ND Energy announces fall and winter Vincent P. Slatt Fellowships to support energy-related research


The Center for Sustainable Energy at Notre Dame (ND Energy) is pleased to announce the recipients of the Vincent P. Slatt Fellowship for Undergraduate Research in Energy Systems and Processes for the fall semester and winter session. Students are recognized for their academic achievements and exceptional abilities to collaborate with ND Energy affiliated faculty on research projects that support one or more of ND Energy’s research focus areas. These calls were made in addition to the annual call in January to support undergraduate education and most recently to assist with the advancement of energy-related research programs following laboratory shutdowns and other extenuating circumstances due to COVID-19.

Slatt fellowships were established in 2006 by Christopher (’80) and Jeanine Slatt in honor of Vincent P. Slatt, Notre Dame Class of 1943. Awards are up to $5,000 each and are used to support student stipends, laboratory supplies, and travel for students to present their research at a national conference. Since the program began, ND Energy has made 177 awards to undergraduate students totaling more than $731,000.

“Slatt scholars represent an exceptional group of young students who are well prepared for research and passionate about topics in sustainable energy,” said Peter C. Burns, Henry J. Massman Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences and director of ND Energy. “I am delighted that both faculty and students benefit from the Slatt fellowship program and the unique opportunity it provides for contributing to research at Notre Dame. It is because of the generosity of the Slatt family that we are able to provide financial support, especially in times when it is mostly needed.”  

This year’s cohort of Slatt scholars is the largest since the program began, eliciting thirty-nine undergraduate researchers. Starting with the annual call in January, eight students received awards that were announced in the spring – Austin Booth, Yi-Chung (Andrew) Chen, Peter Halloran, Andrew Scott Manning, Daniel Palmer, Kimberly Riordan, Matthew Riss, and Andrew Smith – and the fall and winter calls produced thirty-one scholars overall. The total amount in awards totaled nearly $118,000.

The fall 2020 Slatt Scholars are introduced as follows:

Coates Thomas

Thomas Coates, sophomore in computer science and engineering, is collaborating with Prof. Sergey Leonov on nanosecond resolution camera imaging of a single-pin streamer electric discharge.

Hannah Collins

Hannah Collins, a junior in chemistry with a minor in energy studies, is conducting a fundamental materials studies on fast ion diffusion in model side-chain ionomers under the direction of Prof. Jennifer Schaefer.

Gruenler Sam Headshot

Samuel Gruenler, a junior in economics with a minor in energy studies, is collaborating with Prof. Christiane Baumeister on a risk assessment in energy markets.

Alex Hymes Picture

Alexander Hymes, a senior in chemistry with business, is collaborating with Prof. Haifeng Gao on designing a polymer network containing exchangeable bonds, called covalent adaptable networks or CANs, based on the recently developed Friedel-Crafts (F-C) hydroxyalkylation polymerization technique.

Kerr Emma

Emma Kerr, a junior in chemical and biomolecular engineering with a minor in energy studies, is conducting a fundamental materials studies on fast ion diffusion in model side-chain ionomers under the direction of Prof. Jennifer Schaefer.

Seryeong Lee

Seryeong Lee, a senior in chemistry, is collaborating with Prof. Emily Tsui to model the FTIR spectra of organometallic fragments coordinated to the surfaces of semiconductor nanocrystals.

Jacob Novitch

Jacob Novitch, a junior in civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences, is studying the effect of hydroxylamine on the structure and function of nitrifying biofilms under the direction of Prof. Robert Nerenberg.

Melanie Perez

Melanie Perez, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, is studying nanomaterials for energy technologies that withstand high temperatures and harsh chemical environments under the direction of Prof. Svetlana Neretina.

Schaefer Robbie

Robert Schaefer, a senior in electrical engineering, is studying energy efficient parallel computing with applications in large scale fluid simulations and machine learning under the direction of Prof. Vijay Gupta.

Ethan Sunshine

Ethan Sunshine, a senior in chemical engineering and mathematics with a minor in computational engineering, is using computational models to predict the low-energy surfaces of nickel phosphide particles and to compute CO adsorption energies and vibrational spectroscopy under the direction of Prof. William Schneider.

Tan Christina

Christina Tan, a junior in chemical and biomolecular engineering, is collaborating with Prof. Yamil Colon on the automated detection of defects in porous materials with machine learning.

Taylor Allison Headshot
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Allison Taylor and Brendan Kane, juniors in aerospace engineering, are studying the advancement of icephobic coating for reducing ice accretion on a heat exchanger under the direction of Prof. Hirotaka Sakaue.

The winter 2020-21 Slatt Scholars are introduced as follows:

Adegoke Akin M

Akin Adegoke, a junior in mechanical engineering with a minor in energy studies, is collaborating with Prof. Paul Rumbach on “Integrating Photovoltaic Infrastructure and Agriculture.”

Barron Annika

Annika Barron, a freshman in physics in medicine and global affairs and a member of the Glynn Family Honors Program, is collaborating with Prof. Jay LaVerne on “Radiolysis of Lunar Regolith and Surrogates.”

Coates Thomas

Thomas Coates, a sophomore in computer science and engineering with a minor in energy studies, is collaborating with Prof. Sergey Leonov on “Probe Waveform and Nanosecond Imaging Comparative Analysis for Volumetric Space Charge Waves.”

Crawford Robert

Robert Crawford, a junior in architecture with minors in sustainability and computing and digital technologies, is collaborating with Prof. John Onyango on “Solar Energy Potential in South Bend.”

Gross Neila

Neila Gross, a junior in chemical engineering, is collaborating with Prof. Albert Ceronne and Prof. Robert Nerenberg on “Understanding the Effects of Sonication on Biofilm Removal.”

Kang Brian

Brian Kang, a junior in chemical engineering with a minor in energy studies, is collaborating with Prof. Prashant Kamat on “How Chloride Suppresses Photoinduced Phase Segregation in Mixed Halide Perovskites.”

Kasl

Thomas Kasl, a junior in chemistry and bioengineering, is collaborating with Prof. William Phillip on “3D-Printing Hierarchical Nanostructure Absorbance for Contaminant Removal and Resource Recovery.”

Kemper Collin

Collin Kemper, a junior in chemical engineering, is collaborating with Kyle Doudrick on “Optimization of Fog Harps as an Energy-Free Method to Collect Drinking Water for Caribbean Nations.”

Kilmartin Cara

Cara Kilmartin, a junior in chemical engineering with a minor in energy studies, is collaborating with Prof. William Phillip on “Resource Recovery using Diafiltration Membrane Modeling and Separation Processes.”

Lanchoney Olivia

Olivia Lanchoney, a senior in chemistry and Arabic, is collaborating with Prof. Vlad Iluc on “Synthesis of a Three-Coordinate Nickel Alkylidene.”

Ludwig Emily

Erin Ludwig, a junior in environmental engineering with a minor in energy studies, is collaborating with Prof. Melissa Berke on “Using Chemical Lichenometry to Understand Coastal Storm Deposits.”

Miles Audrey

Audrey Miles, a sophomore in chemistry with computing and mathematics, is collaborating with Prof. William Schneider on “Benchmarking Ammonia Synthesis Entropies in Microkinetic Modeling.”

Mueller Stephanie

Stephanie Mueller, a junior in biochemistry and anthropology, is collaborating with Prof. Vlad Iluc on “Zinc(II) Carbene Synthesis and Reactivity.”

Muszynska Marlena

Marlena Muszynska, a junior in biological sciences, is collaborating with Ian Lightcap on “Synthesis, Characterization and Electrochemical Testing of Iron/Iron Oxide Clusters as Potential Replacements for Platinum in Hydrogen Fuel Cells.”

Patterson Amanda

Amanda Patterson, a junior in environmental science with a minor in energy studies, is collaborating with Prof. Peter Burns on “Breakdown of Uranyl Peroxide Nanoclusters in Low Aqueous Concentrations; Pueblo of Laguna.”

Tan Christina

Christina Tan, a junior in chemical engineering, is collaborating with Prof. Yamil Colon on “Automated Detection of Defects in Porous Materials with Machine Learning.”.

Tullman Alexander

Alex Tullman, a junior in finance with minors in energy studies and history, is collaborating with Ian Lightcap on “Can Coating Power Transmission Lines with Graphene Increase Conduction Efficiency?”

Wamble Noah

Noah Wamble, a senior in chemical engineering, is collaborating with Prof. Alexander Dowling on “Novel Diafiltration Cascades for Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling.”

For more information about the Slatt fellowship program and the 2020 research projects, visit the ND Energy website

 

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.