COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
TRANSFORMING DISEASE DETECTION: HUO’S $1 TEST OUTPERFORMS PSA SCREENING page 6
FACULTY AND STUDENT NEWS
pages 4-8 and 13-14
MSE.UCF.EDU
FALL 2015
MESSAGE FROM MSE It’s my honor as Interim Chair to help the Materials Science and Engineering Department grow along with our faculty, staff, and students. Many thanks to Prof. Jiyu Fang, who stepped into the role of MSE Associate Chair in May 2015. In collaboration with the Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center (AMPAC) and the College of Engineering & Computer Science, we added two outstanding faculty in the areas of tissue engineering and electronic materials. Since my interim appointment in 2014, we have increased Sudipta Seal, Ph.D. our core faculty from 6 to 9. In the coming years, we plan Interim Chair, Materials Science & Engineering Director, NanoScience Technology Center and to recruit more interdisciplinary faculty in cutting edge Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center materials engineering. In collaboration with Mechanical Pegasus Professor and UCF Distinguished Professor and Aerospace Engineering and the College of Medicine, the MSE Department won a prosthetics cluster initiative which will add 6-7 faculty in the next two years. Congratulations to Prof. Patrick Schelling, who co-led another successful cluster faculty hire proposal on energy conversion and propulsion, where MSE will certainly benefit in the next few years. Our MSE M.S. and Ph.D. graduates continue to thrive in both academic and industry circles. In addition, we are planning to add a MSE minor at the undergraduate level starting Fall 2016. Congratulations to Prof. Y. Sohn in his election to the 2015 Class of ASM Fellows and Prof. K. Richardson, a World Academy of Ceramics fellow. Our MSE researchers continue to publish high impact papers in energy, soft and hard materials. Thanks to our faculty acquiring a DURIP award, we have strengthened our optical and materials research with a state of the art X-ray diffractometer addition to our AMPAC Materials Characterization Facility. Also, kudos to our graduate “My goal is to keep students for their outstanding research and awards.
MSE growing and have a vibrant national and international research and education presence”
UCF believes in strong entrepreneurship culture and, as we continue to grow, our faculty continue to translate laboratory research into technology commercialization from developing cancer detection kits, energy harvesting cables, to saving the Florida citrus industry from canker disease. Our faculty were in the top 20 percent submittals selected for TechConnect Innovation Awards at the 2015 Tech Connect World Innovation Conference. In this newsletter, we also feature an alumni in the real world of technology commercialization. Our success lies in the efforts of our talented students, faculty, and dedicated staff. We continue to provide an excellent student experience and should take pride in all of these accomplishments while looking forward to a bright future as UCF continues to grow.
MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING at UCF Materials Science and Engineering encompasses a broad range of materials, from traditional metallurgy to biological materials, polymers, ceramics, semiconductors, composites, and optical and magnetic materials, as well as nanotechnology materials. 2
EDUCATION THROUGH RESEARCH INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH IS INTEGRAL to the MSE program, supported by several UCF institutes including the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center, NanoScience Technology Center, Florida Solar Energy Center, and Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers.
Students present research at the 2015 UCF Graduate Research Forum.
More on p. 10
MSE has attained the highest scholarly productivity among departments in the “college and was the co-lead of a UCF-funded faculty cluster on smart prosthetics.”
Michael Georgiopoulos
Dean, UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science
Degree Programs Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) • Master of Science (M.S.) The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering. Starting Fall 2016, a new MSE undergraduate minor will also be offered. An accelerated BS to MS program is available for qualified students to take graduate coursework and have it apply toward their bachelor’s and master’s degree. A wide range of courses allows students to fit their interests, and studies may be supplemented with courses from other departments at UCF. Students are supported by research and teaching assistanships.
AMPAC & ECE FACILITIES The Materials Science and Engineering program utilizes multiple AMPAC and ECE facilities that offer university researchers and industrial and government partners the capability to perform cutting-edge research while training and educating students.
MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION FACILITY The 7,000-square-foot Materials Characterization Facility provides a place to perform characterization and analysis, education and hands-on training in the use of state-of-the-art equipment, and user-friendly support with expert advice and data interpretation.
AMPAC-ECE MICROFABRICATION FACILITY The Advanced Microfabrication Facility is a multi-user cleanroom facility serving similar functions, while also housing equipment for fabrication and testing of microdevices. It consists of a 600-square-foot class 100 facility along with a 2,500-square-foot class 1000 facility.
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FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS New MSE/AMPAC Faculty: Stephen J. Florcyzk and Tengfei Jiang Stephen J. Florczyk joined
MSE after completing a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Florczyk earned a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2012 from the University of Washington, a M.S. degree in Biomedical Materials Engineering Science in 2006 and a B.S. degree in Ceramic Engineering in 2004, both from Alfred University. Florczyk’s research is focused on development and processing of 3D biomaterial scaffolds, primarily prepared from natural polymers and ceramics. The approach produces biomaterial scaffolds with desirable properties for application, with the ability to tailor scaffold properties through processing control. This allows for the production of scaffolds with different morphologies, chemistries, and mechanical properties. RESEARCH AREAS 1. Tissue engineering applications to promote bone regrowth, providing an alternative to bone grafts. 2. Mimicking the in vivo tumor microenvironment and are applied as an in vitro platform to screen cancer therapies. 3D biomaterial scaffolds provide better in vitro models for cancer research compared to culturing cells on 2D surfaces, with the scaffolds providing a cellular response that better resembles clinical response. 3. Characterizing cell-material interaction by evaluating the response of adult stem cells to scaffolds with different structures and properties. Cells change their shape in response to scaffold morphology, mechanical properties, and chemistry. The changes in cell shape can be used to characterize cell-material interaction.
Chitosan-hyaluronic acid (C-HA) scaffolds are produced in lab and have a porous structure (a). The C-HA scaffolds promote cancer cells to form tumor spheroids instead of monolayers, which provides better comparison to clinical conditions (b). Adult stem cell (green) interacting with polymer microfibers (red) in cell-material interaction research (c).
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Tengfei Jiang received her B.E.
degree from Tsinghua University, China in 2006, M.S. degree from The Ohio State University in 2009, and Ph.D. degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 2015, all in Materials Science and Engineering. Jiang joined AMPAC, MSE in Fall 2015. She has authored and co-authored 19 journal papers and conference proceedings, two book chapters, and has received several awards during her doctoral research, including the prestigious Harrington Dissertation Fellowship. Jiang’s research is highly interdisciplinary and encompasses fundamental materials science, reliability metrology, advanced interconnect and packaging systems, and nanotechnology. RESEARCH AREAS 1. Investigating the fundamental failure physics and mechanisms degrading the reliability of micro-/nano-electronics systems by combining advanced characterization techniques with modeling and accelerated testing. This area of research seeks basic understanding to optimize materials and processing for better device reliability and faster product development. 2. Fabrication and characterization of novel nanomaterials and nanostructures. The aim is to develop electronics, energy storage, biomedical and health care applications by exploring the unique properties of these materials and structures.
More About New Faculty at MSE.UCF.EDU
CHANGING THE WAY WE POWER THE WORLD THOMAS AND HIS TEAM HAVE DEVELOPED AN INNOVATIVE SUPERCAPACITOR THAT COULD CHANGE ELECTRONICS FOREVER Copper wires power our lives. The simple electricity-transferring cables, used since the 1820s, bring energy into our homes, connect our telecommunications and make our electronic devices work. Jayan Thomas of the NanoScience Technology Center, with joint appointment in the MSE department, has found a way to improve a regular copper wire and transform it into a supercapacitor cable. “This device can change the way we power the world,” says Thomas. Thomas’ device is different because of the nanowhisker technology, which transforms the standard copper wire into a supercapacitor capable of storing and delivering large amounts of power. The combination of small size and big output creates exciting opportunities for technological innovation. It has implications for personal electronics, ergonomic charging with battery-wired fabric, lighter and spacious electric vehicles, more affordable home solar systems, economical mass transit and enhanced performance in space travel. SANTRA RECOGNIZED WITH
Excellence in Research Award
Swadeshmukul Santra was honored at UCF’s annual Founders’ Day ceremony with the 2015 Excellence in Research Award. RICHARDSON ELECTED TO
WAC Membership
Kathleen A. Richardson, MSE joint appointment and ACerS President, elected to World Academy of Ceramics.
FANG FEATURED IN
Global Medical Discovery Series AND Journal of Materials Science
Jiyu Fang’s work on lightharvesting j-aggregate nanotubes for sensing dopamine will be featured in the the Global Medical Discovery Series as a Key Scientific Article contributing to excellence in biomedical research. His work with superhydrophobic and superoleophilic “spongelike” aerogels for oil/water separation also appeared on the recent cover of the Journal of Materials Science.
ENERGY CONVERSION & PROPULSION CLUSTER Patrick Schelling, AMPAC/MSE/Physics faculty, is leading a new faculty research cluster in energy conversion and propulsion. Energy research is critical in slowing growth in carbon emissions without slowing economic growth. This cluster is designed to transform UCF into a nationally and internationally recognized leader in energy-related research, specifically in the discovery and application of materials for catalysis.
institute” to help link the Florida Solar Energy Center with UCF’s main campus and more broadly connect energy-related research across the university. In addition, the cluster aims to train the next generation of leaders in energy and propulsion science and technology while enhancing partnerships with industry.
Learn more about the Faculty Cluster at
Goals of the cluster include creating a new seminar series on energy research, which will lead to the formation of a “virtual
UCF.EDU/FACULTY/CLUSTER/ ENERGY-CONVERSIONPROPULSION/
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TRANSFORMING DISEASE DETECTION NEW TEST BY HUO OUTPERFORMS PSA SCREENING FOR PROSTATE CANCER
A test that costs less than $1 and yields results in minutes has been shown more sensitive and exact than the standard test for early-stage prostate cancer. The simple test developed by Qun “Treen” Huo, MSE joint appointed faculty, holds the promise of earlier detection of one of the deadliest cancers among men. It would also reduce the number of unnecessary and invasive biopsies stemming from the less precise PSA test that is now used.
FANG DETECTS LIVER DISEASE THROUGH URINARY TEST
Jiyu Fang has engineered liquid crystal droplet-based biosensors for detecting the biomarker of liver disease through guest-host recognition. The urinary concentration level of bile acids is a useful indicator for the diagnosis of liver diseases. Fang’s work presents a sensor platform based on the anchoring transition of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) at the surfactant-laden LC/aqueous interfaces for the detection of bile acids in urinary solution. His work has been featured on the front cover of Chemical Communication.
RACE TO SAVE $10.7B INDUSTRY FROM CITRUS GREENING Zinkicide, a bactericide invented by Swadeshmukul Santra, sec. jt. appt. faculty with MSE, has been awarded a $4.6 million grant to test this new weapon in the fight against citrus greening. The experiment began in March and is scheduled to run for five years, but Santra said scientists should have an idea of whether it works in about two years. Santra’s work is being financed through $1.4 million of a $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. UF is the grant recipient, but scientists from other universities also are involved. Santra leads teams from UCF, which are responsible for development, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where computer modeling and simulation will be used to study Zinkicide’s effect on plant tissue. MSE RESEARCH TO TECH COMMERCIALIZATION A nanoparticle additive for jet and rocket fuels developed by Sudipta Seal and his team has been licensed to a company established by a former university researcher. Helicon Chemical Co., LLC, obtained exclusive rights to this technology that improves dispersion and burning rates of solid fuel propellants.
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MSE FACULTY AWARDED AT TECHCONNECT Three groundbreaking technologies developed by UCF researchers were recognized as among the top innovations to be presented at the 2015 TechConnect World Innovation Conference and were among the top 20 percent of submittals selected to receive TechConnect Innovation Awards. The technologies include: A method of using gold nanoparticles to screen for prostate and other types of cancer, as well as autoimmune diseases. The technology was developed by Qun “Treen” Huo, sec. jt. appt. faculty with MSE. She has a spinoff company, Nano Discovery Inc., that has developed the medical device used to examine test samples.
Color-changing tape with uses in detecting hydrogen gas leaks. It is being commercialized by HySense Technology, founded by Nahid Mohajeri of the Florida Solar Energy Center, an MSE joint appointment faculty. A nanoparticle system whose lightscattering properties can be controlled to display an image with depth perception – in essence, holographic – on non-powered transparent or opaque surfaces such as windshields, windows, glasses, handheld devices and even fabrics. Research was led by Ayman Abouraddy, who holds an appt. with MSE, and Aristide Dogariu from the College of Optics and Photonics.
RESEARCHERS RECEIVE DURIP GRANT Kathleen A. Richardson, School of Optics/MSE, was awarded a Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to purchase an advanced X-ray diffraction system, worth $1M, for the development of novel infrared optics, a high-power solid-state laser and nuclear detector materials as well other material research and education programs focused on material advances critical to the Department of Defense. She is working with professors Romain Gaume of CREOL/NSTC/AMPAC and Yongho Sohn of MSE/AMPAC. The DURIP program is for the acquisition of major equipment by U.S institutions of higher education to augment current or develop new research capabilities to support research in technical areas of interest to the DoD. In total, the University of Central Florida earned five research grants worth nearly $2 million.
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SOHN NAMED ASM INTERNATIONAL FELLOW Prof. Yongho Sohn was named an American Society for Metals International Fellow for 2015. He is a professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Associate Director for Materials Characterization Facility, administered by AMPAC at UCF. Sohn works on understanding and controlling the micro and nano structure of materials. Through his work, his laboratory has been established as the “go-to” laboratory to work with
for robust materials characterization and high-fidelity diffusion data by government agencies and industrial entities. Sohn says “Materials that will revolutionize our world with the next technology will be designed via efficient computational tools with a strong linkage to the fundamental properties we observe in our physical world. I am motivated that I can contribute to the foundation of this emerging paradigm as a researcher. And I am privileged that I can teach, train and mentor bright students through fundamental research activities as a university faculty.”
UCF’S NEW PROSTHETICS FACULTY CLUSTER SEAL, PELES AND LAMBERT ARE LEADING THE NEW UCF RESEARCH CLUSTER IN THE INTELLIGENT PROSTHETICS FIELD Sudipta Seal, Yoav Peles, and Stephen Lambert are leading the new Prosthetics Cluster at UCF, a faculty research cluster aiming to establish a critical mass of dedicated faculty to enable a viable interdisciplinary bio-medical engineering (BME) program at UCF. Core competencies are envisioned in prosthetic interfaces for implantable devices and systems, and identification and formalization of a focal point for world-class research and educational endeavors for UCF’s scholars working on technology pertinent to medical applications, devices and systems. In addition, the program seeks to enhance interdisciplinary research capabilities and infrastructure of other UCFaffiliated initiatives.
Learn more about the Prosthetics Cluster at UCF.EDU/FACULTY/CLUSTER /PROSTHETIC-INTERFACES/
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With applications in deploying engineering and circuitry inside the human body that can help erase disabilities, and more controversially, to enhance human capacities beyond their evolutionary limits, the field of intelligent prosthetics is beginning to take center stage in the arena of medicine and engineering. Over the next decade, the field is envisioned to grow in demand by government agencies and private, commercial organizations to develop everincreasing sophisticated prosthetic systems. This faculty research cluster is set to to position UCF as a world leader in the entire intelligent prosthetic domain.
Faculty, students, and staff at the MSE Fall 2015 Social
CORE FACULTY Advanced processing and synthesis, fundamental understanding of structure and property of advanced materials, and extreme environmental sensors
Linan An, Ph.D.
Thin film processing, magnetic materials, solid state reactions, nanoscale tribology, magnetic thin films, and grain boundary diffusion
Kevin Coffey, Ph.D.
Professor MSE, AMPAC
Professor MSE, AMPAC
Fuel cell, energy, catalysis and membrane research
Biological interfaces, nano-scale science and engineering, molecular self-assembly, polymer thin films, biotechnology, soft lithography, scanning probe microscopy, and liquid crystal imaging techniques
James Fenton, Ph.D.
Jiyu Fang, Ph.D.
Director: Florida Solar Energy Center Professor, MSE
Associate Professor Graduate Program Coordinator MSE, AMPAC
Processing and characterization of biomaterial scaffolds, tissue engineering tumor microenvironment, characterization of cell-material interaction, and stem cells
Stephen J. Florczyk, Ph.D.
Reliability metrology, emerging interconnect and packaging systems, micro/nano-fabrication, microstructure and interface, micro/nano-mechanical characterization, synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction
Tengfei Jiang, Ph.D. Assistant Professor MSE, AMPAC
Assistant Professor MSE
Functional materials processing including nano/micro, bulk nanomanufacturing, nanobiotechnology, surface engineering, coatings, nanoenergetics, nanotoxicity, and advanced analytical tools
Sudipta Seal, Ph.D.
Director: Advanced Materials Processing Analysis Center Director: Nanoscience Technology Center Interim Chair: Materials Science & Engineering MSE, AMPAC, College of Medicine
More Faculty Details at MSE.UCF.EDU
Yong-ho Sohn, Ph.D. Associate Director, MCF Professor MSE, AMPAC
Raj Vaidyanathan, Ph.D. Professor MSE, AMPAC
Multicomponent multiphase diffusion, including thermotransport, high temperature materials and coatings including thermal barrier coatings, oxidation and corrosion, materials and coatings for energy production, storage and conversion, and materials characterization and electron microscopy
Properties and multi-scale mechanical characterization of advanced materials, Micro- and nanoindentation, In situ diffraction (neutron and synchrotron x-ray) at load and temperature, residual stress measurements, and Smart materials; metallic glasses
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PROGRAM FACULTY
Yuanli Bai, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Constitutive modeling of plasticity and fracture for new materials including metals and nano-composites, lightweight designs, structural impact and crashworthiness, multi-scale finite element analysis and material subroutine development, and experimental techniques development
Quanfang Chen, Ph.D.
Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, MSE
Micro/Nanofabrication for bioMEMS and optical applications, microfluidic devices, micromachined magnetic sensors and actuators, and fundamental MEMS process: UV-LIGA, electrodeposition and packaging
Hyoung Jin “Joe� Cho, Ph.D.
Novel carbon materials, diffusion in silicon, and thin films deposition
Lee Chow, Ph.D. Professor Physics, MSE
Professor: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering MSE, ECE
Photovoltaic materials processing, and photovoltaic materials characterization and testing
Neelkanth Dhere, Ph.D.
Design, fabrication and characterization of optical ceramics, laser ceramics, scintillator materials, thermoelectrics materials, and nanoceramics
Romain Gaume, Ph.D.
Research Faculty and Professor, Florida Solar Energy Center MSE
Assistant Professor: School of Optics and Nanoscience Technology Center, MSE
Nanoscale optoelectronic materials and devices for energy conversion nanobiology: imaging and biophysical studies
Andre J. Gesquire, Ph.D.
Associate Professor: Chemistry and Nanoscience Technology Center, School of Optics, MSE
Characterization of nanostructures of surface acoustic wave devices, precipitates and interfaces of alloys, new methods of quantitative transmission electron microscopy, chemical-bath deposition of metals and oxides, variations of local optoelectronic properties of thin-film Helge Heinrich, Ph.D. solar cells Associate Professor: Physics, AMPAC, MSE
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Micro/nano machining, Microfluidics, robust microvalve arrays for piezoelectric driven hydraulic actuators, portable separator/concentrator for biological assays, chemical sensors, synthesis of multifunctional nanocomposites and nanowires, energy saving materials and systems, tribology of microsystems, and material simulation.
Jan Gou, Ph.D.
Professor: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, MSE
James J. Hickman, Ph.D.
Professor: Nanoscience Technology Center, Chemistry, ECE, MSE, BSBS
Composite materials manufacturing, mechanics of composite materials, durability of composite materials, nanocomposite materials, smart materials and structures, molecular dynamics simulations, finite element simulations, materials processing and mechanics, nondestructive evaluation, solid mechanics, and design and manufacturing Nanoscience, engineered neuronal networks as drug screening platforms, an in vitro model of stem cell innervation of myotubes, high throughput electrophysiology for pathway identification, nanocolumnsupported nanoparticle array for early detection of lung cancer biomarkers
Qun “Treen” Huo, Ph.D.
Nanoparticle materials, Architectural organization of nanobuilding blocks, precise control on both the chemical structures of individual, controlled chemical functionalization of nanoparticles, development of nanoparticle/ polymer hybrid materials
Associate Professor: Chemistry and Nanoscience Technology Center, MSE
Low-dimensional electronic materials (nanowires and 2D materials), nanoscale structureproperty relationships, in-situ transmission electron microscopy, energy and electronic technologies
Yeonwoong “Eric” Jung, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor: Nanoscience Technology Center, MSE
Biophysics of cytoskeletal protein assembly and dynamics, biopolymer and cell mechanics, molecular mechanism of mechano-sensing
Hyeran Kang, Ph.D.
Laser-advanced materials processing, manufacturing, process physics modeling and materials modeling
Aravinda Kar, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor: Nanoscience Technology Center and BSBS, MSE
Professor: School of Optics, MSE, MAE
Novel multi-material optical fiber structures, photonic bandgap fibers, nanophotonics, fiber-based optoelectronic devices, and midinfrared nonlinear fiber optics
Ayman Abouraddy, Ph.D. Associate Professor: School of Optics, MSE
Kathleen A. Richardson, Ph.D.
Mechanics of aerospace structures and materials, piezo-spectroscopy, thermal barrier coatings, in situ strain measurements using synchrotron radiation, and non-destructive evaluation
Seetha Raghavan, Ph.D. Associate Professor MAE, MSE
Design, process, fabricate and characterize novel infrared glass and glass ceramic materials with unique functionality – including optical, thermal, mechanical and other physical attributes that allow materials to be integrated with other manufacturing methods and systems
Professor: School of Optics, MSE
Quantum dot nanotechnology, antimicrobial nanomaterials, Agricultural pesticides, biodegradable polymers, bioimaging and sensing, and drug delivery systems
Swadeshmukul Santra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor: Chemistry, Nanoscience Technology Center, Biomolecular Sciences, MSE
Computational materials science, thermal transport, electrochemistry, electronic structure methods, multiscale simulation
Patrick Schelling, Ph.D.
c-Si photovoltaic cells and modules, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of wurtzite and cubic oxide semiconductors, and oxide semiconductor solar-blind detectors
Winston Schoenfeld, Ph.D.
Associate Professor: Physics, AMPAC, MSE
Associate Professor: School of Optics, FSEC, MSE
Nanostructured materials, processing and properties of nonequilibrium materials, mechanical alloying, materials characterization
C. Suryanarayana, Ph.D. Professor: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, MSE
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UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA • ORLANDO The University of Central Florida, the nation’s second-largest university, promotes a diverse and inclusive environment. Students come from 50 states and 148 countries. UCF is an academic, partnership and research leader in numerous fields, such as optics, modeling and simulation, engineering and computer science, business administration, education, biomedical sciences, hospitality management, and digital media.
Materials science underpins every product and process on which our modern society depends. High resolution microscopy, nanoscale spectroscopy, subsurface imaging, 2D materials characterization, soft matter characterization, Nnno(bio)technology
Laurene Tetard, Ph.D.
Jayan Thomas, Ph.D. Associate Professor: Nanoscience Technology Center, School of Optics, MSE
Assistant Professor: Nanoscience Technology Center, Physics, MSE
Nano materials synthesis and characterization, graphene, 2D materials and beyond, supercapacitors and batteries, water splitting catalysis, smart electronics
Yang Yang, Ph.D. Assistant Professor: Nanoscience Technology Center, MSE
MSE.UCF.EDU
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Nanoimprinting techniques, nanoarchitectured solar cells, nanostructured ultracapacitors, 3-D display techniques using photorefractive polymers, nonlinear optical materials, optical limiting devices, nanophotonic devices
Lei Zhai, Ph.D.
Associate Professor: Nanoscience Technology Center, Chemistry, MSE
Conductive polymer/nanotube composites, Polymer Derived Surface Functionalization of Microfluidic Systems, Bottom-up Assembly of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) on Carbon Nanotubes: 2D Building Blocks for Nanoscale Circuits, Conductive block copolymer systems to disperse and stabilize CNTs
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS 2015 Graduate Research Forum Congratulations to the 2015 Graduate Research Forum Winners in the Engineering, Computer Science and Modeling and Simulation category.
First Place ZENAN YU, Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. Energy Storing Electrical Cables Mentor/Co-Author: Jayan Thomas, Ph.D.
Second Place YI DING, Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. Light-Matter Interaction at the Nanoscale Using MultiFrequency Atomic Force Microscopy Mentor: Laurene Tetard, Ph.D. Over 230 students and 70 faculty judges participated in the event and over $15,000 in awards was presented for Best in Category presentations.
ZENAN YU is a Ph.D. candidate in Jayan Thomas’s research group. A winner of UCF Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Completion Fellowship, he has published six papers, including two in Advanced Materials and one each in Energy & Environmental Science, Nano Energy, and Journal of Materials Chemistry A. YI DING is a Ph.D. candidate in the UCF Tetard Research Group. She has been awarded the Austin L. Grogan Scholarship. The scholarship recognizes graduate students of the Engineering Department with a Materials Science and Engineering major who have demonstrated an excellent academic standing and who have participated in appropriate scholarly activities. CONGRATULATIONS to SWETHA BARKAM and ANKUR GUPTA: SGA Graduate Student Research Scholarship for $500 and SGA Campus Involvement Scholarship $250.
ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT CATHERINE CARLISLE KAMMERER graduated in 2015 with a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. In addition to doing research under Prof. Sohn, Kammerer was a GTA and the Instructor of Record for multiple classes. She was recognized with the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for 20122013 and Outstanding Student Teacher Award for 2013-2014. Catherine is now employed by Aerojet Rocketdyne as a principal engineer specializing in materials and processes. Supporting both design and manufacturing of rocket engines, she provides direction on materials selection and process development. SWETHA BARKAM is a Ph.D. candidate in MSE and associated with AMPAC and NSTC. She has been selected as the ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors delegate for the upcoming year. In addition, she was awarded the Alumni Fellows scholarship in the amount of $1500. This award is in recognition of her scholastic achievements and her wellrounded background in various activities. ANKUR GUPTA is a MSE Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Seal’s Research Group associated with MSE, AMPAC, and NSTC. He has been awarded the Dorothy M. and Earl S. Hoffman Travel Grant to present a paper at the AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition.
“I know I have been able to make an immediate impact at Aerojet Rocketdyne, and I owe that opportunity to the lessons I learned while at UCF,” says Catherine. Alumna Catherine Kammerer
next to a rocket engine.
ABHISHEK MEHTA is a MSE Ph.D. candidate in Yongho Sohn’s Research Group associated with AMPAC. He has been awarded the $5K David T. & Jane M. Donaldson Memorial Scholarship from the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science.
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ALUMNUS SUCCESS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH In 2003 Steven Schwarz (MSE graduate 2002), and three other UCF alumni, started a local business called NanoSpective, Inc. NanoSpective specializes in materials science with emphasis on advanced materials characterization for clients in various markets including semiconductor, opto-electronic, defense and legal. NanoSpective uses sophisticated imaging and spectroscopic techniques to perform nanoscale analysis in design and manufacture of innovative technologies and materials. Having resources such as UCF Technology Incubator Program, Grow Florida, National Entrepreneur Center, Small Business Development Center, Advisory Broad Council, and AMPAC Materials Characterization Facility (MCF), has been instrumental in our success. The availability of resources at the MCF was a key component that allowed us to overcome the market entry barrier. Access to state of the art characterization tools that keep pace with the shrinking dimensions of semiconductor technology is essential for our company to remain competitive, generate high tech jobs in the region, and continue to grow. Growing as a company has made us realize the importance of giving back to the community to help keep the university and surrounding industries healthy and viable. One way we have given back has been through STEM initiatives which include programs like Florida First Robotics, Science Olympiad, Summer Internship Programs, Florida High Tech Corridor Council techPATH teacher workshops, Society of Women Engineers Mystery Design, and Professional Science in Master’s in Nanotechnology Program. The experience we’ve gained through UCF and the community outreach programs has enriched our lives and our families’ lives immeasurably. The quality of life in Central Florida is tremendous and the opportunities and resources afforded to NanoSpective has allowed our families to stay here and grow with the community.
“The availability of resources at the MCF was a key component that allowed us to overcome the market entry barrier.”
FACULTY AND STAFF DIRECTORY CORE FACULTY
PROGRAM FACULTY
Linan An Kevin Coffey Jiyu Fang James Fenton Stephen J. Florczyk Tengfei Jiang Sudipta Seal Yong-ho Sohn Raj Vaidyanathan
Ayman Abouraddy Yuanli Bai Quanfang Chen Hyoung Jin “Joe” Cho Lee Chow Neelkanth Dhere Romain Gaume Andre J. Gesquiere Jan Gou Helge Heinrich James J. Hickman Qun “Treen” Huo Yeonwoong “Eric” Jung Hyeran Kang Aravinda Kar Seetha Raghavan Kathleen A. Richardson
STAFF Jennifer Acosta (AMPAC) Sandra Griggs (AMPAC) Sol Angeline Feliciano (AMPAC) Jodi Peters (MSE) Pamela Ross (MSE) Kari Stiles (AMPAC) 14
Patrick Schelling Winston Schoenfeld C. Suryanarayana Laurene Tetard Jayan Thomas Yang Yang Lei Zhai
INSTRUCTOR Dan Zhou
NEWSLETTER Jiyu Fang Andres Gonzalez Pamela Ross Sudipta Seal
MSE FACTS UCF MSE
FACULTY AVERAGED $350K/LAST TWO YEARS
IN FUNDING
along with an average 6-8
PUBLICATIONS/FACULTY
Faculty members publish frequently, and their research has been featured in cover stories for a variety of TOP JOURNALS. Volume 10 · No. 14 – July 23 2014
Vol. 26 • No. 25 • July 2 • 2014
D10488
www.advmat.de
www.small-journal.com
14/2014 Enhanced Magnetism in Highly Ordered Magnetite Nanoparticle-Filled Nanohole Arrays M.-H. Phan, J. Thomas, and co-workers
SMALL_10_14_cover.indd 1
ADMA_26_25_cover.indd 5
7/3/14 12:04 PM
5/28/14 4:56 PM
STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS _ Asian 4%
Hispanic 4% Multiracial 4%
White 33% International 55%
Annual enrollment in the MSE graduate program typically ranges between 50 and 60 students. 33% of our graduate students are women, and 84% are supported through research and teaching assistantships. Graduate students can choose between a specialization in metallurgy/materials or colloids/polymer engineering. UCF has awarded 75 Ph.D. degrees and 182 M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering since Fall 1998.
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