3 Networking for high-impact research MSE Ph.D. student Ibrahim Dursun, part of the KAUST Functional Nanomaterials Lab, presented his work on using perovskite material as a color converter for simultaneous solid-state lighting and data communication at the conference. “As a team, we developed a perovskite-based visible light communication color converter that has approximately 40 times better bandwidth than commercial converters and is nearly two times better than the best alternative converter,” he said. “Giving a talk on our work at such a big conference was a major motivator for my Ph.D. studies and also helped me to improve myself.” “The conference gave me the opportunity to build my professional network and get to know other students in my field,” he continued. “Because there were so many people attending from all over the world, we were able to start new collaborations in our fields. The University’s generous funding enabling KAUST students to attend conferences is crucial for success in our work and future careers, as collaboration and networking are prerequisites for high impact research.”
A ‘great environment’ KAUST Associate Professor of Chemical Science and conference attendee Yu Han co-organized a symposium at the event entitled “Novel Catalytic Materials for Energy and Environment,” and gave a talk focusing on high resolution electron microscopy. “MRS is the largest and the most prestigious conference for materials scientists,” noted Han. “Attendees definitely benefit from it because it is a very effective platform for discussion and communication. I was impressed to see the high attendance rate at the symposium and was impressed by the quality of presentations that took place.” “The conference was a great environment this year,” echoed KAUST Assistant Professor of Bioscience Sahika Inal. “Every year at the MRS conferences we get to learn about recent research activities and discuss a variety of topics with colleagues from around the world. This tradition continued in Arizona.”
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THE BEACON | AUGUST 2017
Inal presented her recently published work in bioelectronics— and specifically in conducting polymer scaffolds that can electrically communicate with mammalian cells—at the event. “The scaffolds host cells and allow them to live in a 3-D physiologically relevant environment. Since they are electrically conducting, they can also pick up signals from the cells and convert these into an electrical output. This enables us to learn how the cells are doing within a tissue-like structure without destroying the tissue. The same scaffolds can also electrically stimulate the cells, and as such we can change the adhesion behavior of cells,” she explained.
Leaders in materials science KAUST Associate Professor of Chemical Science and conference speaker Kazuhiro Takanabe gave two invited talks at the event, “giving better visibility to both me and to KAUST,” he noted. “To gain even more visibility for the University, we need to continue participating in conferences like MRS, one of the largest audiences of experts you can expect to find at any event.” “KAUST should be actively involved in organizing more symposiums and advertising the University as one of the fastestgrowing research universities at other upcoming MRS meetings,” added Han. “I hope to participate once more in the 2017 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit, which would be the last of my Ph.D. student career,” Munir said. “Because of the diverse learning opportunities, workshops and discussions, the conferences are always valuable for student life. At the MRS conferences, we learn more, represent KAUST and get to meet the pioneers of materials science. All of these experiences enable us—and KAUST—to excel in research.” “Conferences like the Spring and Fall MRS events put us on the map for scientific activity and bring us abreast with the latest trends. In those respects, the Spring 2017 event was a great success,” Kirmani said.
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