MSE Newsletter: Designing materials for tomorrow's tech, mimicking the design of bird colors, faculty and student awards and honors

Newsletter

January 2024

From the Chair

Dear Alumni and Friends of the Department,

As we embark on a new year, we pause to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and to look forward to the opportunities 2024 will bring us! In July 2023, I began my second 3-year term as chair and I am excited to lead this wonderful department as we continue to grow our faculty, expand our research spaces, and innovate in our classrooms and our labs. In this newsletter, we are highlighting the impact and accomplishments of our students, staff, and faculty in our four areas of excellence: Research, Education, Community, and Infrastructure.

Read the full message from MSE Chair Lara Estroff.

Learn “how nature inspires materials science in Cornell’s SoftLiv Lab”

A colorful bird sitting on a branch with green leaves in the background

Tiny networks intertwine to mimic design of bird colors

The bright plumage of birds is often a feast for the eyes, but it has been a headache for scientists who have struggled to recreate the photonic nanostructures that generate those colors in the lab.

A confocal microscopy image shows a bicontinuous microstructure with well-defined spacing.

Oral delivery a possibility for silica-based C'Dot

In addition to the potential for oral administration of C’Dots for cancer and other therapies, the research has also spurred new interest in ultrasmall silica itself as a health benefit.

Schematic representation of a Cornell Dot, with several molecules of a fluorescent rhodamine dye encapsulated in the center. The dye has been modified with a group that links to the encapsulating silicon.

Microcalcification 'fingerprints' can yield info about cancer

An interdisciplinary collaboration used a materials science approach to “fingerprint” the calcium mineral deposits known as microcalcifications that reveal pathological clues to the progression of breast cancer and potentially other diseases.

Left, a pathology stain of a ductal carcinoma, showing cells and connective tissue. Right, a Raman mapping of the calcification, which was captured by a technique that detects the distinct vibrational signatures of a biological molecule’s organic and inorganic chemistries.

Benedek Group designs dynamic materials for tomorrow's tech

Benedek and her lab use theoretical and computational techniques to discover or design functional materials with certain target properties.

Awards and Honors

darrell Schlom, Uli Weisner, James Hwang, Andrej Singer, Julie Dshemuchadse

Faculty and students receive recognition for their expert research, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and academic excellence

Julia Dshemuchadse, assistant professor, received the 2023 Faculty Champion Award - Junior Faculty for her commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion at Cornell. Darrell Schlom, Tisch University Professor, received the Cornell Engineering Teaching Award in recognition for his dedication to his students and his leadership of PARADIM, an NSF-funded materials innovation platform. Andrej Singer, assistant professor, received the Cornell Engineering Research Excellence Award for his work investigating materials at the nanoscale. James Hwang, research professor, was awarded the IEEE Lester F. Eastman Award for outstanding achievement in high-performance semiconductor devices. Uli Wiesner , Spencer T. Olin Professor of Engineering, won the 2023 Charles G. Overberger International Prize for Excellence in Polymer Research.

Ph.D. students Konrad Hedderick, Maya Martirossyan, and Rachael Skye received inaugural travel awards made possible by the generosity of Dr. William R. LaFontaine to support experiential learning opportunities at conferences and events. Natalia Urbas '23 received the Cornell Class of 1964 John F. Kennedy Memorial Award for Public Service. Ph.D. student, Cameron Gorsak, was awarded the 2023 National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. Ph.D. student, Quinton Wright, was awarded a pre-doctoral trainee position at Hospital for Special Surgery. Ph.D. student, Mokshin Suri, was awarded the Knight@KIC Fellowship and Ph.D. alumnus, Nate Schrieber received the APL Materials Excellence in Research Award.

These are just a few of the many exciting ways our faculty and students are being recognized for their research and expertise. Stay up to date on the latest MSE awards and honors featured in our MSE news and spotlights.

Student Spotlights

Aileen Luo is a doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering from Sunnyvale, California. She earned her B.S. in materials science and engineering from UC Berkeley and now characterizes the nanoscale structure of materials under the guidance of Andrej Singer at Cornell.