Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration

UAB REU Goes to Lawson State Community College

Dr. Shawanda Thomas, STEM Director & Mathematics Instructor, at Lawson State Community College was kind enough to invite us to talk to the Lawson State STEM Scholars Program about our REU program. In attendance from our program was Charita H. Cadenhead, REU Program Coordinator, Kayla Hardrick (Miles College 2022 REU), Jayden Parker (UAB 2023 REU), Kyla Smith (Lawson State Community College 2022 REU) and Isaiah Bastien (Lawson State Community College 2023 REU). Jaydyn Parker gave an a 3-minute poster presentation of her REU research project titled “Flammability Study of 3D Printed Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites for Space Application.” Kayla Hardwick and Kyla Smith were on hand to answer any questions that the program had about their REU experiences. Afterwards there were a number of excellent questions from the class about the program and we are hopeful that we will have several Lawson State Community College students applying to our program again this year.

Kyla Smith, 2022 REU has been quite busy since taking part in our program. During the Emerging Researcher’s National Conference in STEM (February 9-11, 2023, Washington, DC), she placed 2nd in the Chemistry and Chemical Science Category for her REU research poster titled “Characterization of Poly- (D,L-lactic acid)/ Titania Nanocomposite Microparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Contaminants in Water.” Outside of her UAB REU Project, as a student representing Lawson State Community College, she received the 2022-23 American Heart Association’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Scholars Program Award. According to the 2023 STEMPOSIUM Magazine, Kyla took part in an academic-year research experience, engaged in virtual leadership workshops, and attended the AHA’s International Scientific Sessions, the largest cardiovascular disease conference in the world.

Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Dobbins (Samford STEM Scholars Director) and Ms. Velester Debro (STEM Grant Coordinator) from Samford University were also in attendance to make a presentation to the STEM Scholars Program. Many thanks also to Lawson State’s STEM Assistant, Jean Whitlow, for making sure that logistically, everything went smoothly (oh and of course for the pizza).

Shawanda Thomas, Ph.D. (Center) STEM Director & Mathematics Instructor Lawson State Community College	Jadyn Parker (2023 REU) Prepares to present her poster to LSCC STEM class.	Isiah Bastien (2023 REU) joins Jadyn Parker (REU 2023) on stage
STEM Class at Lawson State Community College	REU Alumni (l-r): Kyla Smith (2022), Kayla Hardrick (2022) Jadyn Parker (2023), Isiah Bastien (2023)

Congratulations to CNMB’s Drs. Kharlampieva & Wasko

Join the Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration (CNMB) in congratulating members Dr. Eugenia Kharlampieva and Molly Wasko who will be helping the National Science Foundation decide how to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to build the technologies of the future (The UAB Reporter). Dr. Kharlampieva is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry as well as the Co-Director of the CNMB and Dr. Wasko is University Professor/Associate Dean, Collat School Of Business Dean’s Office.

Their roles as program directors through NSF’s rotator program, will be integral in magnifying UAB’s existing reputation as an outstanding research institution. The rotator program is designed to bring practicing scientists into the upper echelon of scientific decision-making in the United States, where they work alongside the agency’s permanent staff.

As reported in the UAB Reporter, according to Dr. Kharlampieva, “This experience is unique and exciting and really puts you out of your comfort zone.,” In September 2023, the NSF invested $72.5 million through the DMREF in 37 new four-year projects. Kharlampieva helped to select those recipients, whose projects include designing the next generation of rechargeable batteries, organic semiconductor systems, AI-enabled automated design of ultra-strong and ultra-elastic metallic alloys, and fast energy storage. Although much of the work is administrative — selecting expert participants in grant panels, following up with principal investigators on their progress and notifying those not selected — “I am always a scientist first,” Kharlampieva said. “This keeps me on the cutting edge of research and in knowing how to find the best science.”

You can read the full story here.

2022 REU Kayla Hardrick: Recipient of Strada HBCU Scholarship

The Strada Education Network initiated the Strada HBCU Initiative in 2022 to focus on the next generation of leaders. This is a highly selective program that provides an academic scholarship, leadership development, academic support and critical social engagement resulting in positive secondary learning opportunities that lead to a meaningful career pathway for Strada Scholar.

The first cohort of Scholars was selected at Miles College in the fall of 2023. Under the leadership of three advisors (Dr. Esther Suswam, Mr. Keith McKendall and Dr. Steven E. Hairston) each of the students will undertake and participate in mentoring, career coaching and other work-based learning experiences.

The three inaugural Strada Scholars and their program area of study are Dariya Jones (Chemistry), Kayla Hardrick (Biology) and Abigail Boudreaux (Biology). In addition to academic scholarship support and programming, each scholar has access to a stipend to assist them with career or graduates school preparation

The Miles College Strada Scholars are committed to initiating a community service project in the spring of 2024 to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Founding of Miles College.

Details provided by Kayla Hardrick

Congratulations to 2022 REU Kayla Hardrick. Kayla’s REU mentor was Dr. Pengfei Wang, Professor of Chemistry.

Renewal: Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration (CNMB)

I am pleased to announce that the Center for Nanoscale Materials and Biointegration (CNMB) ( https://sites.uab.edu/cnmb/ ) has been competitively renewed and selected as a University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Center (UWIRC) for the next five years 2024-2029.

Congratulations to all of the University-Wide Interdisciplinary Research Centers Selected for FY 2025

https://www.uab.edu/research/home/uwirc/fy25-selected

Spotlight on Growing Diamonds at UAB

Ribbon cutting for the new $75 million dollar East Science Hall (ESH) and South Science Hall (SSH) took place on Thursday, August 17, 2023. Visitors from on and off campus participated in the festivities which included guided tours of the building’s research labs, teaching labs, new offices and much more. ESH and SSH house the Departments of Physics, Biology and Chemistry. Dr. Yogesh K. Vohra, Professor of Physics and University Scholar, had the pleasure of leading the tour of the diamond fabrication lab along with Q&A about the process and uses.

Below is an excerpt of an extensive article by Al.com on Dr. Vohra’s process for growing diamonds:

The Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition reactor (CVD), which uses microwave power to break down methane and hydrogen gases to grow diamonds in the lab, has now been moved to a basement room of the new building. The South Science Hall and East Science Hall, part of the new Science and Engineering Complex, opened Thursday.

Large tanks are ready to combine methane and hydrogen into a mixture to produce high-pressure, high-temperature, nitrogen-doped synthetic diamonds. Yogesh Vohra, professor of physics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, held up several samples of yellow diamond crystals made in UAB’s lab to show a tour group.

You can read the full article here.