UAlbany Nanocollege undergrad honored for photoluminescence work

Albany, NY--Sheila Smith, a sophomore at the University of Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) majoring in nanoengineering, has been named a recipient of the prestigious 2012 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, which honors outstanding undergraduates in science, engineering, and mathematics. What's more, Smith is both the first CNSE undergrad and believed to be the first ever in the field of nanotechnology to receive the scholarship award.

Smith's research targets the development of new materials and processes to enhance the speed, functionality, and energy efficiency of devices such as cell phones, laptops, LEDs, and solar cells. Working with her adviser, CNSE Associate Professor of Nanoengineering Dr. F. Shadi Shahedipour-Sandvik, her research uses photoluminescence techniques to analyze the fundamental optical properties of gallium nitride (GaN)-based materials to help determine their application and performance. Smith plans to eventually pursue her graduate degree in nanoengineering at CNSE.

Additionally, CNSE sophomore Zachary Olmsted received an Honorable Mention. A nanoengineering major advised by CNSE Associate Professor of Nanobioscience Dr. Janet Paluh, he studies nanomotors and bio-synthetic devices that utilize self-assembly paradigms to enable next-generation nanomanufacturing platforms. His research also facilitates advances in "lab-on-a-chip" for point-of-care test results in medical patients. He plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in nanomedicine, a joint program of the UAlbany NanoCollege and State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center.

The goal of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is to alleviate a critical current and future shortage of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers in the US, and to provide a continuing source of highly qualified individuals to those fields of academic study and research. The award comes with $15,000 in funding for Smith's undergraduate study over the next two years.

The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of more than 1,000 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. Recent Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 77 Rhodes Scholarships, 108 Marshall Awards, 98 Churchill Scholarships, and numerous other distinguished fellowships.

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