materials Characterization Facility in ND Energy. |
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Katelyn Wendt (’23), major in biochemistry and minor in theology, for research titled, “Task Specific Ionic Liquids Increase Efficiency in Water Desalination Processes” in the lab of Brandon Ashfeld, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. |
For more information, including 2021 project descriptions, visit Slatt undergraduate program.
Established in 2006, the Vincent P. Slatt Fellowship for Undergraduate Research in Energy Systems and Processes is made possible through the generosity of Christopher (’80) and Jeanine Slatt in honor of Vincent P. Slatt, Notre Dame Class of 1943.
About ND Energy:
ND Energy is a University research center whose mission is to build a better world by creating new energy technologies and systems and educating individuals to help solve the most critical energy challenges facing our world today. For more information, visit the ND Energy website at energy.nd.edu or contact Barbara Villarosa, business and communications program director, at bvillaro@nd.edu or 574-631-4776.
Originally published by at energy.nd.edu on March 15, 2021.