DOD SMART Scholarship Awarded to Brandi Wooten

Congratulations to CEM graduate researcher Brandi Wooten for winning a SMART (Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation) Scholarship from the Department of Defense.

Brandi will be assigned to the Army Research Lab (ARL) – Sensors and Electronic Devices Directorate (SEDD) in Adelphi, MD. She will spend her summers there (beginning in 2022) until she graduates. Afterwards, she will will work there for as many years as they fund her (~2 years).  They make materials atom by atom (a process known as molecular beam epitaxy), then they ship the samples to her where she measures the topological electronic and magnetic properties. Through the scholarship program, she will develop both skillsets, which will be great for future employment opportunities.

Prof. Robert Baker Named Deputy Director of the Institute for Optical Science

Congratulations to Prof. Robert Baker on his appointment as Deputy Director of the Institute of Optical Science.

Robert has been a member of iOS since its inception in 2018 and is co-Director of the NSF NeXUS facility. Robert’s research interest utilizes ultrafast optical-XUV spectroscopy to study surface electron dynamics and interfacial charge transfer in order to control catalytic energy conversion processes.>

Robert joined the faculty at OSU in 2014. He received his B.S. from Brigham Young University. In 2012, he completed his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley in the group of Prof. Gabor Somorjai. He remained at Berkeley as a post-doctoral research associate in the group of Prof. Stephen Leone. At OSU, he has been awarded funding from the NSF, DOE and AFOSR. His distinctions include a DOE Early Career award an AFOSR Young Investigator award and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar award.

Visit the iOS website for webinar schedules and news items.

Stiner-Jones Completes ELATES Program

Congratulations to La’Tonia Stiner-Jones for completing the “Executive Leadership in Academic Technology Engineering and Sciences” program. The program is designed to prepare women faculty for executive leadership roles. The 11-month program includes a number of assignments, readings, and group projects. All participants were required to complete an Institutional Action Project of benefit to their college, department, and/or the university.