press releases
Energy Fellowships awarded to exceptional student researchers
June 29, 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. ---Six PhD students conducting research in energy-related fields have been awarded Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute Energy Fellowships.
The Energy Fellowships were created in support of MMPEI’s mission to develop, coordinate, and promote multidisciplinary energy research and education at U-M. Students will work closely with faculty advisors to stimulate new research directions in energy. The fellowships include two years of funding.
Originally, only three fellowships were planned. Due to the generosity of U-M’s Office of the Vice President and Research and the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, that number was increased to five.
In addition, a sixth award was made to provide an opportunity for a student to participate in an upcoming project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy to study the technical challenges and societal impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The recipients of the 2007/2008 MMPEI Energy Fellowships are:
Rachel Collino
“GaAs Wafer Bonding and Blistering Studies for Ion-Cut Synthesis”
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Rachel Collino |
Collino, a second year PhD student in mechanical engineering, is studying high efficiency photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices and how they can be produced at low materials cost by using thin layers on a carrier wafer. She is refining a method of ion-cut synthesis, or using simultaneous nanostructure synthesis and layer transfer via wafer bonding.
“This process is expected to enable the development of low-cost manufacturing methods for heterogeneous nanostructure integration, especially for high efficiency solar cell and thermoelectric devices for long-term energy sustainability,” Collino said.
Collino recognizes that technology is not enough to solve the energy challenge, and says that the MMPEI fellowship will complement her technical studies by allowing her to explore the economic and public policy issues involved in the development of sustainable energy sources. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from U-M.
Shawn Johnson
“Multi-sector, Multi-jurisdictional Collaboration Toward Sustainable Energy Pathways: Best Practices and Lessons Learned”
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Shawn Johnson |
Johnson will begin his PhD studies in Resources and Policy behavior at the School of Natural Resources and Environment in fall 2007. Using literature searches and interviews, Johnson will examine several regional collaborative efforts in the U.S. to see how these initiatives address issues of energy supply and demand and how such actions and policies are shaping the behavior of individuals, non profit organizations, governments, and businesses.
“One of my specific interests is the role of collaborative decision-making bodies in identifying and pursuing secure, affordable, and sustainable energy pathways,” Johnson said.
Johnson has master’s degree in public affairs and a certificate in science, technology and environmental policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in political science and German from Montana State University. He is currently an associate with the Public Policy Research Institute at the University of Montana and spent three years as a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Max Baucus.
Darshan Karwat
"The Implementation of Biorenewable Fuels in the Aviation Industry: Policy Versus Engineering Tradeoffs”
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Darshan Karwat |
Karwat received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan this past spring and will begin his PhD studies in winter 2008. His research will focus much needed attention on the issue of renewable fuels and environmental effects in aviation.
“Introducing biofuels into the aviation industry represents uncharted territory, both in terms of understanding how industry will respond to environmental policy incentives, and in terms of understanding the effects of fuel blends on jet engine efficiency, emissions and performance,” Karwat said.
Karwat will work with advisors from U-M’s College of Engineering and Ford School of Public Policy to first understand the impact of low-freezing point fuels on jet emissions and light-off performance, then analyze economic implications and how policy can be crafted to encourage the aviation industry to adopt biofuels.
Brendan O’Connor
“Fiber Based Organic Electronics for Energy Applications”
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Brendan O'Connor |
O’Connor is a third year PhD student in mechanical engineering and a graduate student research assistant at the Laboratory for Nanostructured Energy Conversion Devices. O’Connor is developing fiber based organic optoelectronic devices.
Solar energy has enormous potential as a renewable energy source, except 99% of solar cells are silicon-based and very expensive. “Fiber based devices provide a means of low cost reel to reel device fabrication and when woven into fabric enable a wide range of mechanical characteristics to be engineering into the final product, broadening the range of applicability,” O’Connor said.
He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Marquette University and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from University of Massachusetts, where he was graduate student research assistant at the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
Athi Varuttamaseni
Varuttamaseni, a third year PhD student in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, will participate in a multidisciplinary study of the technological challenges and societal impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). The PHEV project is slated to begin in summer 2008 and will include researchers from across U-M, industry and national laboratories.
Varuttamaseni is working on a probabilistic risk analysis of electric power grid with one of the study’s primary investigators, professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences John Lee.
He received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he worked in the nuclear reactor lab and developed computer code for neutron activation analysis as well as code for tracking fuel radioactivity.
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Changgua Zhen |
Changgua Zhen
“Simulation-Based Predictive Design of Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Nano-Structured Materials for Solid-State Lighting and Solar Energy Harvesting”
Zhen is a first year PhD student in materials science and engineering. His research interests involve the use of atomistic simulation for designing molecules with specific properties before trying to synthesize them in the laboratory. The first phase of his research project will focus on molecular design, including solubility, electron transfer dynamics, and exciton binding energy. The second phase will ensure all necessary chemicals are commercially available and that the final product can be obtained using one step synthesis.
“By combining predictive design, experimental synthesis, and prototype device characterization, this cross-disciplinary research will provide a deepened understanding of organic materials for sold-state lighting, solar energy harvesting and beyond,” said Zhen.
Zhen received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Peking University, where he was also a research assistant at the Optoelectronic Materials and Devices Physics Lab.
Honorable Mentions
True to UM’s dedication to innovative energy research, there were many qualified applicants and MMPEI would like to recognize the following students:
- Scott Moura, mechanical engineering, for his work on “Optimal Design and Control of a Stochastic Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle to Grid System”
- Sonca Nguyen, aerospace engineering, for her work on “Hydrogen Production by Dissociation of Water via a Helicon Plasma Source”
- Leon Webster, applied physics, for his project “Hybrid Photo-Electrochemical Cells”
A second round of energy fellowships will be awarded in spring 2008.
About MMPEI
The Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute is charting a path to a clean, secure and affordable energy future by developing and coordinating energy research and education in the physical and social sciences at the University of Michigan. For more information, please visit www.mmpei.umich.edu.
Contact:
Adrienne Losh
734 615 5678
alosh@umich.edu
